1974 Kelmark GT1 Mk III

The Pick of the Week is a rare piece of ’70s history that’s pretty much forgotten today, even though it made quite an impression at the time.

The Kelmark GT is mainly remembered as a Volkswagen-powered fiberglass kit car that could turn a standard beetle into a hot-looking Ferrari-esque sports coupe. This was an affordable way for a handy guy to build his own exotic car for driving fun and awing onlookers, especially members of the opposite sex.

But Michigan-based Kelmark Engineering had a more muscular reputation than that, producing its own hand-built turnkey GTs with a variety of powertrains and configurations. The 1974 Kelmark GT1 Mk II being advertised on ClassicCars.com was the high-performance culmination of the lineup.

With its one-piece fiberglass body sitting on a hand-crafted tubular frame, the 2,500-pound Kelmark is powered by a performance-upgraded, 400-horsepower Chevrolet 327-cid V8, which must deliver stunning acceleration.

This is the last one of the 10 GT1 Mk III mid-engine super coupes built by Kelmark. The owner, a classic car dealer in Sonoma, California, believes it to be the only one still in existence.

The seller cites period magazine reviews of the Kelmark GT1 MkII. Car and Driver said the car achieved the “fastest documented speed ever attained by a street machine.” Car Craft Magazine called it, “Undoubtedly the closest thing to a street-driven Can Am car on the road today.”

According to the seller, this Kelmark was something of a barn find, discovered after being stored for more than 20 years by a manufacturer’s representative. The car has only 20,000 miles on its odometer and has been lavishly restored at a cost of $70,000, with just 100 miles added since, the seller says. So the asking price of $45,000 seem like a lot of exotic car for the money.

Among the car’s special features are a pair of “Gurney Built” carbon/kevlar seats developed by All American Racers, full race-harness seat belts and a built-in roll bar.

With aggressive mid-engine styling that looks similar to the Ferrari 206 Dino GT, or to some eyes like a Porsche 904 race car, the Kelmark would be a unique entry for car shows or track days, depending on whether you’d prefer to show off its distinctive appearance or its sparkling performance. Whichever, it should really shake up the DeTomaso Pantera guys.