Re: Are prices trending downwards for late 1930's Packards ?

Posted by ewrecks On 2019/6/28 23:09:02

Tim- I am always wary of auctions and it is certainly possible that the bidding on the Darrin was bogus...but I doubt it. Despite our shared disgust that someone would turn a Darrin into a street rod, the workmanship on the car appeared to be superior...great paint, show quality chrome and spectacular leather interior.
What exactly does one do with a $300,000:Darrin or a $200,000 Caribbean. That last number was the Hagerty price for a NUmber 1:car a decade ago....and the price has dropped 40% in the interim.
I once attended a Super Chevy gathering and stood in awe at the owner of a 57 Nomad polishing the undercarriage while his wife used a mink artist brush to clean the lugnuts. I have seen Ferrari's pushed onto the show field and have the crew replace the wheels/ tires with show units to avoid having blades of grass trapped in the tread.
Trailer queens of any marque or vintage have never been my thing but i just accept that some car owners prefer to treat their cars like fine art.
There have been 57 Chevy Convertibles with the new engines, frames, interiors and add on accesories like air and super sound systems sell at Barrett Jackson for more than $200,000.
There is a segment of the hobby who want the looks ofd cars with the safety of disc brakes , rack and pinion steering and modern engines. Check out Jay Leno's Toronado.
Different strokes for different folks. We who like cars are entitled to our preferences. I'm a purist when it comes to Packards ....but I always add an electronics ignition module and halogen headlights to let me gett out cruising. The next owner can easily return the car to stock if he prefers ..
I would prefer that the market forces restored the value to my Caribbean but I plan to drive it and enjoy it while I can...even if that ends up further diminishing the value . I would convert the brakes to a modern dual master cylinder system for safety iand piece of mind if I could make the conversion appear stock.
If hotrods offend you, I will not question your taste.