Quote:
Originally Posted by RestoCreations
I just lost 35k tonight on my 289FIA Kirkham. I’ll never own another.
To all, I would suggest never purchasing a polished finish!!! It’s a nightmare and a rip off. It never looked good and as soon as you touch it there are scratches.
The car is no longer mine so I can now speak the truth. Paint it!
The cars are wonderful works of art, but a polished body or stripes are a nightmare. All the best to the Kirkhams, they are truly artists, but I would never order or pay 16k for a polished finish again!!!
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Sorry to hear your car didn't sell for what you wanted. I think all of us have heard stories of cars selling both high and low at auctions. As with most things, it can be a roll of the dice. There is more playing into a sale than most realize and the owner usually has very little influence over any of the variables.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 66gtk
That being said, the issues you brought up about the polished maintenance and care needs can be said for a nice, truly SHOW quality solid color (no metallic) paint job, like BLACK.
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I agree--though I'd say any color is a never ending battle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phx Mike
Sorry your car did not command a higher price. As has been said above I am not convinced a general car auction like BJ is the best place to sell a Cobra replica.
I guess I would also add that I must have some special talent because I really have no trouble keeping the polished finish on my car looking pretty good. Certainly not a “nightmare” for me and I drive it all the time.
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I very much agree that auctions may not be the best place to sell these. I also agree that polished may not be for everyone. I can say this, however, if your polished car gets a dent, you don't have to repaint the entire car to blend it in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peterpjb
...but I don't think its about the polish, I think its about the "hybrid"-style.
while monitoring the prices of replicas I think it can be stated that only replicas built to originality without any compromise make good money, all high end replicas with a compromise, e.g. suspension or csx with glass bodys are selling for lower prices
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scarboro
I doubt polish/paint had anything to do with it. Just not two people in the room that really wanted the car.
Really nice car, but the 363ci and hybrid chassis are not to my taste. They probably would be perfect for someone else. These cars are such a matter of personal taste, that it is a real crap shoot to sell it “no reserve”.
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Thread winners. If a customer wants to build a car and is concerned about resale I ALWAYS tell them that the more original the car is (even though it is a replica), the easier and likely the higher the price they will get for their car. For example, installing the wrong engine in one of our cars DRASTICALLY reduces the value of the car. I have seen our cars (with the wrong engine installed) sell for LESS than the car would have sold for
without an engine at all. Correct valve covers, air cleaners, fan belts--are all important for the look of the car and its resale value. It's a tricky, often conflicting, world to navigate; a Tremec transmission is preferred while I've seen a 351 engine or (just as bad) a 428 engine absolutely kill the resale value of our cars.
Our world of replicas has always been a game of originality to a significant degree. Hot Rods are a different ball game all together--no one expects (or wants) their 32 or 33 Ford to be original.
Finally, and I think this is key, we have only made 5 (I think??? I'd have to check) 289 Hybrids out of close to 1,000 cars produced. That's around 1 in 200. Certainly hybrids are absolutely outstanding cars to drive; but, very few people dream about them at night.
Customers want to be taken back into their memories of long ago. Automobile perfectly described it in 2004, "There is nothing nice about a Cobra. It is stripped down to the essentials- a big engine, a small car, and four wide tires to keep the whole business on pavement. Its loud, smells like gasoline, and shakes, shudders, and bucks. It makes your arms tired and your feet hot. You nearly crash about once every 10 minutes. Its so damn wonderful that you cant believe it."
David
