I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

potemkin · June 2005

Probably not too obscure to some, but it sure is around these parts...
Huh? It's a Bentley!

andys120 · June 2005

Bentley Azure?

potemkin · June 2005

Bentley something. To be honest I didn't get a good look at it (I was afraid the owner would shoot me if I got too close). I only knew it was a Bentley by the "B"s on the wheel centers.

fintail · June 2005

Yep that's an Azure...north of 250K new I believe...and after several years, the depreciation would buy one a house in many areas.

potemkin · June 2005

Thanks.

50% depreciation would buy my house.

But you'd think that something that costs that much would have four doors.

fintail · June 2005

It's all about that emblem

lemko · June 2005

...a blue 1976 Ford Ranchero in fairly decent condition.

explorerx4 · June 2005

you still probably don't see too many of them at wendy's.

kyfdx · June 2005

A Shelby/AC Cobra replica...

Very nice.. sounded like maybe a 289 or 302 for power... In silver, naturally..

You should have seen all the jockeying by other cars trying to stay close to him to get a look (interstate rush hour)..

lemmer · June 2005

I took my wife's Odyssey to the Goodyear store to get an oil change a couple of weeks ago, and parked among the various Luminas, Camrys, and Rangers that were there. While I was waiting a guy pulls up in a real 427 Cobra. He tells me he hasn't driven in over 6 months, but he thought it was a nice day to get an oil change. While it was on the lift he went over it with me from stem to stern. It was an incredible car. I was embarrassed to get back into my minivan. Somehow, it felt even less manly than before.

kyfdx · June 2005

I'd be really surprised if it were real... Those are half-million dollar cars.. Especially with a 427..

I can spot most replicas fairly easily, as most are substantially different.. I'm sure that if someone were trying to replicate a real one exactly, that I wouldn't be able to tell, as I'm not really that up on them...

But, even the replicas are very cool.. I almost got run over twice today.. The Cobra got off at my exit.. First on the freeway, a guy changed lanes and almost took off my front bumper, trying to get a better look... then, right after we got off, another guy drifted over and almost sideswiped me, while distracted by him... I used the horn twice today, which is just about my annual allocation..

regards,
kyfdx
(VVRRROOOOOOMMM)

lemmer · June 2005

I was originally sceptical. I can tell you that the car was aluminum bodied, and it had clutch and brake pedals that came from below rather than down from the dash area. The owner said those were two of the easiest ways to spot replicas.

The car was signed by Peter Brock. The owner said Brock signed it for him after using it for a pictorial. He said it has been featured in several car magazines.

We were also in an area where $10 million houses were not uncommon, and the owner was wearing a polo shirt with the insignia of a huge law firm.

kyfdx · June 2005

And he takes the car to the local Goodyear store? Brave guy...

Aluminum body... If it is a replica.. it is a darn expensive one.. !!

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

There are a number of aluminum body replicas being made in Europe. One of them is made out of an old Russian MIG airplane factory, and those boys do know how to weld.

One way to spot a fake is look at the frame. The original frames are tubular, and 99% of the fakes are regular square rail frames.

I'm surprised a replica would get such attention but I guess it depends what part of the country you are in. California is crawling with fakes and you see them everywhere, and you can buy them used quite cheaply, as low as $25,000 with very few miles on them.

Actually for a toy in the garage that's not a bad price to pay for a fun (if crude) car to drive. I wouldn't mind having a fake as a plaything for nice summer days.

Not all replicas are created equal of course--some are a lot better engineered than others.

PS: There are actually replicas with tubular frames, but these are quite expensive in their own right, and seem to have more respect, as they are just about EXACT duplicates of the original car. After all, you can just do the same thing Shelby did and build the car off the Ford parts shelf. Many of the parts in the originals are just sourced from various manufacturers (radiators, differentials, master cylinders, etc.) who still make those parts.

kyfdx · June 2005

Superformance... used to be located in this area.. Imported fiberglass bodies out of South Africa.. I think they may be headquartered in Georgia now..

I used to see quite a few of them around here.. but, not so many, anymore..

It is a great day for top down motoring today.. high of 81, and low humidity..

lemmer · June 2005

It was tube framed.

The guy seemed to get a lot better treatment than me. He didn't even have to wait in line, and they sent some young fellow scurrying over to a parts store to get the correct oil filter.

I waited in line and used my $19.95 coupon for an oil change and tire rotation. Such frugality might get me my own Cobra one day.

The guy mentioned that also had some rare and nearly perfect 1960s big block Corvettes at home in his climate controlled garage.

kyfdx · June 2005

There was an auction this weekend.. Cars from the estate of the late Marge Schott. Former owner of the Reds, and a local car dealer...

She had a '63 and a '66 Vette.. Both convertibles.. Not sure of the shape, but you can bet they were both unmolested cars in original condition.. The '66 brought $37K.

wimsey1 · June 2005

Sounds like you got a real one there.
Tough to beat for sighting of the week! Coooooooooooool. :shades:

kyfdx · June 2005

I agree.. If it is real, that tops anything I have..

Gee.. thanks a lot..

mazda6iguy · June 2005

A Chevrolet Metro convertible.... remember those?

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Actually $37K for a '66 Vette convertible suggests that the car was either shabby or incorrect or someone got one hell of a deal. It should sell for 2X that for a #2 correct car. A 1963 is generally worth less but still around $50K. Probably they were tired cars if they were selling in the $30s.

kyfdx · June 2005

Knowing the owner... and from a newspaper picture of the car..

I'd say that they had been stored for years.. and maybe didn't even start.. and, that they would be completely original.. but, perhaps not the most popular engine/transmission option.....

So, original.... but, neglected.. indoors, though..

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Still way too cheap, even with a base engine & transmission. They must have been....well...not a complete mess or anything, but cars with obvious serious problems. Maybe rodent damage or 40 years of wear and tear---perhaps bad paint or stress cracks or some such. Or maybe everyone was asleep during the bid. I've seen it happen where there are so many cars that people kind of glaze over and miss out on a good deal.

kyfdx · June 2005

Well... the auction was just from her personal estate... Well advertised, though.. but, only about 7-8 cars, total...

You are familiar with Marge Schott?

lemko · June 2005

...a beautiful white 1982 Buick Riviera convertible and a low-end 1980-82 Ford Thunderbird. My Dad had a 1981 Thunderbird Town Landau. It had an emasculated 255 cid V-8. I had to floor the accelerator to get this car to go up a hill.

jrosasmc · June 2005

I've heard that '60s Corvettes with those powerful big-blocks can really put stress on the chassis and drivetrain...no wonder they got tired quickly.

lemmer · June 2005

I am familiar with Marge Schott.

Her celebrity is not the type that would add value to a car.

I searched her name with Corvette and came across an item that said the probated value of the two cars totalled $44,100. That seems really low, and a good way to get your estate tax return audited when you have a public auction and the sales prices are announced in the newspaper. Of course, maybe Joe Blow at some other forum didn't really get the real scoop on Marge Schott's estate.

lemmer · June 2005

· a 1963 Rolls Royce S-C-3

· a 1931 Buick Model 47

· a 1946 Buick Model 14-50

· a 1955 Nash Metropolitan

· a 1980 Gazelle Kitcar

jlawrence01 · June 2005

I met Marge Schott on a few occasions. She was not the ogre that she was made out to be as the owner of the Reds.

I cannot speak for the condition of her Corvettes as I was not at the auction. However, my brother went into her dealership 4-5 years ago and was stunned at how bad the place looked. Most of the inventory was ancient and covered with an inch of dust. His assessment was that the dealership was hanging on by the thread relying mostly upon fleet sales for its survival.

jaserb · June 2005

He certainly wasn't shy about how or where he let nature take its course...

-Jason

explorerx4 · June 2005

my neighbor showed some digi pics of a guy's garage. centerpiece is a ferrari with the plate 'enzo 1', so you can guess what that is. he also has a daytona convertible, testrossa, and maybe a 456(?) or something like that, that he races in some series for amusement. i liked that car the best, it was really smooth looking, but they were all unbelievable. we had a lot of fun zooming in on the pictures, one of the cars had a speedometer that went up to 360 km's, or something like that.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

yes painfully familiar.

No, no celebrity status on that sale I'm sure. Still if somebody bought the '66 for $37K and it wasn't too bad, then they have room to pump some money in the car and come out all right on it.

fintail · June 2005

Saw a 70s Saab Sonnett this morning, probably a second or third series or whatever the more 70s looking slab sided one was. It was kind of an orangeish-yellow as so many were. I've seen it a few mornings lately...looks like a daily driver, and what an odd one.

whahappan · June 2005

I saw a 70s Citroen GS here in Mississauga a few days ago. Looked to be in pretty good shape from the brief look I got. Don't see those every day (or any Citroen for that matter.)

explorerx4 · June 2005

saw a camaro with flashing light bar on the top 'breaking trail' for a black ford van which also had a light bar. :confuse:

jrosasmc · June 2005

One has to keep in mind those old '70s Saabs became tired and worn-out within a few years because of their many mechanical maladies.

ghulet · June 2005

...this morning while getting a ride to the train, I saw a late '60s AMC/Rambler Rebel station wagon, I think being used by a guy building a house....looked OK but definitely in 'daily driver' condition, gold with small hubcaps, fairly low line (a Rebel 550, perhaps); I didn't have time to get out and look at it. Not worth any real money, but probably quite rare. Yeah, I know. Then after work, I saw a decent looking (condition, that is) AMC Concord 'woody' wagon.

In sharp contrast, I also saw (while walking in the Gold Coast, where exotics and regular old expensive cars are commonplace), an '80s guards red 911 targa with the fabled (and now dreaded) slantnose. I also saw some yahoo racing a similar convertible (but white, still with the slantnose) last week. Wasn't that originally like a $18k option? Sickening.

A couple days ago, I saw another oldie but pricey AMG 126 S-class, all burgandy, with non-composite headlights (so a 380 or 500 SEL) in pretty shabby condition.

fintail · June 2005

I wonder how many Sonnets are still on the road.

I wonder if that AMG 126 was a grey market car...they tend to end up shabbier than the US models. Those cars seem to be able to take a lot of abuse and neglect before they finally die.

graphicguy · June 2005

Off topic......My season tickets at Riverfront were 3 rows behind Mrs. Schott's for several years. Until she was relegated to the "nether regions" and before she became ill, we spoke often at the ballpark. Although, she knew me and I told her my name dozens of times, I was still "honey" to her.

Spent many a game and many hours talking to her about baseball and business. She was savy and knew she was being railroaded by MLB, Carl Lindner (current Reds owner and being the past owner of both Penn Central and Chaquita at the time) and GM. She never got the kind of marketing money the other GM dealerships got. Which was the entire reason her dealerships never had the polish of other ones, but she wouldn't give in. Towards the end, she was too sick to continue to fight both MLB and GM at the same time.

She had a passion for 4 things....The Reds (she always wanted every season to be a World Series season), kids (although she had none of her own, she gave millions to kids causes), her dogs (St. Bernards) and her dealerships (which she inherited from her husband). She got into trouble with the other limited partners of the Reds when she spent money to give the "fans" of Cincinnati the winner she said they deserved (quite different than ownership currently). She wasn't a polished person, nor the drunk and biggot everyone tried to make her out to be. She was genuinely hurt when Pete Rose "auctioned" off the Corvette she gave him (and generally was hurt the way Pete turned on everyone)

That '66 vette was in good condition the last time I saw it (in the dealership showroom), but that was over 5 years ago.

If someone actually bought it for $37K and it was still as good looking as it was 5-6 years ago, someone got a steal, regardless of whether it had celebrity value or not.

jlawrence01 · June 2005

I don't think that the Corvette had any additional value than any other one. Those cars, properly maintained, command some pretty decent dollars.

My brother had intended to attend the estate auction but had other commitments.

I believe that one of my classmates was a nephew of Marge Schott. I always had the impression that Marge was a person who would give you the shirt off her back if ut was needed.

Drop me an e-mail (jlawrence01@att.net) as I have some information for you regarding the info you wanted.

kyfdx · June 2005

I didn't mean to imply any celebrity value.. Just that an auction of a well-known person's estate sometimes brings more interest in one particular car, than if you were picking through 10 similar cars at Kruse or B-J...

As far as the estate, all was left in trust to charity, except for some relatively token amounts to her sisters, so I think the taxes would be a moot issue.. I don't think they were trying to scam anyone..

I actually thought $37K was about right for the '66.. I can't imagine paying $60K+ for a '60s Vette...

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx · June 2005

You'd be better off making that e-mail public in your profile, than posting it here.. If the spambots get it, your inbox will fill up...

regards,
kyfdx

wimsey1 · June 2005

If it had hidden headlights it is a Sonett III. Otherwise a Sonett II. I think the original Sonett was a one of open sports car.

Now those were cool quirky cars.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Yes, please delete this post with your e-mail or the host of this board will beat you to it...you can repost without the e-mail address but the Hosts aren't allowed to edit your words, only delete them.(they will alter forum titles though sometimes...)

Sometimes celebrity status can help a car's value but I doubt it in this case as the notoriety wasn't for anything good. Besides, the Corvette went off at about /12 market value. Maybe there's such a thing as negative celebrity status? I'll have to think about that :P

Corvettes in particular are REALLY dependent upon authenticity and condition. YOu can get wildly varying prices based on those two things alone. Put a non-stock motor in an old Vette and you've seriously compromised its value.

There was a rather common 4-door Buick owned by Howard Hughes that sold for some astronomical price, but it was modified by him personally to accomodate his rather eccentric tastes, and was registered to him directly, so that has some clout.

jlawrence01 · June 2005

There are certainly *some* collector value associated with a celebrity name. When FDR died, his estate auctioned off his stamp collection with authentication and received a premium.

I think a vehicle owned by Adolf Hitler or the "Bonnie and Clyde" car (owned by the MGM Grand people would have some added notoriety. (But Marge Schott doesn't fall into that category.)

lemmer · June 2005

How much would a LeBaron convertible be worth if it was really once owned by John Voight?

kyfdx · June 2005

Was Angelina ever in the back seat? Any unexplained stains?

lemko · June 2005

...a 1962 Cadillac the owner claimed once belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Spotted at luchtime:

gray 1978 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
blue 1978 Chevrolet Caprice Landau (coupe).
beautiful green 1968 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with stupid-looking Dubs on it.

jlawrence01 · June 2005

**How much would a LeBaron convertible be worth if it was really once owned by John Voight? **

Whatever a willing buyer would willingly pay for it.

andre1969 · June 2005

that the 1980 Dodge St. Regis that was formerly used by the governor of Pennyslvania, which I came across years ago at Carlisle, WASN'T worth the $3,000 asking price? :P

I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

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