MarrsCars

This thread is coming full circle in so many ways for me. Mae West lived in a building that was right across the street from me on Rossmore Ave., it was called The Ravesnwood and is still there today. She spent her entire life in Hollywood in that apartment, but passed away long before I arrived in town. Earth Kitt lived there when I was on the block and used to invite any neighbors who were interested for her Poker night. Fair enough. Was it purple (the car, not Prince)?

Yes, it is a Mass. plate marked 1925. Extremely close but under close inspection there are enough structural differences that I do not believe this is the same building. What the heck is that little maroon car parked in front in the pic below???

@Marty Roth Both fantastic additions to this thread, thank you, I have a weakness for Packards. I got ahead on myself, I see the Cadillac now also. Keep 'em coming, you're really making my day! @60FlatTop I enjoy the oddball looks of those Stutz coupes, I wish you well in your search! The ones I've come across are either essentially factory fresh or run down, don't see many in between, kinda like Avantis. Patrick Stewart officiated the wedding of an acquaintance of mine, apparently everyone who knows him loves spending time with him and he's an animal lover to boot as he's fostering a Pit Bull that he likes to show off on his social media.

Wow, now this is cool! I am such a fan for Old Hollywood, even used to live on Rossmore Ave. in LA where many of the old historic Hollywood homes are, and right next to Paramount Pictures. This is just awesome! @John_S_in_Penna I have to agree with you, I knew dozens of "celebrities" during my time working in the biz and maybe two... MAYBE... were genuinely happy people. I think it's less about the sudden wealth than the sudden fame, it messes with their heads, inflates egos to the point they lose lifelong friends, and then there's the "yes men" factor where everyone around you simply agrees for fear of being cut out of the gravy train. I would never name any names, but some people you would suspect the least are the most offensive humans imaginable. @James-Wahl Motors As stated, I lived very near this place, and you're right it could have been almost anybody who owned that car. Didn't even have to be famous of course, just have the loot to acquire a special order. @GregLaR Do you still have the Roy Rogers truck? That would be as cool to me as the Zannuck car above! Have you toured the Roy Rogers museum yet? Good stuff. Oh, you made me remember that I rode in the LBJ/Lady Bird Johnson 1969 Lincoln limo also. A very lovely car by Lehmann-Peterson.

"So tell me what celebrity cars do you have? Before anyone asks, no, the Chevy Celebrity doesn't count. "

I recently purchased this stack of original photos of early Rolls-Royce motorcars and among them was this dealership image. I believe all the pics to be taken in the US, and accordingly believe the dealership was to. Anyone know where this specific dealer was located and if so, do you have an address or general location so I can see what is in that location today?

It's a great site overall, but as mentioned, you have to come correct. Any sign of trickery, masking an issue, or even not enough photos of a specific portion will get you slammed by the commentariat. Show every flaw. On the flip side, the true aficionados tend to regulate the more wild folks, and you can flag comments there as "not constructive." The auctions used to be almost exclusively rare and desirable, tho not necessarily expensive, cars. Think Maserati Biturbo. It's actually a very useful place to gain knowledge, which is one of my primary uses of the site, as there is always someone, or six, who are marque or model experts. I also chime in with info if I can assist whenever there is a MB W111/112 coupe or cabriolet as that's my specialty. I have a few buddies who sell there and the transactions have always been painless according to them. I think it's only $99 to list and the winning bidder pays $250-5,000 dependent on the final sale price.

Who here has a star car that was owned at one point by a celebrity or notable figure in history? I don't personally, but my mother was watching an older Pawn Stars episode that featured Johnny Cash's Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and texted me to chat about it. Coincidentally, one of the men presenting the car was my former client, John's lifelong drummer. They were asking $300,000, got offered $50,000, and said they were going to take it to auction and make $200,000. Turns out it sold for $88,000 at that same auction. This made me reminisce about the time I spent on John's tour bus, but I didn't own it of course. (See my article about Cash's bus here.) Anyway, that got me thinking of that awesome article I believe West wrote about the Tom Mix Cord 812 Phaeton, which is one of my favorite articles of all time. You know the rest, down the rabbit hole. So tell me what celebrity cars do you have? Before anyone asks, no, the Chevy Celebrity doesn't count.

I like it! Tho a bit too similar to the former Phantom design, it does advance the series well. The exchange rate prices it at $475,000 USD! I especially like the taller, ensconced grille treatment tho I much prefer the one on the bespoke "Swepttail" Rolls-Royce which closer matches the traditional style. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned coach building on future electric cars, which I touched on when I wrote about the Swepttail, and that's another element that I plan to explore, the revival of that trade in many ways making a comeback with the advent of electric vehicles. This was a rather interesting sidebar presented on that link: What about an electric Rolls-Royce? With all eyes on electric cars right now, Rolls fans should note that the flexible chassis means it can develop an all-electric Rolls-Royce. In 2011, Rolls-Royce built a one-off working prototype all-electric Rolls-Royce Phantom codenamed 102EX. This was followed in 2016 by an all-electric driverless concept car codenamed 103EX. Earlier this month, Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Müller-Otvös said he would introduce battery technology when it is sufficiently developed to power an ’all-electric’ car. Speaking at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, to Autocar magazine, he said: ‘Electrification is the way forward – and there will be no in between steps for us like hybridisation.' ‘It is the propulsion system for the future, make no error. There is a time - nobody can predict when - when there will be no combustion engines.’

A master and a gentleman for sure!

Nice find! It reads to me somewhat like the fuel economy standards for auto companies, wherein they can also buy credits to offset their carbon footprint, which is exactly why Aston Martin made the Cygnet, based on a Toyota iQ, because of the proportionately huge differences in fuel economy from the rest of their fleet. Most other manufacturers of hulking, heavyweight cars simply buy credits from those with excess. Here is that odd little car:

Hi John, I will say the story largely depends on if we are doing a straight news piece where, in such a case, your words are completely valid that impartiality be achieved and I must absolutely follow the tenets of journalism, or if it is an opinion piece, wherein I seek info from both (or all) sides of a topic in an effort to understand why a certain segment of the population feels a certain way and present their viewpoint even if it contrary to my own, but I need to understand them first to do so. Those who follow my writing know that I am someone who is unafraid to challenge long-held, traditional, or institutionalized views. (I doubt you're surprised by that.) I am also infinitely open-minded and malleable so long as logic and facts are involved. I will say that even when I am writing an opinion piece where I am seeking views opposed to mine, it's important to try to understand why those opinions differ. Sometimes simply posing the question at all reveals a great amount about some people's thinking, such as in this case where a couple of the first replies seemed to veer wildly away from the question actually asked, even tho those individuals chose to reply of their own free will in the first place. Why? What is their motivation? So I prod a bit more, keep the conversation going. There's an element of human psychology there that is fascinating. That's just as valuable to me. To be clear, I don't yet know what type of article this will be, news or opinion, so I am covering all my bases at present. Thank you again for your response.

Here's some pertinent news today, and not from a smaller maker like Volvo but one of the biggest boys in the game, Toyota. "the new technology promises to yield recharge times of “just a few minutes,” http://jalopnik.com/toyota-is-developing-new-solid-state-batteries-for-elec-1797294724 @1912Staver @maok @John348 @50jetback Thank you for your thoughtful replies, I find them very interesting to see the split between those who believe "well, we've always done it this way so we're always gonna do it this way" and those who consider the reality of petrol-consumption, electric vehicle production, application of technology, the will of the younger generation to change the old system, and governmental future plans, and how these factors are already guiding energy policy here and abroad. You were also among the few who captured the nuance of my question so thank you for addressing the matter of how this may affect collector car values, that was what I was after. @capngrog "There has already been an extensive discussion on this topic on this thread:Volvo to Phase out Combustion Engines by 2019" I did see that earlier discussion, thank you, but it is more about the policies, which we did veer off into here, but my original post was purely to ask about how this would affect collector car values specifically which that post did not address. @JV Puleo Technology no longer stagnates as it has historically, since the advent of computing technology it has actually done quite the opposite by expanding exponentially every few years at ever-decreasing intervals. @padgett @John_S_in_Penna @avantey @mike6024 @Xander Wildeisen Thanks much to you and anyone else I missed who replied with considered and intelligent opinions.

Thank you, so continuing on that thought, what do you believe collectors will do with their cars once they see values dropping? What will you personally do, hold on to them for sentimental reasons or otherwise, sell them? Surely some will be among the savvy and cash out before others who still have their heads in the sand.

Always Sunny always makes me laugh. Well done!

Ahh yes, there is a little drop down that appears once you start typing in the search bar, I played around with it and the results do vary greatly depending what you select. Nice catch!

Why would electric cars be out of the price reach for people who could afford ICE cars? Electric car prices are already dropping steadily, like how VCRs used to cost $1,000 then dropped to $100 as soon as mass production began. There's also the factor of job automation displacing human workers en masse, resulting in the talk of a Universal Wage, which is a whole other topic, but none of this really pertains to the values of collector cars question that I originally posed.

I think you may have missed my statement, "For the sake of argument, let's work on the assumption that at the time of these bans, or shortly thereafter, these countries will not only ban new production of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, but also no longer allow them on their public roadways. To be clear, this has not been widely proposed, and so far these countries seem more interested in stopping production of new ICE cars rather than rid the roads of current ones." ...so working on the assumption that no ICE cars will be allowed, what do you think will happen to collector car values? Personally, yes I do believe the diesel trucking industry will disappear by 2040. https://electrek.co/2017/04/18/tesla-semi-analyst-electric-truck-disruptive/ https://youtu.be/E3993-PczhI?t=1m

(I am writing this specifically seeking information for an article I am writing. If you respond, please know that I may use your words as a quote in the final piece.) Big news today is that the UK is planning to ban gasoline and diesel engines by 2040, which follows earlier announcements of planned bans by countries like France by 2040, Norway by 2025, and Volvo of Sweden has committed to producing only electric cars and hybrids by 2019. For the sake of argument, let's work on the assumption that at the time of these bans, or shortly thereafter, these countries will not only ban new production of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, but also no longer allow them on their public roadways. To be clear, this has not been widely proposed, and so far these countries seem more interested in stopping production of new ICE cars rather than rid the roads of current ones. I'd like to know your opinions on what will happen to values of vintage and classic cars once this happens? Will they first lose value in their home country that has a ban in place, but maintain their values in countries that still allow them? Will all values drop as the writing on the wall becomes more evident? How will this affect restorers and parts suppliers? Will collector cars only be driven at sanctioned events, on tracks or private land, or will they become static displays, like a painting or sculpture with no interest in keeping them running and operable? Feel free to extrapolate beyond my questions, I am curious to hear what sort of future for the hobby this paints.

@keiser31 I didn't notice this was one of your posts at first but my initial thought was, "this must be Oregon" because of the Studebaker truck (they are all over the place it seems) and just simply seeing old rigs still doing work duty. Even here in Portland it's very common to see something similar. The PacNW is a great place for those who appreciate quirky old American iron!

Revealing this sort of info actually helps deter counterfeits as it educates a large group of enthusiasts on what to look for, sometimes even the type of stamping/engraving/embossing, placement, method of attachment of a plate, etc., are all better clues to originality than simply "matching" the correct number.

I just searched "carb" and got 85-pages of results. Not sure why the discrepancy but so you know it's not an across the board issue.

I always enjoy your sense of humor and quips, but this is indeed "harsh" to use your words. When we wonder why the hobby is primarily limited to older white men who are dying off and taking the hobby right along with them, yet complain loudly that we aren't attracting younger, modern enthusiasts to carry the torch, I have to believe this sort of thinking is partly responsible.

I find my auto coverage to be a fantastic deal at less than $500 annually for $50k agreed value on the coupe, far less than what I paid before I had "collector car" insurance.

Carl my old friend, we must have walked right past one another last summer! I sadly had to miss this past weekend's event, did you make it down? To the originl question posed in this thread... I use Chubb collector car insurance and this is their policy on towing: "Towing If your classic car is disabled in a covered loss, Chubb will not only pay the fair cost to move your vehicle to the shop of your choice, we will do so using the transport service of your choosing. Chubb will also cover the emergency labor costs incurred at the time of the incident." This is their policy for replacement parts, "Whether you need a fender for your Galaxie, or a trunk pan for your Gullwing, Chubb understands the importance of the perfect part. We will work with your restoration shop to properly restore your vehicle to its pre-loss condition and authenticity. Keep in mind that with Chubb Collector Car insurance, you choose the restoration facility that will repair your vehicle. When you combine our parts and equipment coverage with our $0 deductible Agreed Value feature, you’ll find that Chubb Collector Car insurance is the most comprehensive program available." They seem far more accommodating than other insurers in many relevant ways, I have little in the way of use restrictions, no deductibles, no mileage caps, etc. Good luck on your search!