In less than five weeks we’re off to Arizona for the Barrett-Jackson auction. In less than six weeks this car will be on the block:
From Barrett-Jackson’s website is a photo of a car that REALLY grabs my attention. (I’m surprised I could capture the photo.) OK, I have been imagining a 1967 convertible (this is a 1965 coupe) with an auxiliary hardtop reinforced with carbon fiber, but as I have written before I live in the real world.
If the description is accurate, and unfortunately they are not always accurate, this car checks almost all of the other boxes and is being sold at no reserve. It has larger wheels than stock to accommodate larger tires, but they’re only 17-inch wheels, which is close to the size I want. (I want my restomod to have 17-inch front wheels and 18-inch rear.) The car has a modern LS3 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission (6L80E?).
The most important asset this car has is that it’s ready right now and not 18 months from now. If it could be acquired at 40%-60% of the cost of a restomod build then it will be quite tempting to bid. I could always spend a little extra money to tweak the car.
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William C. Durant was born on this day in 1861. It was Durant who founded General Motors (or co-founded depending on the source) and who also founded Chevrolet, the company that would one day make the Corvette that occupies my brain (or what’s left of it depending on the source).
It is not my intent to write a mini-biography of Durant here or even a mini-mini biography. Suffice to say that Durant had great imagination, but lacked the ability to manage a large enterprise like GM. He formed the company (as the General Motors Holding Company) in 1908 after having acquired control of Buick in 1904. Durant was ousted from GM in 1910 after overextending the company through his many purchases, such as Cadillac and Oldsmobile. Durant founded Chevrolet in 1911, secretly began purchasing GM stock, regained control of the company in a proxy fight in 1916 and was ousted for the second and last time in 1920.
He formed his own company, Durant Motors, in 1921. As with GM, Durant eventually acquired various makes in an attempt to serve much of the automobile market. Durant Motors could never achieve the success of GM and the Great Depression sunk the company.
In my opinion today’s society suffers from a horrendous case of temporal arrogance; that is, many people seem to think that if something didn’t happen during their lifetime then it can’t be important. William Durant’s life was very important, period.
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
I think some decline is inevitable as some want the latest and greatest, but you are also dealing with Holiday seasons and people have other areas of spending time. Write for what and why YOU want….people who understand and/or like it will continue to read on. Myself, I bid pro-sports pretty much adios a long time ago when “the business” overtook the love of the game. I follow some but not many any more. But I understand your references.
I believe you know my thoughts on building versus buying….BJ is probably the worst auction house to buy, so keep an eye on the proverbial prize as many “insiders” know you can make a better deal out in the tent area than across the block. Proces at Mecum seem much more buyer friendly. Be careful about getting “caught up in buyer frenzy” when at any auction!
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Many thanks, Steve. I respect your opinions and they will factor in my decision. As I wrote I expect the price to climb way beyond my comfort zone.
I am very good at sticking to a priori guidelines. I would relay a story about negotiating a contract for a player coming off a career year, but maybe some other time.
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