Record prices at the major auctions indicate that the Vintage Car Market, that had been battered by recession, has rebounded. In fact it seems the recovery is complete.
At the RM Auction a 1958 Ferrari sold for 8.8 million while Barrett Jackson had 1967 Corvette Coupe with a L88 engine sell for 3.9 million.
More amazing though have been some of the cars that have sold that need work, "barn finds". An abandoned 1965 Porsche 911, a car that resemble something from the Mad Max movie, sold $166,600 at Bonhams. At Gooding & Co a tatter worn out Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing brought the seller 1.9 million. Of course to bring a car back to show level can sometimes be more expensive than its worth.
So what is the appeal? As David Gooding put it, its having the ownership of an "undisturbed soul". Can you picture yourself driving down the road, the smells, the textures of your beautifully restored vintage car? Can you imagine the car making its maiden voyage, who sat there, what did they talk about, where did they go? Nothing in the world like that, I call it the smell of old leather.
Not all agree that this is a wonderful thing. One writer put it this way, "it's almost like cash for clunkers had come to the Vintage Car Market". But that isn't it is it? Its a true indicator the the Vintage Car Market has pulled out of the recession. It is time to look around your garage to decide what to sell, decide what to buy and what to restore.
Of course I am here to help. Are you looking to sell, I will find the right buyer for you. Are you looking to buy, I will find the right car for you. All About Detail ~ WeBe Autos has over 5,000 fine automobiles for sale online right now. That is no accident. We have been very busy helping buyers and sellers connect. We would love to add you to our cause.
Let me share with you two of my recent "barn finds" and see what your imagination can do.
1951 Mercury "Darryl Starbird" Chop Top
1940 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible
Two really special cars waiting for some imagination. In these cases not much needed to be done to bring them back to thier glory days, have them out on the concour again.
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Be sure to read my other articles as I chase Classic Cars in Southwest Florida such as "Simply Yum Yum Cars" and join us weekly for our latest articles.
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It's a jump back, or at least an attempted jump back, to youth, too. God knows, I'd love to be able to leap back in time to my first new car, at 18: 1957 Chev convertible, red and silver interior, fish pole antennae on the rear fenders, and best of all the 283 V8, with the Duntov dual four barrel set-up, which was a 10 to 1 compression ratio and a mildly hot cam, and a progressive throttle linkage that supposedly helped gas mileage. Even at 33 cents a gallon that was a costly bugger to drive, and you got 1-1/2 stops from above 85 before you needed to park for a couple hours to let the brakes cool. More sensible, though, was my next factory hot rod, a '68 Barracuda fastback, white with red upholstery, and a 340S package that, sensibly, included front disc brakes. Gas mileage was better, but with 35 cent a gallon Esso Extra, I never checked it. If it got me the 12 miles or so to work and back for five days, I was happy. Different days.
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