Market for survivors...
 

Any opinions on the perceived positive trend in collecting survivor supercar/musclecars? I know corvette guys go crazy for survivors, I just wonder if that type of craze will spill into the non corvette market more than it has.

I would think with corvettes, the value of a survivor is you know its really real and not a fake. And those folks really pay up for that.

On musclecars, it is unclear to me if this is just a few mega collectors focused on survivors because of the rarity of it all, and do they just want to make sure they don't have a fake on their hands if they go into the mid 6 figure range.

I think there is a limited market for them, especially for the ones that are really rough around the edges. The uber-rare ones will always be highly desirable if well-documented, regardless of condition......not so much so for the more common variety muscle cars. Right now they seem to be the going thing, but some of the ones being touted and/or marketed as a "survivor" would be referred to in a far less positive context by many.

Ill take all the survivors you have and will trade all the black shiny clones you can take.!

I believe there are survivors and cars that just survived. True survivors will always be in demand because there are so few. In essence the supply will always be smaller than the demand, hence they will continue to bring a premium.

Cars that survived, well those are cars "the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". They can be tough to sell....

I've posted a wanted ad for some time and have only gotten a few responses, but I'm always looking.

Cars that survived in their original "as delivered" condition are the once in a lifetime finds.

Kind of like the find of Otzi the Iceman in the Alps - a 5,400 year old man frozen in time. http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sh...003749/3418243

Compare that to cars that "survived" 50 years and are still here on the planet and you get a whole different batch of contenders. These are the ones that show up every week on ebay and regaled as "Survivors" by the sellers. "A survivor with only one repaint, new interior, and a replacement engine"

Kind of like finding some dried up bones in the desert.

Unrestored cars which have not ever been restored or have not been used as parts cars and or destroyed are more and more difficult to locate and even harder to get long time owners to part with such cars.
More and more people enjoy never restored cars in all makes and vintages and more and more shows make room or have classes for unrestored cars.
The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) along with the Smithsonian are documenting and digitally 3D scanning historically significant vehicles from the beginning ages of the automobile. Check them out...

There is a special uniqueness that goes along with an unrestored survivor. If you envy someone's unrestored survivor, in most cases you can search the world over and never find another like it.

On the other hand, if you like the restored triple black SS/RS Camaro that the guy down the street has, you can build one just like it as a clone... or some will go the extra mile to fake a real one. It's beginning to take a forensic expert to tell the real restored cars from the fakes at first glance.

That's why I think the survivors are getting more and more attention at car events. You know they're real, without looking at them with a critical eye, and you can actually learn something from looking at them.

Personally I love both correctly restored concours and unrestored, and both are rare and valuable. Just look at the market for a concours or true time capsule. There are so many segments to the hobby that no matter your taste it's there for you from Survivor, Concours restored, Protouring, Drivers, Rat Rods, Barn Finds etc. They are all good and appreciated by some segment of the hobby.

Right now I'm enjoying my drivers. Bruises and all I can take them to a cruise night not worry about someone touching or weather. In fact last week was caught in down pour with my orange RS/Z and waited it out and had a nice dinner. Like I said there's something for everyone in the hobby, and that's what makes it great.....:beers:

... What is the true definition of a "Survivor" car ?

... Is it ....

.... "a car that continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition,

.... hardship, or setbacks. "

... or

.... " a car that is found in a barn after 50 years that is all original "

.... that has had minimal amount of time being operated over the years

.... in the fashion that is was designed for ?

:confused2:

DISCLAIMER: This is my own personal opinion.


Here is my take on 3 levels of the term "Survivor Car".

Time Capsule - A vehicle that was been well preserved and still attains 95 - 100% of its original born with components.

Relic - A vehicle that has been discovered after a length of time that still has many of its original components but is in need of repair or refurbishing to make it safe and/or driveable.

Unrestored Original - A vehicle that has been maintained and enjoyed over the years and still has at least 80-95% of its original components.




One could break these down further but this is how I classify "survivor" cars.


EDIT:

I pulled this from Steve's Vintage Certification Form.

Vintage Certifications are divided into five award levels:
• Vintage Time Capsule -Vehicles that are 95+% unrestored in all areas
• Vintage Legend - Vehicles that are 85+% unrestored in all areas.
• Vintage Heritage - Vehicles that are 85+% unrestored in five areas
• Vintage Legacy - Vehicles that are 85+% unrestored in four areas.
• Vintage Reference - Vehicles that are 85+% unrestored in at least two Vintage Reference Area.