2002 Ford Thunderbird Neiman Marcus Edition

As a true collectible, it simply fails the test.

On September 25, 2000, at 10 a.m. Eastern time, Neiman Marcus began taking calls from customers on a special 800 number. Two hours later, every one of the 200 Neiman Marcus-edition Thunderbirds available was sold. It was the fastest time elapsed for any of the cars offered through the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog, and a pretty good sales result for any car. At a retail price of $41,995, it was substantially less than the 188-foot-long submarine in the same catalog (yours for just $20,000,000), more practical than the $225,000 custom ice house (25 x 30 feet, guaranteed to last 24 hours in any climate) but quite a bit more than the His and Hers Kites ($2,000 a pair, includes one-hour flying lesson).

Neiman Marcus, the Texas-based high-end department store, has a reputation for over-the-top gifts in its annual Christmas catalog. Jets, a Chinese junk, helicopters and more have been offered in past catalogs. Cars? Neiman Marcus has had them before and...