Market for survivors...

**black69** · #1 07-18-2017, 04:17 PM

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.

**Bill Pritchard** · #2 07-18-2017, 06:25 PM

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.

the427king · #3 07-18-2017, 06:34 PM

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

**Steve Shauger** · #4 07-18-2017, 08:54 PM

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.

**njsteve** · #5 07-19-2017, 12:03 AM

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.

**firstgenaddict** · #6 07-19-2017, 05:03 AM

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...

L78M22Rag · #7 07-19-2017, 08:17 AM

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.

**Steve Shauger** · #8 07-19-2017, 12:28 PM

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.....

NorCam · #9 07-19-2017, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Shauger

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.....

Totally agreeing with Steve's take on the entire hobby and I can appreciate all segments. In regards to the OP, I would think the market for true "survivor" class muscle cars has been heavy for many years, but the term has become too broadly used. IMHO, a true survivor class car is one that can be measured and weighed as an NCRS judged car, an untouched low mile specimen that remains as was originally sold, an unmolested type of car that can be considered by many as a benchmark piece.

Many of the low mile examples that are discovered over the years are appreciated my many, but are priced and marketed towards the higher end collector who can often pay a staggering amount of money to gain that low mile untouched example for their own personal collection. When a survivor type car is then altered with paint work, engine detailing and other items that have been changed...or even partially restored, that so called survivor diminishes with it's core value to a high end collector and the detraction factors then make it more of a play for the normal hobbyist. Perhaps a guy who doesn't mind that it has blown in paint, a body repair, engine rebuilds or a maybe a simple sub frame restoration. There are many of us who seek original cars with only minor changes or clean up work, but with that being said there are many original cars that would not appeal to the purist when original patina is altered in some way. For some, the word survivor means that nothing can have changed. And opinions do vary of what can be coined as a survivor.

We all know what we are seeing when a survivor car is tabled for discussion or is up for sale, and as the old saying goes, the real cream always floats to the top. For that true benchmark type survivor car; be it super car or muscle car, the market will always being strong and there will always be buyers lined up. As time moves along I think that trend will continue, but I also think that the market will continue to be strong for correctly restored cars too.

**John** · #10 07-19-2017, 12:30 PM

... 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 ?

The Following User Says Thank You to the427king For This Useful Post:
slimsls6 (07-20-2017)

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Steve Shauger For This Useful Post:
1969l78 (07-19-2017), NorCam (07-19-2017)

The Following User Says Thank You to NorCam For This Useful Post:
NovaMob03 (07-19-2017)