A.C.,
Thanks for your excellent report on the GT. You obviously went to a great deal
of trouble to inspect it and record the results. It sounds like you have found
the genuine article which, to the best of my knowledge, is a car that has not
been previously documented in the Tiger registry.
The car sounds fairly original, except for things like the chrome piece with
the Ford emblem, the steering wheel, shift knob, and air cleaner (probably the
E.C. 1 "missing LAT option" unit), hood scoop, etc. Of course, the color
should be green. On a true GT the hardtop would be the same as the body
color, and the interior would be black (very similar to a Mk IA) with a thick
padded cushion in the jump seat area. There would also be a mirror-mounted
interior light with small electrical switches protruding through one hinge
bolt on each door. The short shifter is also correct.
Despite the fact that the GTs are among the rarest of Tigers, it is
interesting that that doesn't really seem to affect their market value.
Rather, like most other Tigers, price depends mostly on condition and
originality, with emphasis on the later in the case of a GT. I suppose that is
because lacking originality, a GT is missing the very features which make it
unique, so it becomes "just another Tiger." The rust hole in the trunk sounds
rather ominous, and I would think that a very thorough inspection for rust
throughout the entire car would be in order. But assuming that the body is
sound, and based on your description of the car, it may be possible that #212
is worth something close to the asking price of $13.5K.
I assume you will be talking to Norm Miller about your findings. It is
exactly the kind of information he needs to ensure that TIROST remains a
valuable tool for the Tiger community. Regardless of what happens to the car,
it would be cool if you could keep track of it so that its whereabouts remain
known.
You probably won't be reading this until after the onslaught by Hurricane
Georges. According to my newspaper this morning (Sunday), you have an
announcer there named Bob Namer at radio station WTIX who advised all you N.O.
residents last night to "Get out of Dodge!" Sounds like good advice to me.
And don't forget that laptop computer!
Dick Barker
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