Couple comments FWIW--
Kurt Tanner told me on one of his shop tours that his buyers are not Healey
people per se. They are people who have a lot of money and want a Healey
which either their dad owned when they were a kid or they owned back in
college.
I believe that to these buyers the difference between $70k and $150k is
about the difference between a burger and a double burger to the rest of us.
There's a fellow in our local Healey club who has a very nice BT7 which has
done well in concours which is absolutely original, right down to the
painted 60-spokers and the satin patina of its paint. He says Donald Healey
said such and such about his car, etc. Since he's in his 70s and grew up
with the car, he's very involved with the history of the marque. I think all
that's interesting, but in an academic sense. I find the car a bit dull.
I'm convinced that to a younger set of buyers none of this matters a damn
and they'd just as soon have a little bling without messing up the overall
impact of the car. And if they have your actual folding money they'll pay
for the Tanner because it's a turn key deal--like buying a new car built to
a very high standard.
There was a similar situation a few years ago where an absolutely gorgeous
XK-140 brought $130k (if memory serves ) which was a way-high price at the
time. Automobile Magazine's coverage referred to the car as having "a
non-standard color and tremendous curb appeal". Seems like the same
situation with Tanner's cars.
The whole concours vs auction thing is apples to oranges.
--
Steve Gerow
Pasadena CA
59 BN6
|