As every car guy knows, the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is this week. I thought it might be interesting to talk a little bit about what a collectors car is worth and what is a collector car. Now, before we get to far I realize how controversial this topic can be and I also know at least a couple of guys will pop their clutch when they read this and comment (in all caps) who do you think you are you little
#$#@&^((*% and then question my family heritage! Hey, I'm just a car guy who has had collector cars and follows the hobby pretty closely. My last collector car, this 1967 Mustang GTA, is a prime example of a car I feel is worth much more than the market will bare. Because I spent so much blood, sweat, tears and time its worth what I say it is. Due to the strong emotions that old cars bring out in people, it can be tough setting a value for a particular car. A car is only worth what someone will pay and if there are two people who want it....the sky's the limit, thus you have Barrett-Jackson.
What is a collector car? I would say any vehicle that someone wants to save, preserve or restore. Maybe there is a special memory with a certain vehicle. Generally it would be a car that is considered of special interest, rare or just old. So does that mean a Chevy Cavalier can't be a collector car? I don't know go ask the guys at one of the Cavalier Owners Clubs. If there is a group of people, no matter how misguided, building a club around a certain car...then its collectible! There is a club for just about every car ever made. By the way, I actually like the Cavalier convertibles. They are fun to drive but don't take it from me, I was kicked in the head by a mule when I was six!
Of course I don't expect to see a Cavalier crossing the block unless it has Jegs Racing somewhere on it but I think you can see how broad the term collector car can be and I never knock a guys choice of car to love even if its choke choke....Japanese! One mans lemon is another mans passion fruit. But whats it worth?
I love watching Barrett-Jackson, especially the first couple of days when they run the "every mans" cars through. You know, just nice old cars most of us can afford. The problem with the auction is, due to its popularity and level of respectability it tends to set the pricing trends for the entire collector car hobby. Don't get me wrong, if you want to spend 1 million dollars on a Mopar Hemi clone more power to you, and God Bless The United States of America. If I had a million to spend I would probably purchase a dozen nice drivers and just have fun runnin' them but that's just me (remember...the mule). Oh and by the way they are no longer called "clones". They are now called "tribute cars". This is called, marketing. It helps to write the big check if its for a tribute car as opposed to a clone. Just sounds better doesn't it? HONEY, did you spend a million dollars on a fake car again? No dear, its a tribute to the real car! See what I mean, what wife could argue with that logic. Nothing wrong with clones. Say I bought a 6cyl Barracuda, the first thing to do is drop the biggest engine that I could afford into it and the only tribute being payed is to my need for more power and speed! I just feel you have alot of guys with new money who want cars they grew up watching and will pay anything to have them and it just gets crazy out there in Arizona. It creates a ripple effect through the market. An exceptional Chevelle goes across the block for $250,000. suddenly all the Chevelles in the Auto Trader go up as well. An excellent example involves our Mustang. We decided to sell it a few years back and with it being a coupe I new it was on the lower end of the scale. That January the hot car was the fake Shelby Mustang clones....I'm sorry I mean the tributes to Carrol Shelby. We placed the ads and waited for the calls. In almost every call the first question was "is it a fastback or convertible?.....No it isn't"...click. Everybody was looking for a base car to turn into a Shelby. To bad for me Carrol never made a coupe. My point is that Mustang convertibles and fastback values were inflated while the coupes fell off the market. Barrett-Jackson has its place and its not their fault what people will pay. As I said, if you have at least two bidders, the sky's the limit. So car guys, get your Mountain Dew, a bag of Doritos and kick back in your recliner and enjoy the one of the greatest car shows on TV. Oh and keep dreaming of that special ride after all this is America and anything can happen. If it doesn't that's OK, there are plenty of Cavaliers left!
Happy Motoring Gang!
