Junkyard Find: 1972 "Gazelle" Mercedes-Benz SSK Replica
Trying to track down the history of all the varieties of fiberglass-bodied kit cars intended to look something like the Mercedes-Benz SSK will drive you crazy in a hurry because so many companies building these cars popped up in the 1970s and 1980s. You could build an “SSK” based on hardware from a Chevy Chevette, a Ford Pinto, or a VW Type 1 Beetle. Many did. Because Classic Motor Carriages and Fiberfab and Tiffany Motor Cars all called their versions “Gazelle” (trying to parse the relationships between those companies is like deciphering the wiring in a Porsche 928), this has become the generic term for these cars.
Anyway, here is an early variety of Gazelle, built on a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle pan, that I found in a Denver yard a few weeks ago.
About the one thing all these cars had in common was this grille, no doubt manufactured in a dodgy facility owned by shadowy Cayman Island investors.
The riveted-on manufacturer’s tag is long gone from this car, but I’m guessing it’s a Tiffany.
It had been sitting outdoors for many, many years prior to arriving here, and the Colorado sun has had its way with the stuff made of wood, cloth, and leather.
VW used generators (which suck) for many years after most other manufacturers switched to alternators. The electrical demands of a Gazelle weren’t very serious, so this rig probably worked well enough.
Look, safety! If you want to know how these cars were assembled, you can still find the manual (PDF).
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
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i like the dune buggy, i also like many other well made kit cars, and hot rods. but i really don't like mercedes and rs 550 spyder stiled kit cars based on the beetle. never saw a good one, and don't understand the joy of driving one. the vw beetle is allready funny car to drive and look. not to mention that a well made fiber body would be eavier than the beetle steel.
Has anyone ever produced a neo-classic kitcar that wasn't just horrible? There used to be a VW-based Jag 120 kitcar in my hometown and I always desperately wanted to set it on fire just to rid the world of it.