If it’s evolutionary, I believe it’s just evolving away from old guy cars as the next generation takes over. When Supras and 80s Porsches are selling for as much as mid grade E-Types then demographic changes are happening. Electrification is happening but gas will always be there. The people who own classic cars aren’t going to care if gas costs them $10 a gallon. Most don’t drive enough to care.
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The ETYPE is a Picasso…Like the 356 or Ferrari what ever.
It will be like owning a polo pony.
Many of us don’t own a horse anymore, but the ones that do own, racing polo or show horses.
Make sense.
gtjoey1314
This is exactly right. Low-mileage Supras and NSX’s are selling for upwards of $150k…that money would get you a pretty exceptional E-type.
People with expendable income buy the cars they wanted as kids…that’s the oldest “rule” in the car collecting game. The guys who were kids in the early 90’s are now in their early 40’s, and hitting their stride from an income perspective.
A fiend of mine was recently GIVEN a ‘57 Nomad by the widow of a dead guy. It was in scruffy-but-solid condition, and he thought people were going to be lining up at his door to buy it. He posted it on some Chevy and Nomad forums, and was actually very surprised how hard it was to sell. One of the most common responses he saw was “If I were younger, I’d buy that in a heartbeat, but I’m too old to finish that project”. BaT flat-out refused to list it, because it “didn’t suit their audience”…a Southern California ‘57 Nomad with all its glass/trim, a 327 and a Muncie 4-spd, and it didn’t suit their audience!!
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Nothing against either model, but… 150 LARGE for a Supra?
Woa!!!
Ben, I usually always trust your reportage, but…really?
They “refused” to list something? Something that when sold, would make them money?
I find that…difficult to buy.
It’s odd because classic station wagons were all the rage not very long ago and this specific one is supposedly still very collectible. Maybe it’s only for completed restorations though and not enough people want to go through that effort
I know, but it’s true.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I know the founder of BaT. We’re not lifelong friends, or anything, but I have his cell number, and he has mine. In recent years, he’s delegated the vetting process to his employees, most of whom are young, techie types.
To them, a scruffy 50’s or 60’s car is not very desirable, so they have a hard time assigning value to it. They MAY have been willing to list the car at no reserve, but if a reserve comes into play, they simply decline…I’ve had it happen myself.
I know my friend, and I’m sure he was requesting a very reasonable reserve, but BaT are closing 50+ auctions A DAY these days, so they want to spend their time on listings that they are confident are going to sell…it’s all about maximizing SALES.
I agree, my 1956 thunderbird was the rage and still looks good but…
It doesn’t stop, dumps in both gears which were rebuilt and hit 60 mph and that’s about it.
Thankfully I have 12 volts!
They are worth nothing today but I take my wife to the beach in it a pure AARP commercial.
The SUPRA I will never get the nsx, I get.
gtjoey1314
The ‘57 Nomad is still one of the most iconic American cars of the 50’s…station wagon, or not, and nice ones still bring good money.
But, you are exactly right about the anguish of going through a restoration. There is acres of chrome on that car, and not much in the way of sheetmetal availability for areas that are unique to the wagon…nobody wants to embark of that journey today, but the feedback he got was that it would have been a totally different story just 10 years ago.
I agree, what people do not realize is that the hot car market is going to cool down, big time. For two reasons, the younger generation does not have the fondness or disposable income to keep the market going. They do not have the youthful experiences and the affinity for classic or muscle cars like previous generations. Look at the auctions, the people buying muscle and classic cars are the older generation trying to get a piece of their youth back. The muscle, retro mods, custom classics and more pedestrian classic cars are all going to take a big hit in prices due to the lack of buyers. The historic classics, rarer cars and pristine car examples will keep their value because collectors, and car museums will still want them for their collections. So buy the car because you love it, but do not fool yourself thinking it is an investment. That is my opinion, I could be off the mark but I do not think I am.
That is…disappointing, and may well speak, if only tangentially, to the oft-made point that young’un don’t really care all that much about cars we think are neato-keeno.
To be fair, if you asked me to rank the “marketability” of a bunch of project cars from the 40’s and 50’s, I might be able to pick a few winners, but most would be pretty hit-and-miss.
If you look at completed BaT auctions over the last year or two, there aren’t that many project cars overall, but I notice they have listed some project E-types, and Sunbeam Tigers lately, so some makes/models still make the cut.
I’m surprised 2-door Tri-5 Chevys aren’t on the “pass go” list, but maybe their data shows those don’t sell well in project form. That would certainly match my friend’s experience of trying to sell his privately.
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As always, big difference between the last one and all the rest. Price jumps up and quality dives down just by removing the back seats. We live in an odd world.
Well, there is that… very unique interior…
Regards,
Ray L.
But… but… the last one is being offered at a bargain price, and it’s ONLY been sitting for 45 years!
y’all. the search is for a “ragged old cat”…and cheap
What other type of widow is there?
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