Be an auto mogul!(Brief Article)

For only $400,000 you could be the Henry Ford of Zimbabwe

It may be too late to start the Ford Motor Co., since Henry did that nearly a century ago, and GM and Daimler are already up and running, too. But that doesn't mean you can't become a car mogul. World Transit Authority is selling a car factory in a box (actually two 40-foot shipping containers) that includes everything you need to start building the WorldStar.

Hang on, it actually makes good business sense. The WorldStar is a simple truck-like vehicle designed for the Third World. It may not be pretty to look at, and it lacks most of the amenities of almost any vehicle made today, but it's cheap and will probably run forever. And is it ever simple. The body is made out of six-that's right, six-foam-core fiberglass pieces. The engine, transmission and running gear come in a third container from Zastava in Bosnia, maker of the Yugo. Zastava ships enough parts in each container to make 40 cars.

The engine is essentially the same 1.3-liter water-cooled four that powered all those Fiat 128s back in the '70s. The drivetrain is built under license by Zastava and it gets a WorldStar label slapped on the top just like all those labels on Champ car engines. The engine and five-speed manual transmission ...