Author Topic: Vintage Car Collection  (Read 4601 times)

scottish

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Vintage Car Collection
« on: January 07, 2015, 03:50:15 PM »
Ok, I don't get this one:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/reviews/classics/three-years-and-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-well-worth-it-for-one-ford-pickup-truck/article22275616/

I kind of get the idea of collecting vintage cars.    They're a piece of history.    Like collecting stamps, only much more expensive.

But wait.   Buying an 1954 Ford F100 and then *rebuilding* it (not restoring it, it's no where near original.   A custom 588 HP engine?  wtf?).   I say again WTF?

The_Dude

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2015, 04:59:45 PM »
While I would never spend the money that person has I personally love cars so I could see where someone with plenty of money could.

Quote
Once he’d made his fortune in the air-conditioning business, Caicco had the freedom to start collecting cars.

Also,

http://www.permies.com/t/3069/toxin-ectomy/Wheaton-Eco-Scale

ncornilsen

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2015, 05:32:30 PM »
If you don't get it, you don't get it, and you probably never will.

As a man who enjoys cars, motorcycles and other motorsports, I resent it being compared to collecting stamps... cars are so much more fun, so much more clearly identified with a place and time in people's memories than a stamp every would be. And unlike a stamp, an automobile can be a very effective canvas upon which one might create thier artistic and engineering masterpieces of self expression.

The man clearly can afford to do this, so there's nothing necessarily anti-mustachian about it.  If his house was being forclosed on and he was living in it... well, thats 


fantabulous

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2015, 05:58:46 PM »
If you don't get it, you don't get it, and you probably never will.

As a man who enjoys cars, motorcycles and other motorsports, I resent it being compared to collecting stamps... cars are so much more fun, so much more clearly identified with a place and time in people's memories than a stamp every would be. And unlike a stamp, an automobile can be a very effective canvas upon which one might create thier artistic and engineering masterpieces of self expression.

The man clearly can afford to do this, so there's nothing necessarily anti-mustachian about it.  If his house was being forclosed on and he was living in it... well, thats

As a stamp collector, I resent it being compared to car collecting and restoration.

scottish

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2015, 06:21:36 PM »
You're right, I don't get it.

It's not about restoration.   This guy is effectively building a new truck model on an old F100 chassis.

It's not about performance.   A modern sports car will blow this away, 588 HP or not.   I bet a modern truck will outhaul it, especially since the chassis wasn't engineered for such a powerful engine.

It's not about sentiment and memories, because the truck NEVER EVER existed outside of his garage.

And finally it's not about creativity or craftmanship, because he's paying someone else to do the work.

So where's the fun?    This is just some guy who made it big in air conditioning, saying 'look what I can spend my money on'

The Guru

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2015, 08:29:37 PM »
Whether it's Mustachian or not is in the eye of the beholder. If I had the money I'd far rather have a fleet of really cool, unique older cars than a single modern me-too luxury barge. I can totally see the appeal of a car collection provided the collector actually drives them, at least occasionally. I'd be willing to bet that the featured truck is a "trailer queen"- one that never actually gets driven other than on and off the trailer that transports it to shows. Some one who not only plunks down hundreds of G's (which he will in all likelihood NEVER get back) for a truck  but is as anal about its appearance as this guy admittedly is isn't likely to chance a stone chip or door ding by actually taking it out on the road. So- what actually is the point?

deborah

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2015, 08:55:25 PM »
Actually, since it is the best in its class, he could get the money back. And driving it might be the last thing he wants to do. It's more likely that sitting drooling over it suits him perfectly - and it looks like his shed is big enough for him to drive around.

Someone I know has a vintage Jaguar that they did up - painted it back into its original colours, and everything else that needed to be done. Won many prizes for it because it was perfect, and has been offered more than he paid (it was a lot).

The Guru

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2015, 09:45:36 PM »
I'm sure it happens- primarily to one-off specimens, 30's vintage coach-bodied luxury makes for instance- but I'd bet it's the exception rather than the rule. Hemming's is loaded w/ ads proclaiming "$X invested- sell for $Y"; X is almost always >Y. I especially can't see it happening with a "relatively" common vehicle like a Ford pickup. especially given he PAID to have the work done (and done to a rather exacting standard), rather than doing it himself.
 

gimp

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2015, 09:59:49 PM »
This is true, guru. I appreciate cars and all that, but you don't get your car to appreciate in price by paying to have work done. If you could buy a car for $X, pay $Y, and sell for $Z > $X+Y, the folks doing the work for $Y would increase their price and/or do work on their own investment vehicles (literally, ha ha.)

Certainly with sweat equity, you can get good money by restoring cars, either professionally or as a hobbyist. I read some interesting stuff by people who do professional restoration - they own their garage and tools; they will buy a classic car, do some combination of restoring, rebuilding, modifying (especially to look like something else - see Eleanor clones), and improving; and sell the result. They might buy something for $5k, put in $10k parts and $10k paint, and sell it for $80k after six man-months of time put into it. A tidy sum. And a good advertisement to get client cars in the shop for contract work. Certainly the client pays more per hour than the professional can earn doing their own restoration - clients require a lot of overhead and risk.

With that said, when rich people spend money on unnecessary things, as long as they stay solvent and financially secure, I couldn't care less. Billionaire owns a $50m house and $50m yacht? Great, who gives a fuck. Some guy has a car collection? Cool. Just how someone might have a house full of impressionist paintings or commission marble statues or whatever the hell. Plenty of people get to work on building and maintaining these things, often the expense calls for new designs which may end up benefitting others, and the world sees something beautiful.

If they end up pissing away their money and end up relying on others, or complaining... then they can go fuck themselves, and I'll gladly mock them.

scottish

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2015, 05:16:31 PM »
I've been thinking about this some more, and I think the best way to categorize that rebuilt F100 truck is as a work of art.

Just as Leonardo and Michaelangelo had patrons, Ron Caicco is acting as a patron for the fellow who's working on the truck.      Art is very subjective, so that explains why some people like this stuff so much and others think its ridiculous.      When you look at it this way, this is pretty normal behaviour for wealthy people.

BTW, I understand about collecting classic cars.   Not my thing, but I do get it.

Back to the stamp collection...

Primm

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Re: Vintage Car Collection
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2015, 05:22:34 PM »
I'm sure it happens- primarily to one-off specimens, 30's vintage coach-bodied luxury makes for instance- but I'd bet it's the exception rather than the rule. Hemming's is loaded w/ ads proclaiming "$X invested- sell for $Y"; X is almost always >Y. I especially can't see it happening with a "relatively" common vehicle like a Ford pickup. especially given he PAID to have the work done (and done to a rather exacting standard), rather than doing it himself.

I have 3 classic cars. All of them are insured (and would sell) for at least double what I paid for them, including what I've spent on restoration. Add to that the fun factor and I consider that an investment.

Having said that, the restoration on all of them was done by myself and my husband, with a minimal amount of work outsourced. If we'd had to pay for the work they'd definitely be in the loss-making territory.