[Jim Zeek]

Originally Posted by 77 Canamman

That price is insulting. The car is a masterpiece.

yes it is. i think if the price was a little more realistic at Norwalk it would have been purchased by a Pontiac enthusiast. I don't know who got it now. but most of the time auction cars end up back at the auction or for sale elsewhere for more $$$.

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by Jim Zeek

yes it is. i think if the price was a little more realistic at Norwalk it would have been purchased by a Pontiac enthusiast. I don't know who got it now. but most of the time auction cars end up back at the auction or for sale elsewhere for more $$$.

What was the price at Norwalk?

Don

[66sprint6]

Sorry to say that he's right, though. The old saying is: it's worth what someone will pay for it. I love the car. The engine is a jewel. The whole car in fact. But I know that I am in a very narrow cohort of people that would even consider buying Chris's car. Even so, I would have a mint A or F Body first. Consider that the buyer doesn't know the back story like we do. I just hope that most of that money goes to where it's supposed to.

[68 461 Bird]

Originally Posted by Jim Zeek

yes it is. i think if the price was a little more realistic at Norwalk it would have been purchased by a Pontiac enthusiast. I don't know who got it now. but most of the time auction cars end up back at the auction or for sale elsewhere for more $$$.

Jim is right on this, I remember seeing a $100,000 or best offer on this car. If they were willing to accept $36K why not price it at $50K or b/o at Norwalk??

[goatless]

While I do agree that there there is a somewhat limited market for some of our unique Pontiacs, thats doesn't mean that they're worth nothing. Anyone who has seen Chris' '31 in person would know the level it was built to. Just because there weren't two people in the room at that auction, on that day that were willing to pay more than $36K doesn't mean that is the definitive value. We've all seen some stupid low prices on nice cars (all kinds, not just Pontiacs) at some of these televised auctions lately. My feeling is that there are just too many auctions, and this particular auction lasts for 10 days! How on Earth do you keep top bidders in the room and excitement up for a week and a half?

[Mr Anonymous]

Loved that car, saw it at Norwalk. Took some time to walk around that car and truly appreciate it. One of a kind, definitely. But as was said, it sold for what it was worth to someone at that point in time. And if the guy truly enjoyed putting the car together, you really can't put a price on his satisfaction with the finished product. That would be hard to quantify. Has to be a lot of pride there for sure.

People gravitate toward the cars they wanted when they were in high school and couldn't afford or be able to build. Get older, get more $, buy the car you always wanted. I'm 49. The musclecar era cars were already out of my price range in 1986 when I got my license. What was popular then for high school kids? The ten year old Mid-70s Cutlass, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, etc. And the new at the time G-body 78-88 cars. Mid 90s on, the g-body cars were crazy cheap, there were tons of them, weren't worth much. I spent my evenings, weekends, etc buying them blown up, replacing the engines (often times with a near free SBC), and if I couldnt make $1000 per car, I didnt bother. T-top cars, whatever.

As people get older and out of the hobby for any variety of reasons, the types of cars they collected drop in price due to either supply or desire. And to my surprise, the G-body cars are now bringing more money than I expected them to ever reach. I still have an 87 Olds cutlass salon, and an 84 Hurst/Olds, and maybe theyll figure into my retirement plan.

[TAKerry]

It seemed like a pretty fair price in my head. Hot rods have a limited appeal to the buying public. Most that want these kind of cars build them to their personal taste, they dont buy what someone else built. I have never seen this car, nor did I know the owner/builder but it does look like a well put together rod and quite unique. I agree with Chief on this one, it was worth what at least 2 people were willing to spend, just like any car at auction. I too think that Pontiacs are undervalued, I know of a real 69 trans am that has been languishing around 100k for a long time now. For all of the Monday morning quarterbacks that think this couple was sold too cheap, why weren't y'all bidding?

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by TAKerry

It seemed like a pretty fair price in my head. Hot rods have a limited appeal to the buying public. Most that want these kind of cars build them to their personal taste, they dont buy what someone else built. I have never seen this car, nor did I know the owner/builder but it does look like a well put together rod and quite unique. I agree with Chief on this one, it was worth what at least 2 people were willing to spend, just like any car at auction. I too think that Pontiacs are undervalued, I know of a real 69 trans am that has been languishing around 100k for a long time now. For all of the Monday morning quarterbacks that think this couple was sold too cheap, why weren't y'all bidding?

And IMO, '69 T/A's should be in the COPO Camaro price range, but unfortunately they're not.

Face it, if its not a Chevy or has a Hemi, its not going to draw big money and in the case of this hot rod, its not a '32 Ford 3 window coupe with a V8.

[GTOnly70]

It's a great build, obviously, but that car was never going to sniff $100k - at the auction or on any other day. I agree with the sentiment that had the car been priced realistically at the beginning, it may have brought a bit more than the final auction price.

[GTOWAGON]

Thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement. I realize some were put off by my original asking price of $100k. I started there because frankly, it is worth every bit of $100k. And, unlike many car wives, I actually know how much money Chris had into it. That coupled with the thousands of hours he put into the build, I felt I had to at least try to get a higher price for it. If I had been offered $36k at Norwalk, I would not have taken it. I needed to try to get somewhere near its actual value. I now realize the market is not favorable for that kind of money. I was finally ready to accept less at auction because I am at a point where I would rather see the car go to a good home where it will be driven and maintained, than see it sit in my basement and collect dust. I am 100% satisfied with the sale price and thrilled to have the car get the attention it did this weekend. I was able to showcase Chris's amazing work on a level I could not have otherwise reached. It's really more about making sure I did him justice than the final price.

[Old Goat 67]

God Bless you dear.

Your husband was a true craftsman!
We were enthralled with his posts every time!

[Stuart]

I cleaned up some of the bickering in this thread. It is a very impressive car, but unfortunately it does come down to what the market will bear for a 1930s hot rod that's not a Ford...that's just the way it is.

[Heybuck]

Over the years I have seen plenty of hot rods being sold over here. I haven't seen many being sold by auction - auctions over here are more often held for collector cars.

But what I have observed is, whatever the car is and how its sold, its rarely left in the condition it was sold in. The new buyer develops an urge to "Improve" it. Change the wheels, change the colour, "enhance" the engine and so on.

Often that's a great shame but I think it boils down to the fact that when someone buys another persons work, they want to put their own signature on it. They don't want to be seen driving another persons handiwork. I think its a matter of pride.

Of course there are others (most probably not so many), that greatly respect the work done by the previous owner and leave things as they bought the car.

But the bottom line is very few buyers will pay what the original owner has put into the car. They just see it as an opportunity without doing the hard yards.

JMHO Ian

[Firedup6975]

Although I’m not really a Street Rod fan, I have many friends with them, like this one that I have seen in person, the guys who have them are very passionate about them, and BIG bucks go into them I’m positive who ever got it will have that same passion Chris did, if I had to guess he will be smiling down from above. to see his passion moving forward.

[694.1]

Well said, Heybuck. You immediately brought to mind what has become known as "Monkey Christ"
Let's hope the new owner resists the temptation