1956 Nasty Boy

[aero3113]

Up to $12,400 now

 

[aero3113]

It's been stuck on $12,600 the past few days, 3 hours till auction end.

 

[aero3113]

WoW, 42 bids and it went up to $14,600. Reserve not met, LoL!!

 

[aero3113]

It's relisted with a buy it now of $19,500

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/263577679165

 

[HealeyRick]

It's relisted with a buy it now of $19,500

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/263577679165

Bill of Sale only with a messed-up title might be a problem in a lot of states. I kind of like what the in-period picture looks like, but to say the BIN price is "optimistic" is an understatement.

 

[aero3113]

12 hours left and it's up to $10,100.00 , makes me wonder what a decent Nasty Boy would sell for.....

 

[HealeyRick]

Nasty boys are hot rods and they sell like them. They always sell for a lot less than the builder has put into them. From what I've seen, good ones usually sell for 1/3 less than a stock model in similar condition. That's not to say there aren't some exceptions. I've seen a few exceptions of really nice cars go up to $85k, but they are really rare.

 

[NutmegCT]

Ended with $10.2K highest bid. Reserve not met.

Previous attempt in March ended at $14.6K. Reserve not met.

I sure hope bidders made personal inspections before bidding - but doubt that happened.

Tom M.

 

[aero3113]

It didn’t sell at $10,200 he’s probably kicking himself he didn’t take $14,600 when it was listed earlier!

 

[maxwedge5281]

if i did not already have two modified bn6s i might have gotten into the bidding process. i would leave it as a rat rod exterior but redo the interior and the dash....jerk the engine and transmission and replace...install putze shock kit and add modern four piston front brakes as a start!!! hoping that the 327 and four speed were of vintage value!!! of course several lesser improvements could be added later on or as funds permitted! and, never expecting to get out what i spent! i last sold a nasty boy a couple of years ago for 25000....and it was a very nice car!

 

[HealeyRick]

Nasty Healeys are often called "Poor Man's Cobras" and that's part of the issue of resale value. When Cobras were new, building a V8 Healey was a cheap way to get into that performance envelope. Now, building a V8 Healey is going to bring you into the neighborhood where you could buy a completed Factory Five Cobra with a few thousand miles on it and get more performance, better handling and braking and the iconic Cobra look. You really have to be a special kind of crazy to build a Nasty Boy.

 

[vette]

Nasty Healeys are often called "Poor Man's Cobras" and that's part of the issue of resale value. When Cobras were new, building a V8 Healey was a cheap way to get into that performance envelope. Now, building a V8 Healey is going to bring you into the neighborhood where you could buy a completed Factory Five Cobra with a few thousand miles on it and get more performance, better handling and braking and the iconic Cobra look. You really have to be a special kind of crazy to build a Nasty Boy.

Gee I don't know Rick if you really have to be a "Special Kind of Crazy" to build a Nasty Boy. Up until about a year ago I was seriously thinking about building one. But i wanted to start with a BJ7 or 8 because I wanted the roll up windows and I couldn't find a destitute 7 or 8 in my price bracket. If you notice many of the Cobra Replicas after they're built are selling for around 20 or 25k. They don't hold any value at all. Yes the better ones with some provenance of better design and build will bring more, ex: Superformance or Kirkham. But even Factory Fives which I consider to be a good car don't bring much different money than what I just stated yet in trueth it takes alot more than 20 to 25k to build a good one. And also in my opinion the Healey body is much more of a body struture than those fibreglass repops. Trust me, i own two fibreglass cars which are way better than any Cobra replica.
Building a Nasty Boy in a Healey body gets you a more comprehensively designed body including roll up windows and reasonable weather proofing. I know the Nasty Boys show a weakness in valuation compared to a non-nasty boy, but I kind of think that their desireablity will show a continued rising trend where as the Cobra Replicas tend to be trending down with their age. The Nasty Boy has historical provenance even if newly built. They represent a era and a culture that once was and as such can't be forgotten. The replicas are just that, a replica, a representation, they can always be built but they were never there. And besides that, they're only half the car. I guess I don't need to tell you that. Sorry about my preaching.

 

[HealeyRick]

Dave,

"Special Kind of Crazy" refers to be the kind of person that wants a Nasty Boy. You really have to love Healeys and be convinced for whatever reason that it's better than whatever you can buy for the same amount of money. I wanted one for years and am glad I finally went ahead and did the V8 swap. In my view, it has all the Healey virtues with an extra one of much-improved performance. But I already had a Healey that I had bought about 30 years ago, with a great frame and a body that I had completely refinished. It was like doing a swap in 1967 on a 1963 car. But as you found out, it now costs a lot of money just to find a Healey to use as the basis for a swap and you are probably going to have to do some degree of restoration before you do the swap. I bet you couldn't buy the one on auction and get it into good running shape without being in the neighborhood of at least $40k after you've rebuilt the engine, tranny and everything else it needs and that's if you wanted to leave it as a "rat healey" and clear coat the body. Compare that to a Factory Five, which you have to admit has a much better chassis, brakes and suspension than any Nasty Boy that hasn't had a tube frame stuck under it is likely to have. And for around $25-30k for a decent used one, it's going to be way cheaper than a Healey Nasty Boy. That's why you have to be a real Healey nut to want a Nasty Boy. I don't plan on selling mine (probably ever) so ultimate resale value isn't a big concern of mine. Will a modified Healey be worth more than a kit car? I really don't know.

 

[vette]

Will a modified Healey be worth more than a kit car? I really don't know.

I think so. I think your Healey will outpace most Cobra Replicas in the future.

 

[PHulst]

Trust me, i own two fibreglass cars which are way better than any Cobra replica.

I've always wanted to own or build a Grand Sport replica. Even used ones are not cheap, though; current prices are a fair amount more than a Cobra replica.
For the same money or less I could have another real Corvette.