TVR 2500 M

NUMBER BUILT: 947

WHAT IS IT? TVR has, often against all odds, soldiered on since 1947. They’re the little sports car company that won’t die, and at Goodwood this past September we saw the first signs of life the firm has shown in nearly five years.

The Triumph TR6-powered 2500 M, built from 1972 through 1977, is the one that we really like. These cars look cool, feature easily serviceable Triumph mechanicals and, despite their rarity, don’t command a premium.

PLUSES: Robust driveline, rust-proof fiberglass bodies, stylish design and simple construction. Good club support, too, for an oddball.

MINUSES: The tubular steel chassis will rust. Some parts are getting hard to find, and there was no top-down option until later models.

COMMON EQUIVALENT: Triumph GT6 or even a Datsun Z-car.

FINAL WORDS: If you wished that Triumph offered a fiberglass TR6 coupe, then maybe this is the one.

DAIMLER SP 250

NUMBER BUILT: 2654

WHAT IS IT? While all of the usual European suspects produced small, open-topped sports cars, do you know how many combined fiberglass bodywork with a Hemi V8? Just one, and it would be the Daimler SP 250.

One small detail probably kept it from becoming a sensation: It’s not exactly the most beautiful car on the planet. In fact, as legend has it, when the SP 250 debuted at the 1959 New York auto show, it was unofficially voted the ugliest car there. And once cars started landing in buyers’ hands, the SP 250 was found to be a little too flexible, with doors that occasionally popped open. The awkward model lasted through 1964, although it never came close to sales projections.

PLUSES: The SP 250 is certainly a head-turner–plus a fiberglass body means relatively easy DIY bodywork. And how can you not root for the underdog?

MINUSES: Did we mention that it looks a bit weird? Also, parts can be rare.

COMMON EQUIVALENT: E-Type Jaguar and, later, the Sunbeam Tiger and Triumph TR8.

FINAL WORDS: Not sure if the SP 250 is worth your while? Leno owns one.