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This is an original 1986 Zimmer Quicksilver, it’s currently part of the Gas Monkey Garage collection and they’re now offering it for sale on Bring A Trailer.
The Zimmer Quicksilver is an unusual car even by American custom car standards. It started out as a Pontiac Fiero which was cut and extended by 16 inches, then some new body panels were fitted.
Fast Facts – The Zimmer Quicksilver
- The Zimmer Quicksilver was one of the unusual creations of the Zimmer Corporation, an American company that built a variety of custom cars from the late 1970s onwards.
- Zimmer was founded in 1978 by Paul Zimmer in Syracuse, New York to build what he described as ” the most beautiful new-classic automobiles in the world.”
- The company’s first car was the Zimmer Golden Spirit, it was based on the contemporary Ford Mustang but featured a slew of changes including a wheelbase extension, an all new front end, a modified rear, and a highly modified interior.
- The Zimmer Quicksilver was the company’s second production car, it was based on the Pontiac Fiero with a stretched chassis, a custom body, and an uprated interior.
The Zimmer Motorcars Corporation
As the story goes, the Zimmer Motorcars Corporation was founded in 1978 after Paul Zimmer sat down in a restaurant with his son Bob Zimmer, and drew a design for a new new-classic car on a napkin.
A variety of Zimmer Golden Spirit models where offered, including an unusual four-door convertible.
The father and son duo formed the company with Paul Zimmer acting as Chairman and President, and Bob Zimmer being a significant shareholder and running day to day operations.
The company’s first car would be the Zimmer Golden Spirit (pictured above), it was a visually arresting new-classic automobile based on the Ford Mustang with styling reminiscent of America’s great luxury automobiles of the 1930s.
Despite the high cost the Golden Spirit proved successful and at the company’s peak in the 1980s it employed 175 people and had annual revenues of $25 million USD.
In 1984 the Zimmer Quicksilver was released and both cars were built side by side until 1988 when financial problems resulted in the company falling into bankruptcy.
This wasn’t to be the end of Zimmer automobile production however, in 1996 a man named Art Zimmer learned of the company and the cars and decided to bring it back to life – even though he wasn’t related to the founding Zimmer family.
The neo-classic styling of the Zimmer Golden Spirit has been dividing opinion since it was first released in the late 1970s.
The company brought back a modern version of the Zimmer Golden Spirit and produced approximately 8-12 of them each year. The company closed down a few years ago and hasn’t yet been revived by a new owner – but it may just be a matter of time.
The Zimmer Quicksilver
In 1984 the Zimmer Quicksilver was released as the company’s second production model after the Golden Spirit. The Quicksilver was considerably smaller and less expensive, though no less opulent on the inside.
Each Quicksilver started life as a Pontiac Fiero, the car was then cut and extended 16 inches before being welded back together and having a new body added over the top. The interior was significantly modified with leather and wood accents, and most cars were fitted with chrome spoked wheels ands whitewall tires.
No engine modifications were made to the cars, they were developed as personal luxury cars rather than sports cars, with the design work done by former General Motors designer Don “D.A.” Johnson. The price of a new Quicksilver was $52,000 USD, a hefty price increase over the Fiero’s $7,679 starting price.
With a starting price of $52,000 USD in 1984 money the Quicksilver was a costly car, more than some Ferraris of the time.
Despite the cost the company sold 175 Quicksilvers between 1984 and 1988 and the surviving examples are now becoming quite collectible.
The 1986 Zimmer Quicksilver Shown Here
The Zimmer Quicksilver you see here is currently part of the Gas Monkey Garage collection and it’s being offered for sale on Bring A Trailer out of Dallas, Texas.
This Quicksilver was delivered new to the Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo dealership of Portland, Oregon and it’s said to have remained with its first owner for decades before it was acquired by Gas Monkey Garage in early 2020.
The car has less than 500 miles on the odometer and it’s powered by the original mid-mounted Fiero 2.8 liter V6 mated with a 3-speed automatic transaxle.
It’s finished in white over red leather upholstery and features chrome bumpers, dual-exit exhausts, pop-up headlights, 14″ chrome wire wheels, wood interior trim, mouton carpets, cruise control, air conditioning, and a Delco AM/FM/cassette stereo.
If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer
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