front three-quarter view, white hatchback with roof rack parked on gravel in park.

The collector-car world is filled with all types of blue-chip sure bets, but the way traffic looked in the past isn't well represented by what you might find on the lawn at Pebble Beach today. Instead, the roads of the past were filled with plainer cars, most of which don't survive the erosion of time.

side view, white two-door hatchback parked on gravel beside tree-lined park.

However, a special example of a very ordinary little car has just turned up on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It’s a 1986 Yugo GT with only 121 miles on the odometer. You have to have a sense of humor to keep a collector-grade Yugo around, and in this case, the previous owner clearly did, as he was the producer behind such screwball comedies as the second Ace Ventura movie and Major League II.

For Sale Near You

See all results for used cars for sale near t5t 6m6

rear three-quarter view, white hatchback with open liftgate showing cargo area.

Baltimore's James G. Robinson founded Morgan Creek Entertainment, running it as a successful movie production company for decades. Not every movie it made was Oscar-winning material, but there were plenty of hits along the way. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was something of a pincushion for critical arrows, but it ended up as the second-highest-grossing movie of 1991.

Robinson died earlier this year, having amassed a collection of more than 100 cars, some of them obviously collector grade, like a Mercedes 300SL roadster. Among such vaunted company, this little Yugo might have seemed like a donkey in a barn full of thoroughbreds, but it has a pretty special story of its own.

engine bay view, compact engine with spare tire and air cleaner beneath raised hood.

Along with his Hollywood work, Robinson was also involved in the automotive trade, prepping imported cars after shipment from Europe, and even installing U.S.-grade air conditioning systems. His company processed many of the imported Yugos, and he was friends with the importer Malcolm Bricklin.

vehicle interior view, gray cloth seats and dashboard with simple controls and manual shifter.

Like a movie panned by the critics, the Yugo was derided as cheap and disposable and was often the butt of jokes. Really, it offered honest, if basic, transportation for not much money. Based on the Fiat 128, it was produced in Yugoslavia by the former arms manufacturer Zastava and brought to the U.S. market in 1985 by Bricklin, who also gets credit for introducing Subaru to America.

Featuring a simple and practical hatchback layout, this Yugo GV comes with a 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine good for just 55 horsepower. The layout is fairly bare-bones, but you do get a cassette deck, air conditioning, and a roof rack. This Yugo also runs disc brakes up front and 13-inch wheels at each corner.

For Sale Near You

See all results for used cars for sale near t5t 6m6

More than 140,000 Yugos were sold in the U.S., with nearly 800,000 in total global production. Though the car was never a critical hit, those figures nonetheless make this little hatchback a commercial success. Like the films Mr. Robinson produced, it was a crowd pleaser.

Such a clean, low-mileage example with a great connection to the Yugo story is something that probably belongs in a museum. However, the cost of entry is likely to be low enough that the car could be driven sparingly and displayed at the odd car show. It may never get past the velvet rope for the Pebble Beach Concours, but show up at next year's Monterey Car Week in a Yugo this pristine, and heads will turn.

Video poster

Auctions

This Grand Touring Coupe Is a Subaru Like No Other

This Focus RS Makes Us Nostalgic for a Time When Ford Built Cars Besides the Mustang

The Shelby You Never Knew Existed Is for Sale on BaT

Shaquille O'Neal’s 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom on BaT

1981 Toyota Celica Supra on BaT: The Supra Story Starts Here

What Makes This 2001 VW New Beetle on BaT So Special?

This Wild Dune Buggy Was the Follow-Up to the Meyers Manx

Amazingly Preserved 37,000-Mile ’76 Chevy Pickup Has Had Only One Owner

1985 VW GTI on BaT Has a Little Something Extra

The Roomiest Porsche 356 Ever Lands on BaT

With This Ferrari GTO Re-Creation on BaT, You Don’t Need a Million to Look Like a Million

1963 Falcon Ranchero on BaT: Ford’s O.G. Small Pickup