Archives
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Opening Pandora’s Black Box
A subscriber recently wrote, worrying about future maintenance costs of late model Ferraris: “My only fear is the outdated computer-controlled systems and the way obsolescence will drive maintenance sky-high for such systems. At least the vintage V12s don’t suffer ECU and “black box” syndrome!” While computer systems will certainly be problematic, our subscriber had merely…
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Four Reasons to Buy That Sports Car Now
The number of British cars available to sentimental Baby Boomers is fixed at the total produced between 1948 and 1981 {vsig}2007-12_2101{/vsig} Any basic economics course teaches that price is determined by supply and demand. That principle is vividly illustrated in the current market for collectible British cars, where prices have been rising on almost all…
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Putting a Price ($152,007) on Memories
This 911 wasn’t one of the good ones. It was purchased, along with a 1966 912 donor car-and a speedboat-for $1,000 {vsig}2007-12_2106{/vsig} Sometimes precious things have rather inauspicious beginnings. As you admire Porsches at various events, never forget that they can represent much more than just someone “writing the check.” There are often stories of…
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Muscle in Monterey
The consensus among buyers is that they want the best, and “almost” cars are having a tough time finding homes {vsig}2007-11_2085{/vsig} Gloom and doom predictions can end up as self-fulfilling prophecies if the panic spreads. A case in point is the highly publicized muscle car market “crash” going on now. As this is the Monterey…
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Collecting Ferraris for Art’s Sake
To the aficionado, Ferraris have always been industrial art, the pinnacle of technology and styling of their era. Many of my clients have described their Ferraris as user-friendly interactive art. In the last decade, auctioneers and collectors have created a new world of art buyers intertwined with Ferrari buyers. Most auction houses sell art in…
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Concours on the Avenue
By contrast to other weekend concours, the classes here were oriented toward production cars to which the spectators could relate {vsig}2007-11_2086{/vsig} “Monterey needs another event like it needs a hole in the head,” was a typical comment on the enthusiast blogs when the announcement was made earlier this year that Carmel-by-the-Sea would present the “Concours…
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What Makes a 356 Worth $176,000?
This B Cab had tools, a Carrera horn ring, Hirschmann antenna, Blaupunkt radio, headrests, and its original engine {vsig}2007-11_2088{/vsig} Hot on the heels of the recent Monterey auction results, I received an email, which asked the following question: “I just saw that nice black 1962 356B Cabriolet sell at Gooding in Monterey for $176,000 and…
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When The Fire System Fails
I could see the paint bubbling on the hood, the Lexan windshield melting, and the paint burning off the transmission tunnel Although SCM isn’t a racing publication, a large number of SCMers are vintage racers, including yours truly. A recent racing “close call” has made me rethink a few things in my racing endeavors. I…
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Banking on Ferraris
One doesn’t have to be Fed czar Ben Bernanke’s tennis partner to know the world’s economic markets are volatile, but how does that relate to the present and future Ferrari market? As aspiring Ferrari-socio-economists, we always look at the past to gaze into the future. Let’s begin with the first fuel crisis of late 1973.…
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Traveling Healey-Hopefully
Constant attention is part of the experience of English cars. When you arrive at your destination, you have achieved something {vsig}2007-10_2073{/vsig} Most gearheads agree that a classic car doesn’t come to life until it’s driven on the open road. Highly organized thousand-mile tours have allowed many owners to put some miles under their classic wheels,…