Very exciting BAT auction of a Vintage Motorcars built Speedster just concluded with a price of $83,000. I think it's now the record.
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Holy Carp!!! Welp, my car is going up on BaT soon, so we'll see what happens.
That's quite insane money if you ask me. I just purchased mine for 51K that's similarly equipped and given all the problems I have with the car, I would really be pissed if I'd spent 83K, plus the buyers fee.
Jason
Congrats Roy! I know I love mine.
@JasonC posted:That's quite insane money if you ask me. I just purchased mine for 51K that's similarly equipped and given all the problems I have with the car, I would really be pissed if I'd spent 83K, plus the buyers fee.
Jason
You should sell, if you feel that way. A thing is worth what a buyer and seller agree it's worth. An auction is an excellent way to establish value.
I don't know why Roy doesn't order these a dozen at a time with the way prices are going/staying. I bet his wholesale price is going to go up too!
80K replicas ....
I think the price of real ones are helping drive the price of replicas up.
@Troy Sloan posted:Very exciting BAT auction of a Vintage Motorcars built Speedster just concluded with a price of $83,000. I think it's now the record.
Awesome. Lovin' mine!
@Troy Sloan posted:Very exciting BAT auction of a Vintage Motorcars built Speedster just concluded with a price of $83,000. I think it's now the record.
The only 356 replica I see at a higher auction price is a 2002 Intermeccanica Convertible D that sold for $86,500. That said, this sale at $83k is the new high water mark for a speedster.
@Cartod posted:I think the price of real ones are helping drive the price of replicas up.
I think the price of EVERYTHING (especially things with wheels) is driving the prices up.
It's a strange time to be alive.
incomprehensible. I need to speak to my ins co about agreed value.
.
@Stan Galat posted:....I think the price of EVERYTHING (especially things with wheels) is driving the prices up...
Ayup.
Currently on BAT (with days still to go on most):
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My Auratium Green with Bisque interior VMC with less than 200 miles has been accepted by BAT. It doesn't have the under the dash e-brake and it has the 1915cc engine rather than the 2332cc, but it's stunning nevertheless. There are a few pictures of it on my website www.replicaspeedsters.com.
As I've said in other threads, the driving force behind Speedster replica values is the two year wait for a new one and also the auction sites formats. Nobody wants to wait two years if they can get a nice used one overnight.
@JasonC - what issues are you having?
@NeenahSpeedster posted:@JasonC - what issues are you having?
@Troy Sloan Good Luck on the sale. Car looks very nice.
Wonder where my outlaw build w/ the tube frame & Mendeola etc. will land .....
It might be a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a VMC build hit the six figure mark this year. I can tell you that if Greg decided to sell his personal Speedster it will sell for more than 100k. Just to be clear, as far as I know, he has no plans to sell it.
The last few Vintage Motorcar Speedsters sold for: $83k, $60k, $66k, and $60k.
…..guess it just depends on who’s on the site at the time. It just requires two people. (That and photography). If I were to sell my car on BaT, I’d definitely invest in a great photographer. Cars with stunning photography and videos seem to pull in quite a sum.
What I find hilarious (and sad) are the posers calling their speedsters “vintage motorcar” speedsters just to capitalize on the high selling price of the VMC cars.
That is a crazy price. I thought I'd be happy to get that much for my IM6, but I guess the limit has just been raised.
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:What I find hilarious (and sad) are the posers calling their speedsters “vintage motorcar” speedsters just to capitalize on the high selling price of the VMC cars.
Yes they try, but they get corrected very quickly. There are too many of us who know the difference.
@Troy Sloan posted:It might be a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a VMC build hit the six figure mark this year. I can tell you that if Greg decided to sell his personal Speedster it will sell for more than 100k. Just to be clear, as far as I know, he has no plans to sell it.
Any details about Greg's Speedster? A couple of pics, maybe???
Sorry, I was starting to drool over it and had to move away without getting a picture.
@Troy Sloan posted:Sorry, I was starting to drool over it and had to move away without getting a picture.
@Troy Sloan must be special for you to drool having seen so many of his work. 😎👍😂
This is not the car that sold for 83k, it's pictures of Greg Leach's personal Speedster that I believe would sell for at least 100k if it was for sale, but it isn't, at least as far as I know.
As it turns out, Sally took a few pictures of Greg's car. Here they are. Suby motor and look closely at his interior, the piping matches the seats! Stunning!!! 
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Very nice. Looks like Bali Blue.
That’s gorgeous!
Pretty slick! And thanks Troy.
The holes in the engine and trunk lid hinges were a nice touch, although in the engine lid hinges they could have been a little bigger... ; )
@Troy Sloan posted:As it turns out, Sally took a few pictures of his car. Here they are. Suby motor and look closely at his interior, the piping matches the seats! Stunning!!!
If I recall correctly, Fibersteel creates seats just like that for our cars. (In any color).
I don’t know if Greg used Fibersteel or has his own contact for those seats.
@Kevin - Bay Area I used Relicate for my seat inserts. Awesome products and service. https://relicate.com/
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@MikeM posted:@Kevin - Bay Area I used Relicate for my seat inserts. Awesome products and service. https://relicate.com/
@MikeM nice link. Thanks for the share.
I'm not a fan of plaid, so there is that. The rest is outrageous. And look, he has coco mats!!
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:The only 356 replica I see at a higher auction price is a 2002 Intermeccanica Convertible D that sold for $86,500. That said, this sale at $83k is the new high water mark for a speedster.
That 2002 IM was @Will Pierson 's IM. He sold it to @Rusty S Rust Smith. Rusty had it for a few years adding some nice upgrades (2110cc engine, Rancho trans with close ratio gearing, VMC 190 wheels, etc.). Rusty then subsequently sold the car to the person who eventually sold it on BAT with winning bid of $85K.
When @El Frazoo came out to one of our West Coast Cruises, Will let Kelly drive the IM while Will drove his '86 Carrera to the drove it to the West Coast Cruise.
If I remember correctly, when Will Pierson bought his IM in 2002 he picked it up in Vancouver at Henry's shop and joined the annual Intermeccanica Picnic Tour. He paid $28K for the car at the time.
Plaid. It is just. Bad.
Otherwise, gorgeous car.
The only time I like plaid is in Spaceballs.
i'd sure be curious to see photos of that $83K speedster to see what set it apart from others to claim a new record sale....it could be just simply 2 guys that wanted it more than the other...it happens makes me wanna throw my car up on the block and see the bidding war that develops....but i'm not quite ready to see it go away
@jncspyder posted:i'd sure be curious to see photos of that $83K speedster to see what set it apart from others to claim a new record sale....it could be just simply 2 guys that wanted it more than the other...it happens makes me wanna throw my car up on the block and see the bidding war that develops....but i'm not quite ready to see it go away
@Chappy posted:
@jncspyder posted:i'd sure be curious to see photos of that $83K speedster to see what set it apart from others to claim a new record sale....it could be just simply 2 guys that wanted it more than the other...it happens makes me wanna throw my car up on the block and see the bidding war that develops....but i'm not quite ready to see it go away
@jncspyder Look at the comments section of the BAT auction. Two guys bidding is why I started this thread by saying it was an exciting BAT auction.
Here’s a new one up for auction. Let’s see what it does.
https://www.pcarmarket.com/auc...=email%20blast%20car
@Cartod posted:Here’s a new one up for auction. Let’s see what it does.
https://www.pcarmarket.com/auc...=email%20blast%20car
And another. If you don't want a two year wait and are prepared to pay up, there sure seems to be 1 or 2 new or low mileage ones available quite regularly.
@WNGD isn’t that Longfellows 356 Speedster that he built for himself?
I don’t recall that one being a “Vintage Motorcars” speedsters. But perhaps?
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:@WNGD isn’t that Longfellows 356 Speedster that he built for himself?
I don’t recall that one being a “Vintage Motorcars” speedsters. But perhaps?
By "another one" I just meant a Speedster. I really don't know people well enough on here to pick out who's who for sale at some time later. Same color as Troy's coming up though?
@Bob: IM S6 posted:That is a crazy price. I thought I'd be happy to get that much for my IM6, but I guess the limit has just been raised.
If any 356 replica ever breaks the $100K ceiling, it should be yours or one like it.
Someday, I'll have to see if that's possible.
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:@WNGD isn’t that Longfellows 356 Speedster that he built for himself?
I don’t recall that one being a “Vintage Motorcars” speedsters. But perhaps?
Yes and no. Brian sold the car in Feb. 2021 to Rotnroby who lived in Santa Barbara and now Rotnroby is selling it along. Brian painstakingly built that car piece by piece as only an OCD type computer engineer can do. It was an extremely well built car and efforts were taken to make it over the top well built.
Re : the Pierson 2002 IM, I did 8ndeef buzz on in to SandyEggo and Will let me drive that car for the weekend. It was awesome. Just a beautiful cruiser, it loved the interstate and all the cruising we did in and around mori bay . Yop drawer Fit and finish and a great top. I have an emergency covering, Wil's car had a real convertible top as only Henry knew how to do. That was a very special weekend for me; forever grateful to wil and all the others who made me feel welcome -- it's a madness that loves company.
Yep! The values for VMC Replica Speedsters are going through the roof. My car was the Seal Grey / Baseball Glove example which sold for $66k on BaT back in Oct-2022. I agree that what’s needed are a couple of really motivated buyers who (a) have the cash and (b) don’t want to wait years for delivery. It took one year to build and get my car and I only drove it a couple of hundred miles from May to October last year. Frankly, I had listed it here on SpeedsterOwners first for $59,500.00 and got no interest. Given the BaT buyer’s fee and premium price, someone here should have picked up my car.
The replicas are fun cars, but at the end of the day they are just that - replicas. For me, if I am going to drop 6-figures on a car, I would prefer a real 911 or perhaps a clean 2016 Spyder for that kind of money.
Nevertheless, glad to see these strong numbers. Greg and the team do build a nice replica; I had no big issues with my example during my short ownership.
Cheers!
@dlearl476 posted:I sense a “market correction” is in the wind.
Where to even start?
I looked, and this car is not listed here. Is it on BaT, or listed somewhere else? Does it belong to someone here?
It didn't sell on PcarMarket and it's in their "deal tank"
Thanks Troy, then we're free to comment.
@dlearl476 posted:Where to even start?
I'd start here: Ideally, a replica 356 will have no more than 6" of space under the pan. 5" looks better. It's a good look when the fenderwell meets the top of the back wheel.
This has about a foot of ground clearance. I feel like this is the Oregon trail/ conestoga wagon version of a Speedster. The wheels are enormous, which could be kinda' cool if they tucked under the fenders. But they don't - in profile the entire wheel and tire, both front and back, are visible. There's even real-estate visible above the tires (one supposes for some suspension travel, since the tires probably stand proud of the fenders).
The effect is to look like the baja version of a 356, only with wooden wagon wheels and rubber-bands for tires.
Factor in the fact that the wheels aren't even close to centered in the wells, and it looks like one of those miatas sitting on a lifted Jeep CJ5.
I try to keep my mind open and the flap up on the side of the tent, but this one is a bit much for me.
That's where I'd start.
Where is BAT's deal tank found?
btw, here's a real 356, $200,000 with 11 days to go
I'm with Stan- the red fat fendered Speedster REALLY needs to be lowered a healthy 4- 5" (maybe even more?), and I'm not sure if that will completely fix it- the tire/wheel combo could be just too tall. Otoh, the blue '55 with 14" alloys that Wingd linked to is pretty damn cool. It does it for me.
PS- it'll be interesting to see what the '55 sells for...
@Bob: IM S6 posted:Someday, I'll have to see if that's possible.
Why would you? Henry isn’t building them anymore, and what could possibly compare to the ultimate IM6 speedster? A new 911? I think not.
I’d let your estate deal with selling it. It'll continue to be worth more and more, and you'll enjoy it your entire life.
Everybody who sells wishes they hadn’t.
Thanks, Stan.
I'm just saying that some day I'll have to sell this car. I'm not sure when, but it's inevitable.
It's a great car.
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@Bob: IM S6 posted:I'm just saying that some day I'll someone will have to sell this car. I'm not sure when, but it's inevitable.
It's a great car.
Fixed it for you.
And I agree with Stan- make them have to pry that gorgeous steering wheel out of your cold, dead hands.
@Stan Galat posted:Thanks Troy, then we're free to comment.
I'd start here: Ideally, a replica 356 will have no more than 6" of space under the pan. 5" looks better. It's a good look when the fenderwell meets the top of the back wheel.
That's where I'd start.
First you’d have to decide which corner to measure. Looks like there’s 4 different “ride heights” to me. 
To say nothing of the RR sitting an inch or so forward of the wheel well centerline. Vintage AZ’s work.
https://www.pcarmarket.com/auc...56-replica-widebody/
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If that car really came from the Vintage Arizona company or the Vintage California company, it's the only one I've ever seen with a dash pad. The Arizona company never built a Super Widebody but the body does appear to be from the Super Widebody molds. I know the Arizona company had a Super Widebody body, but they never built the car and sold the body. My guess is that this is the body they sold and someone who had no idea what they were doing "built" it.
@dlearl476 posted:the RR sitting an inch or so forward of the wheel well centerline.
Wow, that's even worse than i thought.
I commented on the rear wheels not being centered in the wheelwells, but I didn't look at the passenger's side view (where the wheel is perfectly centered).
Either the mold is horribly crooked side to side, or the pan was shortened unevenly.
Kirk built superwides from bodies pulled from this mold - and while they aren't my cup of tea, they didn't look lopsided. I can only surmise that there was a tragic accident at the frame-shortening shop.
Danger, Will Robinson.
I find it interesting that the seller didn't even stick around for the auction. Posted it for sale and flew the coop.
@Robert M posted:I find it interesting that the seller didn't even stick around for the auction. Posted it for sale and flew the coop.
And left a 33.5k offer on the table! Should have took it and ran fast!
Do you think he’s aware of how problematic this thing really is?
Folks can be pretty blind when they’re emotionally invested.
I always wonder how something gets to (and stays at) this point. I don’t know how you don’t just wade in and fix it, no matter what it takes.
.
I'm always looking for a story behind the story, and there's probably a juicy one here. Or, maybe more than one.
There are the obvious, uh, 'stance' issues (which were a hot topic in the auction comments).
There's the fact that one of the early bidders raised his own bid by $2500.
And I don't know the auction biz well enough to understand how things end up in the 'Hot Deal' pot, for about $5000 more than the last actual bid. Is this what's known as the 'buy it now' price on other sites? If it is, why would someone buy it now (or ever) for $5000 more than the last bid?
There's the intrigue of the Arizona connection.
And, there's always the possibility that Troy knows more than he's letting on.
Anything more mysterious and we could have the makings of a Stephen King story here. (Who knows what will come to light when the frunk is opened?)
The combination of gross fitment errors and 'luxury' features like diamond stitch 'leather' is almost a caricature of a kit car. And the repeated mention of 'handcrafted' running through the copy to remind us of the high level of finish is a nice touch, too.
I'm just wondering if this car wasn't given to someone to pay off a debt when a certain business went upside down and liquid assets were in short supply.
Nah, probably just my overactive imagination.
.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
I'm just wondering if this car wasn't given to someone to pay off a debt when a certain business went upside down and liquid assets were in short supply.
Sounds very plausible to me!
Jason
@Troy Sloan posted:And left a 33.5k offer on the table! Should have took it and ran fast!
Looks like he's waiting for someone to hit the $48K Buy it Now option.
How long do the Deal Tank auctions stay live?
@Sacto Mitch. LOL! I only know what I wrote. The Arizona company had an unbuilt body only Super Widebody (that I think they got from Greg) and decided not to build it. As far as I know, they sold it as is, but that's all I know. This all happened more than a year (possibly two) before they went belly up.
@Robert M posted:Yes and no. Brian sold the car in Feb. 2021 to Rotnroby who lived in Santa Barbara and now Rotnroby is selling it along. Brian painstakingly built that car piece by piece as only an OCD type computer engineer can do. It was an extremely well built car and efforts were taken to make it over the top well built.
Thanks @Robert M. I'm aware that Brian built the car and did an amazing job. My issue was with the seller seemingly trying to capitalize on the Vintage Motorcar craze by listing it as a Vintage Motorcar.......when I believe the body came from Vintage Speedsters. If I were to sell the car, I would have linked Brian's built posting on this forum.
Nice one here couldn't top $55K and went to the deal tank at 65. Deal to be had there.
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:Thanks @Robert M. I'm aware that Brian built the car and did an amazing job. My issue was with the seller seemingly trying to capitalize on the Vintage Motorcar craze by listing it as a Vintage Motorcar.......when I believe the body came from Vintage Speedsters. If I were to sell the car, I would have linked Brian's built posting on this forum.
I thought you forgot that Brian sold it. But I get where you're coming from. As you said he got it from Kirk to build. I would have linked it as well. So much good information in that post.
The Green car on PCar certainly was pretty! What this really comes down to is having a couple of interested parties, with fat wallets, who don’t want to wait two years to get a car. The bid value on the green car was not far off given it was the 1915 engine.
Even the dealers were bidding and then backed off at that price.
This VM with only 5,900 miles just sold @ $50,900:
Someone got a good deal.
I hope the guy who paid $83K for his doesn’t see it. 
@Troy Sloan posted:It didn't sell on PcarMarket and it's in their "deal tank"
It sold for $40K in the Deal Tank...