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A mention on Fox business, what an investment!

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I took my folks' neighbor for a ride in our 100M, and he returned the favor in his Gullwing. No doubt, the Benz is a great car, but compared to the M it felt heavy and cumbersome.
 
Patina is one thing but that 300SL really needs a paint job!
 
That guy's future valuations are quite optimistic. I also would not refer to the paint on that 300SL as having "patina" It looks as though someone has sanded the paint off of all of the swing panels. That's part of the issue with the popularity of truly original cars these days... people are now faking patina and getting more money than if the car was restored.

Case in point: https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php...300-sl-coupe-sells-for-1897500-in-scottsdale/

I have reliable information from those that were there in Scottsdale that a considerable part of the "patina" on that 300SL was fabricated.
 
Another story I have to share... I have a friend whose Father owns many vintage Italian cars. This includes vintage V12 Ferraris that he bought 35-40 years ago. Talk about appreciating assets! He bought a '65 275GTB Alloy Long nose in 1971 for $6700, drove it regularly, kept it in pristine original condition. Now he has to sell it because the values have gone up so much he can't afford the insurance. Its going to Monterey RM Auction with an expected sale price of $2.2-2.5M.

So, what would be the car to buy today for the price of a new Corvette that will appreciate that much in 40 years while you drive and enjoy it?
 
I agree. That Gullwing doesn't have "patina" so much as it just has a dirty interior - almost looks intentionally grease-smeared and the bright red doesn't look aged at all; red leather interiors just don't look like that when they're old - and someone removed the paint from the boot lid and a door as if beginning prep for a repaint. That's not "patina," that's work in progress. And he has turned down $2m? You can buy restored ones for considerably less. I've had a ride in one. Its a heavy car, although it's got the power to move out smartly.

But let's also bear in mind that the people paying a premium for a Gullwing with "patina" (yeah, right) aren't car guys. They're from the more-money-than-brains set, and that is what happens to them. They buy such a car and enjoy the accolades and gushing from their peers for a while, but in the morning many of them will realize what they've done and quietly undo it.
 
"Only 640 remain" is my hearing that bad? That's what I heard when they got to the 100M. Anyway, hope he's right. My kid will be very happy.
 
If he turned down 2 mil for that Gullwing he must think it is one of the rare Alloy body cars...though it does not look like it.

Way back like 69 or 70 when I bought my used 66 MGB there was a old MB Gullwing on the lot that we thought was the ugliest thing in town! No need to worry about what ifs' cause I could not afford it back than anymore than now.
And as much as I'd like a Healey before I can't get in and out of these LBC's anymore I could not have had more fun than I am having now with the MGA and TR4A.
I do sometimes think if I found a GTO my husband would be more inclined to ride or drive with me!

Cheers,
Irene
 
I was good for spending my father's dough on fantasy projects in the 70's as a kid, I also told him to buy a 9K dollar '67 275 GTB 2 cam at a used car lot in Newport Beach. He thought that was an astronomical price too. A theme. I was into WWII fighters then too, telling dad to buy this and that around the SoCal area, he did buy a nice Staggerwing Beech and made a ton of dough selling it 8 years later back in the 70's. But he didn't take the one offer from an airline pilot/race pilot offering a straight across trade for his P-51 he was tired of feeding engines to at the air races. I was devastated!
Chris...

britlover said:
Another story I have to share... I have a friend whose Father owns many vintage Italian cars. This includes vintage V12 Ferraris that he bought 35-40 years ago. Talk about appreciating assets! He bought a '65 275GTB Alloy Long nose in 1971 for $6700, drove it regularly, kept it in pristine original condition. Now he has to sell it because the values have gone up so much he can't afford the insurance. Its going to Monterey RM Auction with an expected sale price of $2.2-2.5M.

So, what would be the car to buy today for the price of a new Corvette that will appreciate that much in 40 years while you drive and enjoy it?
Click to expand...
 
judow said:
"Only 640 remain" is my hearing that bad? That's what I heard when they got to the 100M. Anyway, hope he's right. My kid will be very happy.
Click to expand...

Apparently so. Watched the video again. Got an appointment with my Audiologist.
 
The reporter did say "only 640 were made" so she got that right. I continue to be amazed by what 100M's are selling for at some of the big auctions. Guess I can hope the dealer in this piece is right that "has no doubt that this will be a $400,000 car in a few years" but that is insane to think one could be. I drive mine everywhere and have no plans to stop driving it as often as I can. Know mine is not as nice as the ones bringing the huge dollars but better get hold of Heacock Insurance and increase that stated value !!!
Regards
Mike
 
With the Fox blurb and Monterey here the museum curators and auction companies are bloviating about the incredible investment opportunities in old cars. Prices are up, up, up and away! Get on board before it's too late!

I have collected cars for 40 years but have never really felt much reality to the investment end of the hobby. The specific cars that really appreciate significantly are just a tiny percentage of the collector car market. Figuring out which cars are going through the roof is a gamble. Yet, all the hype about $38M Ferraris and $400K Healey 100M's does impact the value of ordinary collector cars -- making them incredibly difficult to sell and making it very hard for newcomers to buy into the collector car hobby.

My own driver quality Healey is insured for $20K. That's probably much more than it is really worth as a conveyance. After all, it is really just a lovely assembled car with lousy brakes and a taxi engine! Yet, I will probably have to kick up my policy to keep up with this madness.

Investors must know there is plenty of overhead to owning an old car. They have to be covered, insured, and maintained. Never drive them, of course, that will devalue your investment. Just wait until it is time to sell to find out how liquid it is. Even these days finding someone to spend $150K for a 100M isn't all that easy.

Well, it does make great investment copy and reality TV, I know I can't resist watching myself. Don't know if the bubble will ever burst, with so many folks pushing the pump it is probably here to stay...
 
This madness was popular in the 'eighties, then the bubble did burst! A lot of people got burnt, but they were the mostly those that were only expecting to make a quick profit. At that time, some very shoddy 'restorations' made undeserved prices. Inevitably, the market just ran out of 'mug punters'.
Fortunately, Austin-Healeys were not so badly affected as the likes of say Ferrari. I believe that is because, being simple mechanically, they remained popular with the likes of us here on this forum. That is, we use and enjoy our cars.
The 100M in question looks to be a superb detailed restoration (except for some small errors) so the asking price isn't too outlandish, but I'm not sure about $400,000.
 
As to supposed $'s for a Factory Certified 100M - who knows for sure. When asked what Agatha is worth I generally reply nothing as she isn't for sale. However if I were starving a hot dog might do it. Summarily you know when you name your LBC, it is then a member of the family. Forgoing the argument of worth, I will always drive my Healey as that is what was meant to do with it. IMHO
 
Bob,

The 100M you pictured was from the January, 2014 Arizona auction.

This is the only '67 Healey I could find for RM at Monterrey:

2qddixx.png


Here's the auction sheet, but no results listed: https://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1067515

Says it's Matching numbers; rare Metallic Golden Beige, as original I don't know if that means it was an original MGB car or was painted an original color.
 
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