Avanti Bill

Jeez, I sure didn't want the thread to go to a philosophical debate about wealth accumulation or the morality of different car collectors. For what it is worth if you met Jim Taylor and didn't know him I doubt you would know he had two nickels to rub together and that is not a criticism but a compliment. He is down to earth, loves to talk about cars, polite and articulate not the least bit flashy. Of all the collections I have seen in my life his is the most driven and enjoyed. As he spoke to our group about each car or group of cars it was apparent that some of the least desirable were his favorites for the story and history the car held for him. He was on the show field the next day with one of his most valuable cars giving all of us the opportunity to see and enjoy a car most people never will see in the flesh. I just hope he is OK and selling because it is time to move on to pursue other adventures.

I had the pleasure of seeing the Jim Taylor car collection while attending last year's spring meet in Saratoga, NY, it was amazing. I have never seen so many collector cars with toll transponders in them indicating they were all driven. Jim gave a talk about most every car in the collection and was a very gracious host. I see that it is being sold, I hope he is OK and just making a change. The sale will be the talk of the summer as it is an amazing collection. Hear is a link. https://linkagemag.com/broad-arrow-group-announces-passion-for-the-drive-the-cars-of-jim-tayor/

Normally when I don't see engine and trunk photos I presume the area to be weak. While I'll agree that some may not know what they are looking at most will be able to tell how squared away that area is and it is a statement to the overall condition.

Just contracted with InterCity Lines from Bloomington MN to Maryland $2495.00 Didn't think this was too bad, my out of pocket to go out and pick it up myself would have been $1600.00 or more and 3 hard days of driving.

Hired Intercity Lines to bring it back. $2499.00

Economically it is hardly practical to restore any car but if the car means something to you personally that can make all the difference.

The Coachbuilt website give the following definition: VICTORIA - a close coupled two door sedan or an enlarged coupe with a rear seat also known as an OPERA COUPE. Also a four door open car with folding top over the rear seat only. Known in France as a COUPE MILORD. None of these cars fit what I always thought of a "Victoria" body. I have always thought of Victoria's as a 4/5 passenger car, 2 doors with no side windows for the back seat so the public could not see the rear seat passengers and the passengers privacy would not be infringed upon by the unwashed. Most are on full classic cars and many if not most are convertible. I'm sure I have been ill informed all these years.

I have a few of both classes of cars and I enjoy them both but in different ways. My "perfect" cars, if there is such a thing, I love to show because most are unusual and I think the public loves to see a car in that condition especially if it is something they have never seen before or has some interesting engineering elements. I also drive my show cars but with much more care and concern of what it takes to get a car into the "show car" category. As someone pointed out the last 10 points are normally very expensive and in some cases impossible to find. But seeking perfection is one element of the hobby that keeps me going and as I have matured in the hobby I have realized that you can drive these cars and still stay in the top tier. My wife and I like to do the tours associated with most of the concour events we attend. Last fall we took our Avanti to the Audrain in Newport RI. The tour was over 60 miles including getting to the starting point and we had to leave the hotel at 4:30 in the morning but it was magnificent. My wife is not a morning person, this may be the only sunrise she has experienced having been to bed the night before, but she was glad she came. All along the entire route the town turned out to see and cheer the cars on, some before sunrise. Thousands of people were along the route which made me really glad I took a car that rarely gets driven out for people to enjoy. There were cars of all levels but most were highly restored and some worth multiple millions. One of Jay Leno's favorite sayings is that "he loves to take a number one car and drive it down to a number three", most of us can't afford to do that but it is the sentiment that we all embrace. I enjoy my drivers as much as the show cars, certainly they are relaxing to drive and more fun. I try to have them correct in every way but they are in a state where if my grandkids drip ice cream on the seat it isn't a big deal. In many ways the drivers attract as much attention as the show cars but to a different audience which I think is a good thing. This hoby has something for everyone, showing, driving judging, you don't even need to own a car just to have a passion for them.

I may need a car moved from Bloomington, MN to Street, MD in the next few weeks. I am flying out to inspect the car on the 6th and if I can strike a deal I may decide to have it hauled in as opposed to going out with my own trailer. It is a Oldsmobile F85 hard top which I would call mid sized and about 2900 Lbs. I am pretty flexible on pickup and delivery time. If anyone is interested or knows of someone who frequents this route please feel free to reach out. billclark7988@gmail.com

FYI The show is on Friday this year due to a conflict with Hershey entertainment.

Current truck pricing is more a product of availability than fuel economy. A lot of people do not believe, myself included, that the current gas prices are sustainable and we will return to market normalcy sooner rather than later. Even with boycotts of Russian oil we have the capacity to produce way more oil than we need and the administration will have to fold on its anti fossil fuel rampage before the next presidential election if not the midterms . After the initial enthusiasm for EV trucks has run its course you will see a return to fossil fuel as the range and HP of EVs won't support the truck market. I think the EV truck market will be about as successful as the early GM diesel engine effort was in cars. Unless we make a major techknowledgey leap and spend TRILLIONS in EV infrastructure the whole pure EV market will collapse. Hybrid cars have a future in this country in the next twenty years but the increase in MPG is barely worth the cost difference without the subsidies which will have to go away and are an admission that the numbers don't work. The biggest thing that can be done to bring the cost of new trucks down will be improved supply chain efforts and getting chip production moved to more friendly countries.

With the cost of restoration and if they are located in Montana which pushes up the transport cost I doubt the two larger trucks are worth more than $1000 each. The pickup you should be able to find some comps but maybe $1500 my guess.

I'll bet Wawa is not putting out any money. My guess is that since they are Tesla only stations that Tesla is footing the bill. I understand they are way behind their commitment to build charging infrastructure.

There are no EV's planned that I know of that could tow my trailer 250 miles let alone 2500. I try to make 700-900 miles per day going to an event, I have to stop about every 250 miles to fuel my 2019 Ram diesel which is normally a 20-30 minuit pit stop. In the last year I have seen several travel plaza's on the toll roads installing charging equipment, which is good, but we are years away from routine travel more than 150 miles from home for EVs. It is one thing for around town but our country is too large and too much of it is too remote for EVs to replace gas or diesel.

I am not trying to trash anyone or any company and I will say it has been about 4 or 5 years since I signed a bidders contract with BJ. I think the following from the agreement you posted says it all and I am OK with it from a buyers point of view. "Buyer hereby waives and releases BJAC from and against any claim, demand, liability, or expense of any kind arising out of or related to the Lot, expressly including without limitation any assertions of negligence (including negligent misrepresentation), breach of contract or breach of warranty." I think your lawyer would tell you this covers it but I'm not a lawyer either.

Not likely, though they would like you to think it is.

The auctions are real and the prices are real, they may not be smart, but the money changes hands at the price posted plus the vig. Now when you agree to bid you agree in the bidding documents the the auction company can run the bid up on you, it is right there in the fine print. While I have bought cars at auction I think it is about the worst way to purchase a car. Hard to inspect, hard to talk to the owner and you have to be very careful you know who or what you are bidding against. There are exception of course and some auction houses are better than others but the term "buyer beware" should be in the forefront of your thinking. One of the reasons the auctions are successful is the they draw large crowds of qualified buyers and in Scottsdale it is even more so. People come from all over the world to purchase cars and there is an enormous amount of discretionary money out there to do just that. In the end the smart buyer just has to have a maximum he is willing to spend and stick to that number. The auctions are capitalism at its purest.

I have been looking to buy an existing building but the minimum price for something usable is about $1,000,000. The best deal would be to buy a farm with buildings or without as you can build farm buildings cheaply but to get enough land to qualify and make sense you are looking at $2,000,000 so the $3000 per month is cheap. I am looking to find a farm where I can move and sell my existing house which makes it more palatable but most everything worth having is in the $3,000,000 range and honestly I haven't found anything my wife and I can agree on.

I have plenty of land and would love to build a nice toy shed. The problem is that when I go to my engineer and talk about a permit he hits me with the reality that it will cost me nearly $100,000 to see if I can get a permit. Then I can expect about $100,000 to $200,000 in stormwater management before I pour one footer for the building. I really only wanted to have $150,000 in the whole thing as opposed to the $400,00. I have a three car in house for our daily drivers and then a two car detached for my shop and one bay for a fun driver. I rent a heated 40X60 industrial building from a friend for $3000 per month everything included which under my current building restrictions and excessive building cost may be cheap. At least I can get my truck and trailer in it and 6 other cars although that makes it tight.

The XJS was a great car to drive but not a great investment or a mechanical masterpiece. The Avanti is a great car to drive as well and has been trouble free, we'll see what happens on the investment side.

I had an 1989 XJS coupe that I bought new from chesapeake Cadillac Jaguar and I never left home without my cell phone (bag Phone) and my triple A card! I sold it in about 2015 for $6000 with 20,000 miles and felt lucky.

J.I.Case, (James Increase Case) originally from New York then relocated to Racine Wisconsin. Originally built horse powers, then steam tractors then gas/diesel farm equipment. My family were case tractor dealers from 1945 to about 1967, Case took the dealership from us and gave it to another family who went bankrupt and took the company and many local folks for millions. It was a lucky break for us we moved on from the agribusiness and prospered.

Thanks but I was cheap and took a no refund fair, my luck. I think I can make it if the flight is on time and the weather is good!

I just made my reservation but they are not quoting the AACA rate. I am sure I can straighten that out when I check in.

Paula called me as well which I think is an extraordinary effort to make it known. My problem is I am just coming up for the banquet and my flight doesn't get in until 3:00 and then to rent a car and drive 2.5 hours will be cutting it real close.