One Lap of the Web: Antarctic hot rods, Nissan BE-1 for sale and parting with a beloved Wagoneer

-- Here's yet another gem we first saw over at Hemmings: The first, and (so far as we know) only Antarctic hot rod ever built. It might be from 1968-'71; not much else is known, except that it was probably constructed by Navy SeaBees operating out of McMurdo Station. From the one photo we have, it looks like it could have a Jeep flathead four up front. We're eager for more info.

-- Stop everything: There's a 1988 Nissan BE-1 featured on Bring a Trailer. Not quite petite enough to be considered a kei car, the BE-1 is one of a handful of fashionable, retro-themed city cars Nissan built in the late 1980s. They weren't available here, but we're guessing we'll see more in the States after the 25-year import restriction window rolls forward. This one's in Canada, and it'll set you back a hefty $15,500. A lot to pay, true, but you'll have one of the few in the hemisphere.

-- So a guy in Lincoln, Neb. recently sold his Jeep Wagoneer. It wasn't the sharpest specimen cosmetically and it took a lot of work to keep it on the road, but those sorts of things do really matter to a real car or truck geek. The story is a great example of how attached one can get to what is ultimately an inanimate hunk of metal.

-- You know those annoying, compulsively sharable Web links that are seemingly designed to go viral? The ones that always read something like "man tries to sdfjhsd, YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!"? Yeah, we hate them too. Still, you won't believe what's under the hood of this dignified 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 S. No, it's not exactly mind-blowing, but it's a surprisingly cleanly executed engine swap, as far as such swaps go. We will tell you that it isn't a Chevy small block, but you'll have to head to Hooniverse to get the details.

By Graham Kozak