Musclecar value question

[Dave Rifkin]

So I'm watching the replays of the Barret-Jackson auction and I couldn't help but notice a distrubing slant to the values of certain cars. For example, why would a Hemi 'Cuda be worth more than a 1969 L88 Corvette? Both cars were very beautiful; the "Cuda was green with black vinyl roof and interior with a 4 speed. The 'Vette was a Riverside Gold coupe 4 speed with all of the usual L88 stuff. The 'Vette went to 260k or there about and the 'Cuda went for closer to 300k.
Both cars (maybe not these two specific cars) have racing in thier blood and are extremely rare; I think the '69 L88 is rarer (I could be wrong) but, for some reason once you put a Hemi into somthing the price skyrockets.
In my opinion the Corvette was more "state of the art" back then and I would think the L88 would be equal to, or more, valuable than any production Mopar.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the disproportionate values placed on these Mopars compared to other, sometimes rarer, musclecars?

[Paul D]

I couln't agree more..... and note by my signature that I'm not biased at all :-)

I'd like to see a Hemi Cuda be clocked at 220 mph down the Mulsane staight at the 24 Hours of LeMans like the L88 was in the early 70's!

Seriously, it was pretty apparent at Mecum last week that Hemi's were coming off the "bubble" with many being bid to lower numbers than at Mecum Rockford or B-J.

However, the deep pocketed baby boomer who buys a hemi car, probably has more "bragging rights" at the country club....all his buddy's have heard of hemi's, but you almost have to be a real hard core car guy to know much about the signifigance of an L88.

Just my $.02.

[SBR]

I too believe that L88 Corvettes are undervalued when compared to Hemi Cudas ZL1 Camaros etc. Here is a car that was produced for three years with total production at 216 units and had racing sucess. I may be a little biased though

[rich p]

Some guys were not born with a silver spoon and Only could afford a MUSCLE CAR with lots of cubes !!And boy did we have fun packing your friends in the car with a case of beer and driving around all night listening to Toys in the Attic,Led Zep,Doors, and Jimmy HX on the guitar full blast.
I didnt think Vette guys did that !!

Drinking and racing was fun back in the day and nobody got hurt !! Im still but without the booze.

[Belair62]

Damn..I got goosebumps Rich !!

[71-LS6]

[ QUOTE ]
Some guys were not born with a silver spoon and Only could afford a MUSCLE CAR with lots of cubes !!And boy did we have fun packing your friends in the car with a case of beer and driving around all night listening to Toys in the Attic,Led Zep,Doors, and Jimmy HX on the guitar full blast.
I didnt think Vette guys did that !!



[/ QUOTE ]

In 1976 I sold my 70' 440-6 Challenger (after trashing it ) and bought a 1970 LS5 Corvette. My buddy and I went on several double dates in that car, it was just a little crowded, and there was a weight limit on the girls...

IMO I think the mid-year vettes have sucked a lot of the wind out of the C-3 prices over the last 10 years, even though 69 L88's and ZL1's were the baddest of the bad.

[tom406]

If anyone looks at the Fall 06 issue of Muscle Car Review, in the cars of '69 section on page 21, theres a write up of a '69 ZL1 Vette that I've never seen before, a red ZL1/M40 AUTOMATIC roadster owned by a fellow named John Maher, who's also said to be the original owner and in possesion of the tank sticker. I've never seen this car before, being familiar only with the yellow car and the (debated) white car. It has a picture at the Pigeon Forge car show last year(its shown with polished Americans and a vintage race paint scheme). Does anyone have some knowledge of this car they can share?

[PPPJJJFFF]

[ QUOTE ]
I couln't agree more..... and note by my signature that I'm not biased at all :-)

I'd like to see a Hemi Cuda be clocked at 220 mph down the Mulsane staight at the 24 Hours of LeMans like the L88 was in the early 70's!

Seriously, it was pretty apparent at Mecum last week that Hemi's were coming off the "bubble" with many being bid to lower numbers than at Mecum Rockford or B-J.

However, the deep pocketed baby boomer who buys a hemi car, probably has more "bragging rights" at the country club....all his buddy's have heard of hemi's, but you almost have to be a real hard core car guy to know much about the signifigance of an L88.

Just my $.02.

[/ QUOTE ]

A couple of notes. 2 Hemi cars at Mecum doesn't define the market. Same as the low bid COPOs. And auction is an auction!

As far as performance goes. Did you see the F.A.S.T. on slicks shoot-out between the Stage 1, Hemi and L88 from early September.

Patrick

[442w30]

The answer is simple - supply and demand.

I just never thought the Chevy guys would be complaining about values. Perhaps they aren't used to taking a back seat to a Mopar?

[RichSchmidt]

Values have always been a bit skewed.Look at it like this.The last time I checked,the highest selling price for a muscle car was a Hemi Cuda convertable.Now this was in fact a rare and low miles car.but there is a reason why it is so rare.Even back in 1970 it was painfully obvious that stabbing a Hemi into a car with it's roof cut off was a total waste of time.The result would have been a car that tweaked itself to death after just a few hundred hard stoplight launches.If peice were all about performance then a manual everything heater/radio delete car would be at the top of the list.Such car usualy demand more money,but covertables and cars with weird options always seem to do a fraction of a bit better.

And the fact is,that it all boils down to name recognition.A Hemi anything is hot,and add 'Cuda or Road Runner in the same sentence and it sounds even better.Chevys arent immune to this either.Look at what is going on with 69 Camaros,Z/28's are demanding the same money as Copo cars these days.Not to take anything away from Z/28's,but they did make almost 20 thousand of them in 1969.To put that into perspective,they made more 69 z/28's then they made base model and Espirt firebirds combined in 1972.They also made about 100 times as many 69 Z/28's as they did 73 super duty Trans Ams,and the 73S.D. is a car that can hand a 69 Z it's azz both at the drags and on a road course in stock form.You dont see any of the cars I mentioned bringing the big "Z" money depite both superior rareity and performance.It's all in the eye of the beholder.To most beholders,a 73 S.D. Trans am looks like a cookie cutter T/A from the Smokie and the Bandit years.Most people still dont even view them as collectable cars,they just conjure up images of trashy hoodlums cruising from trailer park to trailer park between stops to fill up their air shocks so that their N50 tires wont rub in the back.Some cars cant get no respect.