Oh Heck Yeah!

I seem to have no trouble seeing you behind the wheel of that car, Stan.  In an animal skin, of course.

Yaba Daba DOOOOOooooooo!!!!

JPS?

OK just a few things.

First, I think this is a very fine replica, and probably the best anyone could do using a golf cart donor. Kudos to the builder and eventual buyer.

But to the discerning eye, it's really nothing like the original.

This shot is from the opening credits. Clearly the original Flintmobile was a two-seater. Also note the lack of a B pillar as seen in the auction car. Also note the prominent forking of the frame rails. To the concourse judges, that's a major marker of an early series car. Note as well the location of the axles in the rails. The stance of these cars was so important, given their means of locomotion.

Now, a lot of people don't know this, but there were several variations of the Flintmobile used in the show.

This is a mid-series variant, and the most common. Note the deleted A pillars: that would define the marque going forward. Also: the axles are now in the crux of the Y and, for some reason, this one is left hand drive. That's the detail that meant so much last year at Meacum!

Here's a shot of the 2nd Gen show car from the opening credits. Impressive acceleration for the day!

It is important to acknowledge the 2+2 variant.

Although these are seen by collectors as somewhat of a "red-headed stepchild," I would not throw it out of my garage! Important details to note: all stone wheel, tire, dashboard and seat construction and, again, no A or B pillars to keep that sporty profile in a family-sized car.

It is whispered (although nowhere documented) that the Flintmobile factory produced three "convertibles" through the Central Olistostrome Pumice Order (COPO) system, "convertible" at that time meaning "converts from two-seater to four-seater." For all we know those cars—if they ever existed—are still moldering in the inky shadows of some anonymous Burbank warehouse, or inside a barn on one of Joe Barbera's estates....

Anyway, the car at auction—with its wood seats, incorrect roof supports, offset rolling stock and improper materials—would never fool a connoisseur, but it's still a head-turner and, arguably, much more practical than an original—which by now are nearing Unobtanium status for us mere enthusiasts.

@edsnova -- well, yeah to all of that, but it'll never be original anyhow. The great appeal of a plastic tribute car is that one is allowed to color outside the lines. WE all know what this is meant to honor, and the spirit of the thing is intact.

4 hrs to go: $16,250 current bid. I've got the over/under at $20k, and I think it'll go "over".

It's a no reserve auction -- you win the bid, you get the ride. I really wish I had the space. And the money. But mostly the space.

The comments are classic on this, but the winner (IMHO) was the guy who said, "Forget the fire engine. This is the ultimate parade vehicle".

^ 100% truth ^

I sent the link over to my son, who has all of the practicality and financial acumen I don't possess. His comment?

"Yabba dabba DON'T"

Killjoy.

"Killjoy"

Exactly.

"Forget the fire engine. This is the ultimate parade vehicle".

Ok, I laughed out loud at that, and so true!  And Stan, it sounds like your son knows you too well, which is a real shame.  At least he's as quick thinking as his father...

@Stan Galat posted:

I sent the link over to my son, who has all of the practicality and financial acumen I don't possess. His comment?

"Yabba dabba DON'T"

Killjoy.

I just got the translation .... Yes Abba... Daddy Don't

52 minutes left, $18k. This is headed for $25k+.

My son is like Stan's, he's a bean counter.  Fortunately for me, BMW is his kryptonite, so I've gotten a pass on my chronic motor affliction.

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I don't know these cars the way Ed does, but I'm pretty sure the most frequent question the new owner will have to answer is, "What year is it?"

Also, we should acknowledge that this was the very first prototype upon which all subsequent mid-engine designs would be based.

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@Sacto Mitch posted:

.Alwe should acknowledge that this was the very first prototype upon which all subsequent mid-engine designs would be based.

Well said. As well as the inspiration for driving shoes.

Fantastic vehicular art all over that show. No idea why nobody has ever replicated the Rubbles' Loggin Continental.

Very sleek design for its time, and likely a true "sporty car" as measured by curb weight and available power.

Fred's second car was also something...

But the real Holy Grail car—and I think the most popular—would be the Indy car Barney built and Fred piloted as "Goggles Paisano."

That one could climb walls.

I think it was because he went Log Rollin... see...

Hammered for $19,999.

Alas, it was not me.

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@edsnova posted:

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...No idea why nobody has ever replicated the Rubbles' Loggin Continental...

Actually, replicas were common. Even the one used for production shots in the show was a replica, as by Paleolithic times originals were already too expensive.

Note how the space behind the horn grille is empty and lacks an original horn:

And, it was a 'Continental' for just the show's first season, after which, for legal reasons, they were forced to change the name to 'Feetster'.

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Well it brought me back to the stone age.

The Flintstones were not Paleolithic. They were a “Modistoric family. From the town of Bedrock, a place right out of his-tor-y.”

I thought it was "...a modern stone-age family..."

UPDATE:  Found it!

@Lane Anderson posted:

I thought it was "...a modern stone-age family...“

It was. I was trying to be funny. A swing and a miss.

@Stan Galat posted:

It was. I was trying to be funny. A swing and a miss.

As the Bard wrote: "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we might win, by fearing to attempt."

If I had a quart of oil for every time I tried to crack a joke and missed the mark, I'd be heir to the Getty fortune.

Thanks, @Sacto Mitch

I now have this picture in my head of a sour faced, bespectacled, gray haired gentleman wearing a bearskin and a straw boater, while carrying a clipboard at a modern stoneage concours. Pebbles Beach, if you will.

This thread was laugh out loud funny! This is the content I come here for!

So, how often did he have to replace his brake pads?