Spiel

FEBRUARY 2017 50 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia at the Mullin Museum. Photo by Mullin Museum. By using (+) or (-) gradations, the 8 point scale can actually be made into a 22 point scale. Endless debate could then ensue on whether a car is a 2- or a 3+, etc. For those who read Sports Car Market, they use a 5 point scale with (+) and (-), so some equivalence could be drawn between that scale and the one we propose in this article. For instance a "4" on our scale is probably more like a 3 or 3- on the 5 point scale. For those who use the Hagerty valuation tool, their 1 to 4 scale is similar to the first 4 steps on our 8 point scale. What about original versus restored cars? Today's market seems to show a clear and growing preference for preserved, original cars. If condition is equal, it is likely that the original car will sell for more (assuming it is an older, rare, collector-type vehicle). There is some logic in the sense that original cars in good condition are potentially rarer than the restored version. For example, a condition 2 Ferrari 275 GTB that is all original would likely sell for quite a bit more than the same car in a restored state. There have even been examples of lesser condition, original cars selling for substantially more than restored cars in much better condition. One of the best examples is the 1958 Porsche Speedster purchased by Jerry Seinfeld in 2015 at the Gooding Monterey auction. The Sports Car Market report created a bit of a dustup (or maybe just a difference of opinion) between the SCI reviewers and the new owner. The car sold for $583,000 even though it was a condition 4 car per SCI. On our 8 point scale, I would guess the condition was more like a 5 or 5-minus. However, the extreme originality and drivability of the car made it worth all the money to the purchaser. A big part of the argument is that restored Speedsters are now much more plentiful and available than a reasonably intact, drivable, completely unmolested original car. There will never be a perfect system for rating condition just as values can be difficult to predict. As in real estate, it takes a willing buyer and willing seller in an arms-length transaction to set the value on a given day. The wider, 8 point scale leaves more room for the current state of the collector car market which includes significant numbers of barn-finds and other wrecks that are, nonetheless, collectable. Also, at the upper end of the scale, we should recognize there can be fine degrees of excellence in condition among the best and most usable cars.

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