Barrett Jackson 03

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Hi Gang,

Its 8:50PM, 1 Jan 05 and I’m watching last year’s Barrett Jackson auction. A 1942 Packard 160 convertible was sold for $120M. It was a flawless, national senior caliber restoration. A few lots later, a beautiful ’55 Chevy 2 door hardtop resto-rod went for $210M.

Questions:
Are those originality purists among us on the wrong side of the hobby?
Does Stampie know something we don’t?

I don’t know what some of the bidders do for a living, but I’ll bet there are federal statutes against it…………

Ralph

[Michael Stamps 19507]

No matter what you do to your car have fun doing it.  My 60 is going to stay stock because shes going to be the fun crusier.  The 70 Evil Woman is going to be nothing like stock because the little boy in me wants to see how many sets of tires I can burn up in a year.  The modern car guy wants the classic look with modern convence.  Going down to the LaSalle question below, its a great looking car but yes the parts are hard to find.  Thats why Im seeing more and more hot rod Cadillacs and LaSalles from that age.    Keep the body and the basic interior but have something under it that is easier to service and gives you more performance.

My 2 cents,
Stampie

[Michael Stamps 19507]

This reminds me of the other day when I went to NAPA and asked them about getting a fuel pump for the 60.  First word out of them was converting it to an electic pump.  I was offened and told them that not on this car.  There is something about looking at the glass bowl on the fuel filter and knowing that she wouldnt be right without it.  At the same time Im looking for the right electric pump to put in the Evil Woman.  As some of us here have learned its all about enjoying these cars for what they are and what they can be.  Its not about making a buck or two later on.

Stampie

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

No, Ralph, the purists are not on the wrong side of the hobby, but you wont ever be able to convince the other side of it. What makes it the right side is that the purists are preserving history and the modifiers are altering it. None of those cars will ever be the same as they were when they rolled out of assembly lines and into peoples lives...theyre lost forever and there are, of course, fewer and fewer as each year goes by. Im frequently amused at how often these gutted cars have their original engine replaced with the same make (i.e. Northstar for 346 in a 41)as if that makes it more authentic than a modern engine of another make.  As for the prices, apparently they prove the old yacht salesmens line: "If you have to ask the price, you cant afford it". Apparently there are very many people to whom it doesnt matter if they pay $5,000.00, $50,000.00 or $500,000.00 for a car.

[Doug]

Well put.  And I dont think you need to do much altering to make your "evil woman" smoke tires or leave anyone in the dust - those were probably the fastest production Cadillacs.  And interestingly, my 60 didnt have the glass gas bowl on the fuel pump, and it didnt appear to have been replaced, (but who knows, it was 15 at the time). If you want to DRIVE the car, its generally best to bow to the advances in technology in your replacement parts, in my opinion.  But I dont see the point in an electric fuel pump when the mechanical ones now seem to last forever.  Doug

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Guys, the times are achangin, & you are going to see alot more of it. The other guys dont think the purists are on the "wrong" side of the hobby. It doesnt even cross their minds. The rod & custom part of the hobby is growing exponentially. Keep an eye on it. Bob

[Bill Sullivan]

I went to B-J 03 cause I happened to be in Phoenix at the time.  It was a very ugly display to this car collector.  Thousands and thousands of dollars chasing a few hundred over restored, over polished, and over accesorized cars and car stuff.  The rods were selling through the roof, I think the big seller was a 400K 38 Lincoln Zephyr with a hopped up flathead V12.  The more someone paid, the more the crowd roared!  Hey, I thought car collectors were cheap geezers trying to avoid paying for new cars.  Not so at B-J.  

There were also some beautiful high point originals out there, though mainly this was 50s and 60s Chevy lovefest.  A fairly nice unrestored red 53 Eldo convert managed to pull in a few bucks, probably near 100 K if I recall.

If you didnt have well over 50K in your pocket, you might as well have stayed home.  No wait, the low rollers could have walked out with several of the lovely 59 Cad couches, gas pumps or a garage full of diamond plate "monster garage" toolboxes, I forgot about those.

I left the place with a strong desire to get into a junkyard and pound on some rusty sheetmetal, it seemed like more fun to me.  For each its own, I must say it was a memorable experience.      

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Bob, you are (unfortunately, of course, in my view)absolutely correct about the trend towards modifieds and theres not much any of us can do about it.  I think youre probably right on the mark, too, about what the modifiers think of the purists.  It reminded me of something I heard recently: "You wouldnt worry so much about what people think of you if you only knew how seldom they did".