GT40/Cobra

[DXD]

Wanted to reply to some of the comments from the Camaro thread, but didn't want to continue hijacking the thread.

bmwpower:
I agree that it probably isn't achievable in today's collector car market. Prices are just too strong at present. I didn't buy any of my cars to make a profit. My motivation was always love of the cars. Sure, I rationalized the purchase by thinking that they might appreciate, but the bottom line was always the car, not the chance of profit. Actually, I haven't made any profit on them, and won't until I (or my heirs) sell them. The market goes in cycles. I was offered $1.9MM for the GT40 in the late '80's and turned it down. The "bubble" burst shortly thereafter, and it took until very recently for the prices to recover to that level. If you are young enough, and patient enough, opportunities will come again.
Real estate is certainly one way to make some windfall $, but not in my area. I am in a rural area in the mountains of NW PA, and property values are low--not the place to speculate in real estate.
Yes, I made some good decisions with the cars, but I've made some bad ones too. Too many got away (including a Cobra Daytona coupe, but thinking about that one really depresses me).

 

[wythors]

I remember as a young lad in 1970, imploring my dad to drive by the Chrysler/Plymouth dealer when we'd go to visit my grandparents in Yakima, WA. They had not one, but two Superbirds sitting on the showroom floor that winter. I begged him to buy one because I thought they were the coolest thing on four wheels at that time. Cooler heads (my mother's in particular) prevailed and we bought a new Polara instead, but I always had the satisfaction of being able to ask her "remember when the dumb kid wanted you to buy one of those?" whenever one would come up for sale as the prices rose.

I think cars have taken much the same route as baseball cards. Those lucky enough to have had the foresight or just plain stubborness to hold onto what have become true classics are very fortunate and can reap the profits as they should. For the rest of us "regular guys", we're going to have to leave the high dollar stuff to the high rollers of the world. Barrett-Jackson has ruined that market for the less than rich. I don't honestly think that any of the cars currently offered will ever acheive the cult status of the Shelby cars or the Baldwin/Motion cars or any of the other great vehicles of the muscle car era. As such, I will hold onto my lowly Mustangs and enjoy them for what they are. If they end up being worth something someday, fantastic. If not, I've used them for what they were meant for: To be driven, doted on and enjoyed.

Mr. DXD, you're my new hero. As far as the Daytona coupe goes, well..... if you had that, I'd have to pay you a visit. Only having two of my three all-time favorites, you'll be spared me knocking on your door.

Dave