The seller of today's Corolla describes the car as a Hotrod econobox which is an interesting confluence of possible attributes. You'll need to decide if its price would make your economy a hot mess.

What do you suppose it is about seventies cars and the color brown? Of course it wasn't just brown, it was during the era. Looking back on it now, it's as though the entire decade was washed in sepia tone.

As exhibit A in support of this theory, I present to you this , which is, appropriately enough, brown. It's a pleasing chocolate brown and not a nasty poo one, and this being a survivor of the seventies, it looks right as rain wearing such a shade.

I should back up a bit and note that being down with the brown is about the only thing from the seventies that has survived on this Corolla. The rest of the car is an intriguing mishmash of parts from later decades, and we should now see what's what.

The U.S. model '78 Corolla would have left the factory powered by a 75-horse 1,588-cc four. At the time, Road & Track criticized the car for its performance and fuel economy, neither of which the magazine felt compared well with competitive offerings.

This Corolla solves that problem by sending the four to the cornfield and replacing it with a 3-litre V6 from the house of Henry. That is of course a Vulcan V6 - or at least that's what it appears to be. The ad claims 170-bhp owing to a special computer on board, and from the looks of the pics, it's obviously an MIT project. Whatever the reason, there's a bungie cord in the engine bay and that's making it all work for me.

Power from the six is sent back through a Ford 5-speed late of a Ranger, and then to a Chevy 10-bolt rear-end. That sets up a total cross-town rivalry in a single foreign exchange student of a car.

Heading to the interior, you'll find sexy seats and a steering column out of a Firebird because why the hell not. Other attributes of the car include dual exhaust, new tires on older alloys, and the claim that the car is faster than a Subaru WRX. Oh, and did I mention that it is brown?

This amazing amalgamation of marques could be yours for $3,500. What do you think about this surprisingly Ford-powered Corolla for that kind of cash? Is $3,500 a fair price for so unique a ride? Or, is this an econobox hotrod with a price that leaves you cold?

You decide!

, or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Schep9d for the hookup!

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