What's the deal with Slabside pricing and availability?
 

Trying to get my head around the slabside cars that are available in the USA. It looks to me like CSX, SPF, ERA and Kirkham are the only players? It's my understanding that the CSX 8000 cars are essentially the same as the SPF MKII. I find the pricing structure a bit interesting.

Back in 2012, the MSRP of the limited production 50th anniversary CSX 8000 was less than $70K for a fiberglass roller.
http://www.shelbyautos.com/images/pdf/50cobra.pdf

The market is asking for $160-180K now for these very same cars - now with SBF power and transmission. How did that happen in such a short time?

The SPF rollers are now about $76K if you want all the goodies most would want. The original roller prices started at $61K a few years ago. I guess a standard stripped roller option still exists for around $64K. Completed used examples seem to be looking for buyers in the $95-99K range. Just a few years ago, barely used examples were quite a bit less ($75-85K). Why the sharp rise in asking prices?

Kirkhams are obviously aluminum, and are well built expensive cars. Hard to find completed examples on the used market - $150K and up...

Despite what their website may suggest, The ERA rollers with similar upgraded equipment to the SPF and CSX are $55-60K? Turn key cars about $75-85K? Used examples are difficult to find, so are they not building many of these? I've only seen 2 on the market in the past year and 1 seller got cold feet and wouldn't sell his afterall. The other was seeking $70K with a basic powertrain.

I share with you these observations as I'm confused at the lack of options for an affordable slab side in the USA. Is there simply no demand here, and the very limited demand must suck it up and pay? Also, why the steep increases in cost (particularly the CSX cars) in recent times?

Any well known high end collectable car that is manufactured in limited quantities such as Porsche, Ferrari, Shelby American CSX, Ford GT etc. will go up in value.

Car Guys with disposable income really don't mind spending the extra money.

The limited production, high quality and desire to own one of these limited cars drives the price. Their are more Car Guy with money than available cars.

Yep, lack of available cars and demand for them shoots the price up. From what I see, leaf spring replica buyers want accurate to original cars and that's really expensive! Most company's don't have the means to build cars like that, so the ones out there are high dollar.
Larry

I can only speak for ERA, but we price kits based on what they cost us to produce, not on the supply/demand curve. Unfortunately, we have to take the considerable tooling costs vs potential volume into account too. Until we've produced almost 100 Slabsides, we won't have recouped our initial investment.

How many ERA slab sides have been built/ordered to date?

I agree with Larry

Companies need to put up the initial investment and ROI is hard in a high end small marketplace.
David Kirkham stated to me 289 are more time consuming to manufacture than 427.

I have built one and now on #2, they are slow, sourcing hard and a bit of work to get everything to gel before hitting the road.

Details cost and the CSX, SPF, KMS, ERA and other small MFG folks invest tons of time and cost into each one.
As for the CSX jump = Anniversary cars....:p

BTW KMS are alloy but glass cars also require work and are not to be discounted.

What Bob from ERA said, cost of tooling is high. In the case of the Superformance MK II slab and FIA we were involved in the development and know what went into making "right" (to the point where Shelby chose it for their composite units).

I wish the price point was lower (so I could have one to keep!) but it is what it is.

We have these here now......

I stopped in at Shelby American while I was in Las Vegas for SEMA in November.
I asked how many CSX 8000 slabsides had been delivered to date. After quite a bit of checking, they came back and said "about a hundred". That would include the fifty "50th Anniversary cars".

I've seen a couple of ERA slabs and they are outstanding. Very high quality car for reasonable cost.

Very cute car.

Tell me about it! I have been collecting parts for my leaf spring for about 5 years now! If one starts a build and wanting it accurate, tries to source parts to make it so quickly, the parts won't be available.
Plus you have to know what you're looking for. I have some pretty rare parts and am constantly looking for others.
One of my parts I'm pretty proud of:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...psggtvfm8d.jpg

Larry

The fuel pump elbow is a rare piece indeed.

As far as I know the oldest builder of slab side replicas in the US, and maybe the world as I'm not sure when Hawk started, is JCF (Johns Custom Fabrication) in Coos Bay, Oregon. I live in Oregon and he built me a roller that I finished myself. John builds a vey good body (hand laid up in a mold he pulled off an original car) and a very well built chassis. His strong suit is his welding and fabrication skill, and not so much his attention to details on a turn key car, although he has built many-maybe about a hundred. With a solid foundation and my attention to the details, I will put my car up against any replica. Also, his product is very reasonably priced. (I have no relationship with John Paullis, financial or otherwise)

I came by mine by accident and while building it in my shop everyone asks what it is most are car guys so I am kinda shocked. It's neat to have something different but there might have been no demand so it's worth more now? Hard to beat the look of a SC

Aurora (Canada), since defunct, started building Slabsides around 1980. The body shape was excellent, but the cars were built to meet Canadian standards and the bumpers and interior were changed.

The original 289 has the nicest interior IMHO. Very elegant, and is what draws me to the car as much as the body and the engine. A complete package.

Troy - I see your bucket list is evolving. I agree, the 289 slabside is a nice car. :)

The interior is awesome! Classic sports car!
I'm partial to the later cars with SW gauges. This one is perfect except it has the wrong knob on the wiper. Not a biggie to fix though.
Larry

http://www.conceptcarz.com/images/Sh...14-CbS_i01.jpg

Yea Dan... A genuine 289 Cobra is the first one I have ever driven (replica or otherwise) and got me snake-bit. I still prefer a street 427, but the 289 is certainly a sweet car. I'm not sure how guys like you and me can actually FIT in one with that dropped dash, but I think with a few modifications along the way we can make it work!

289 dash....simple but complete. Don't know why Shelby changed it for the 427 roadsters (ie dropped the clock)

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/pict...ictureid=14576

IMO, hard to beat those classic Smiths gauges in the early cars!

Cheers,
Glen