Best (and Worst) of the Concours d'LeMons 0206Mark Vaughn"Gack! My eyes!" you'll scream as you stroll onto the lawn of the Seaside City Hall, the only venue on the Monterey Peninsula that will to allow this affront to good taste and all that is design-pure. You know what you're going to get: good examples of bad cars and bad examples of good cars. It says it right there on the website. And yet on you stroll, expecting something that won't hurt. But it does.Oh, the Pain."You're doing the Lord's work," we told founder Alan Galbraith.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Lord Vishnu," he replied.Scroll on, if you dare, and see whether this year's awfulness is worse than last, as if that's even possible.1)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe original engine in this 1959 Citroen HY flatbed was a 1.9-liter four making 35 hp, not nearly enough to haul around that R5 Turbo. The owner took it to a shop that specializes in these things and swapped in a 5.3-liter Chevrolet LS making 519 hp. AccurAir offers auto level air ride, while Vintage Air handles the air conditioning. The project was designed and built by Clint Wolff in Sacramento.2)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThere really was a Datsun 240Z converted to run in the East Africa Safari Raid way back in the 1970s. Driven by Edgar Herrmann and co-driver Hans Schüller, it won. We might have seen this tribute car at JCCS, or somewhere. The frame rails alone are beefy enough to conquer the Sahara.3)Photo credit: Mark VaughnSpeaking of off-road-ready, this 1984 300 TD owned by Cameron Demecs of Paradise Valley AZ looks like it could conquer anything between here and the Sonora wasteland.4)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementThis isn't a car, it isn't even a trailer, a full trailer, anyway. And despite that DOT-approved seating, it doesn't look like it'd be good for much. Except titillating the crowd at LeMons, which it did. Note the Sign taped to the top, "Free to a Home!"5)Photo credit: Mark VaughnNo idea what this is. Perhaps it was inspired by the Nissan Escargot? It rides on an EZGO by Textron, if that's any help.6)Photo credit: Mark VaughnButtercup has been to many a LeMons2, it even won the coveted Worst in Show one time. Always a crowd pleaser.7)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1956 Mercedes 190 SL Celestial Carnival was hand-painted by Bill Dambrova. Looks kind of cool, in a Janis Joplin/ John Lennon way.8)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementThis 1964 Ford Galaxie wagon was in two demolition derbies in 1977 then parked in a barn for 43 years because you never know when you might have to enter demo derby #3. In 2024 it was hauled out of the barn and someone swapped in an LS truck motor and Turbo 400 transmission. It also got a "4000 Watt Stereo," just because.9)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis 1966 Plymouth Barracuda sold for $3405 when new. No idea when the pink paint was added. Looks cool, though.10)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Subaru 360 was built from 1958 to 1971. It was Subaru's first mass-produced car, with a 356-cc two-stroke in the back, it weighed about 1,000 pounds, and was designed to fit Japan's light kei car rules. Nicknamed the "Ladybug," it became a postwar icon in Japan.Pay no attention to the terrifying clown in the background. It will not show up in your room tonight and scare the beejeezus out of you.11)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe proportions speak for themselves on the 1980 Marcos Mini Mk IV. This might have been the inspiration for the new Acrua Nexera Vision.12)Photo credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementDean Marsh just replaced the firewall in this 1957 Land Rover 109" Pickup. He says it squaeks less now. Or maybe just squeaks differently.