Anytime your dealing in "Classics" you are trading primarily in nostalgia. Your market is to the car the buyer had as a kid, wished he had as a kid, his best friend had when he was a kid, his family had when he was a kid etc. For this reason I credit the recent (5 to 10 year) shakeout in classic car prices to be as much related to WWII baby boomers redirecting their financial priorities to retirement needs as I do to the economy of the last 6 years.
Personally, although I've minor restored to flip or auction a number of brand "X" vehicles, I was raised on Studebakers, a close family friend had a Studebaker dealership, I watched through the window in SB while the first Avanti's were assembled, my first 2 cars were Studebakers, and 3 of my college friends and my college flame were Studebakers (only remotely related) so I had a bit of a nostalgic connection.
I have always wanted a '53 through '55 C/K for a keeper as I believed the styling to be both timeless and Studebaker's finest design. The Avanti ran a close second for me, and the Hawks were kind of the 3rd mistress of the evening. I appreciated the re-engineering on a shoestring uniqueness of the Champ and the Lark but neither were high on my must have list. My Champ was built from crusher to driver was intended to be eduction for my Speedster build. However, the enjoyment, parade fun and pictures it has elicited has exceeded the financial and time investment exponentially so my appreciation for the Champ has evolved.
To my point... A friend took an original, untouched, running, actual found in a barn covered with straw lumber and pigeon, 1929 Chevrolet International Landau to auction. It originality and pitenna [sp] was too beautiful to restore. Yet it only brought about $8,000 because no buyer there had a nostalgic connection to the car.
When applying this logic to any 50+ year old vehicle including Studebaker, I would suggest that we are evolving to a new smaller, younger market that is based on appreciation of muscle and/or styling in it's own right. Thus in our own car cult a huge market disparity has emerged between a Lark or Sedan and a C/K with identical drive train, underpinnings and even some trim pieces.
Another indirect benefit we currently enjoy is ready availability of parts. Because Studebaker went out of business suddenly some saw opportunity and parts were hoarded. We recently did a major restore on a '62 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible and spent a year and a half locating parts... 6 months looking for a windshield. As the many unique parts on that vehicle sat on the shelf for say 25 years dealers had simply trashed them as junk.
In contrast, Studebaker's financial straits in its last decade forced them to use many common components across their full line. My Champ, Speedster and '63 Lark parts car all have essentially the same drive train and other components. As restorers and cultists we enjoy the benefit of Studebaker's misery. This factor alone tends to level the playing field between Studebaker and brand "X".
I dread the day when "Rice Burners" are nostalgia.
Personally, although I've minor restored to flip or auction a number of brand "X" vehicles, I was raised on Studebakers, a close family friend had a Studebaker dealership, I watched through the window in SB while the first Avanti's were assembled, my first 2 cars were Studebakers, and 3 of my college friends and my college flame were Studebakers (only remotely related) so I had a bit of a nostalgic connection.
I have always wanted a '53 through '55 C/K for a keeper as I believed the styling to be both timeless and Studebaker's finest design. The Avanti ran a close second for me, and the Hawks were kind of the 3rd mistress of the evening. I appreciated the re-engineering on a shoestring uniqueness of the Champ and the Lark but neither were high on my must have list. My Champ was built from crusher to driver was intended to be eduction for my Speedster build. However, the enjoyment, parade fun and pictures it has elicited has exceeded the financial and time investment exponentially so my appreciation for the Champ has evolved.
To my point... A friend took an original, untouched, running, actual found in a barn covered with straw lumber and pigeon, 1929 Chevrolet International Landau to auction. It originality and pitenna [sp] was too beautiful to restore. Yet it only brought about $8,000 because no buyer there had a nostalgic connection to the car.
When applying this logic to any 50+ year old vehicle including Studebaker, I would suggest that we are evolving to a new smaller, younger market that is based on appreciation of muscle and/or styling in it's own right. Thus in our own car cult a huge market disparity has emerged between a Lark or Sedan and a C/K with identical drive train, underpinnings and even some trim pieces.
Another indirect benefit we currently enjoy is ready availability of parts. Because Studebaker went out of business suddenly some saw opportunity and parts were hoarded. We recently did a major restore on a '62 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible and spent a year and a half locating parts... 6 months looking for a windshield. As the many unique parts on that vehicle sat on the shelf for say 25 years dealers had simply trashed them as junk.
In contrast, Studebaker's financial straits in its last decade forced them to use many common components across their full line. My Champ, Speedster and '63 Lark parts car all have essentially the same drive train and other components. As restorers and cultists we enjoy the benefit of Studebaker's misery. This factor alone tends to level the playing field between Studebaker and brand "X".
I dread the day when "Rice Burners" are nostalgia.
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