Well this is sort of OT for this board, but seeing the post about that Z28 Cross Ram on ebay that will probably go on a trailer queen that never gets driven, I thought I'd post this newspaper article from a Midwest paper: ==================================== Real estate developer buys $2 million vehicle By Dave Kolpack,The Forum Published Friday, September 24, 2004 Bill Wiemann recently paid millions of dollars for a rare muscle car, but that doesn't prevent him -- or some of his friends -- from driving it. The West Fargo real estate developer and construction company owner bought the 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible from an English car collector, reportedly for more than $2 million. Although the price raised some eyebrows, Wiemann isn't mothballing it in the garage. "He'll drive it to work," said Roger Gibson, the Scott City, Mo., mechanic who restored the car. "I take my hat off to him; he's kind of a cowboy. "He's having fun with his stuff," he said. The car is known for its beefy "Hemi" engine that recently made a comeback in pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Of the nine "Hemi Cuda" convertibles manufactured in 1971, the last year of production, Wiemann has the last one made. It's also the best one made, Gibson said. "With the production numbers so low, you have guys who have them and don't want to sell them," Gibson said. "That's the key to cars being worth that kind of money." Wiemann, 43, calls the car a "p***ion, not an investment" and said he has no plans to sell it, although he jokes about changing his cell phone number because of numerous calls from interested buyers. "If I sell it," he said, shaking his head, "then I'm just a broker." Some cl***ic car owners fear that the market is being inflated by investors who are acting as brokers, said Lynn Mickelson, of Colfax. "In talking with some investment bankers and financial people, the poor performance of the stock market over the last couple of years has had something to do with the prices," said Mickelson, who owns 15 cl***ic cars. "People have pulled their money out of stock funds and started investing in muscle cars and motorcycles." Wiemann's car is white with black billboards on the rear quarter panels that advertise Hemi. Gibson spent about 18 months restoring it, using parts that were never sold. "New old stock is what we call it," he said. Gibson said the car was in outstanding shape when he received it, with no rust. It had been repainted once, but all the panels were original. "It's almost a piece of Mopar history," Gibson said. Muscle cars were driven out of production in the early 1970s by an energy crisis and skyrocketing insurance premiums. "The price of gas went up to a quarter a gallon," Wiemann said. A native of Verona, Wiemann bought his first muscle car, a 1970 Dodge Charger, when he was 15. He owns several other cl***ic cars, including the first Hemi Cuda convertible ever made, in 1970. Wiemann said he wouldn't be surprised to put 4,000 miles on his newest purchase this year. "I don't think you'll find many owners who have driven their cars even 100 miles," Gibson said. "He's a car guy. Everybody says he's crazy, but let's face it, this stuff is about making you feel good." Said Mickelson, "I'm glad he's got it and not me. I would be worried sick about it."
That does not surprise me at all...as far as the price goes. They are so damn rare as it is and it being the last one is icing on the cake. I commend the rich fellow for driving it and not being a pansy when caring for it. Having these cars is all about driving and enjoying them after all, isn't it? If you have the money to burn to do that...more power to you. Greg
man, that's some serious balls... you're pretty much putting it in the hands of the other idiots on the road. It would be different if it's some new ferrari that can be replaced, but that's a pretty rare-***ed car. Just yesterday I saw some mint original 67 Olds 88 that was t-boned by a honda... pushed in the p***enger door to the console. It survived some 37 years before some dumb*** ran a stop sign...
[ QUOTE ] Can a $2,000,000 '32 be far behind? Or has that barrier already been broken? [/ QUOTE ] Not unless they made 7 32's and I'm pretty sure they made at least 8
i look at it this way, it's just a car. it's insured. yes if it get ****ed up on the scale of that carrier load of porsches's last week, it would be quite a loss, but remember, it's a car, meant to be driven. if it's worth two million, then it can be fixed from most any tragedy. the market on cars like this is getting to be it really doesn't matter any more if the car was a cherry stocker, or ressurected from the dead if it's THE car. few bother to leave em alone anymore anyway. i hope he puts a sticker on the bumper that says "drive it like you stole it"
Right on! Drive the piss out of it. If I had that kind of money, I'd throw some headers and a big 'ol cam in it with some Cragers and really piss off the purists. I don't understand why the people who can afford these types of cars never drive 'em. I say if you are too scared to drive it then sell it to someone who will.
Id like to be there when the joker pulls up alongside him and parks- gets out and throws their door into his.OUCH!
Milton Branson lives about 20 minutes from me--a couple years ago, his Hemi Cuda went for $1 Mill--the record at the time. He's got so many rare cars it's overwhelming--and they all drive. I watched them power shift an aluminum front-end Z-11 Chevy a couple months ago. He put his '69 ZL-1 Camaro in Year One's showroom for a while, too: and drove it over there. When the cars are that rare and expensive, it makes sense financially to restore/repair it if it's in an accident--even if it's totalled. If that Cuda fell off a cliff, the engine, fender tag, rear end tag, rear end center section (Dana--they'd have to replace the tubes, but the center of the housing would survive), Vin tag and the other body numbers would be the basis for a restoration, and it'd still be valuable. Zora Duntov was at an historic race one time and said "We only made 7 Gran Sport Corvettes--and all 9 of them are here." or whatever the actual numbers were. At that point, someone found a part of the original car on a s**** heap after a race and built a car around it. More power to them. Especially the guys with the big br*** balls that drive and enjoy them! -Brad
Hes from ND, theres only 3 months of the year he'll drive it, on roads where our biggest traffic jam is when you get caught behind a combine.
If you have two million dollars to spend on a car you have the money to fix it if it gets hammered. It's all relative. I like that he drives it. That makes me happy.
Hey that's not fair David Koresh's 1968 Camaro sold for 35,000 dollars yesterday to some dumb *** from here..Seriously.......
[ QUOTE ] man, that's some serious balls... you're pretty much putting it in the hands of the other idiots on the road. It would be different if it's some new ferrari that can be replaced, but that's a pretty rare-***ed car. Just yesterday I saw some mint original 67 Olds 88 that was t-boned by a honda... pushed in the p***enger door to the console. It survived some 37 years before some dumb*** ran a stop sign... [/ QUOTE ] You can bet the 67 didn't survive all those years with a driver that didn't pay attention. We all know these jerks are out there and have to drive accordingly. If everyone would spend a couple years riding a motorcycle they would learn to drive like they were invisible and watch everyone like they were out to kill you.
It makes me feel good that he's gonna drive it. Hell if I had the money I'd drive all kinds of rare ****...
[ QUOTE ] ITS ONLY A PIECE OF ****IN STEEL! DRIVE IT!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] BBAAAHHH!! I couldn't agree more! ...plus it's a ****in mopar!
Willowbilly.. you are so right.. I had 2 REALLY close calls yesterday in the Imperial, full lock on all 4 wheels screeching to a halt.. I didn't hit anyone becuase I was really paying attention, and drive like I'm invisible, just like when I ride my bike. Oh yeah, I love that that guy drives his Cuda.. that's cool!
I could have been a goldchainer if I had bought that hemi cuda that was for sell here in my hometown in 1972 when the gas prices shot up and everybody was unloading the gas hogs! But, in the early seventys I couldn't afford rent and beer! The car belonged to a neighbor and he let a local guy take up payments,,,,,,,,,he bought a 55 chevy!HRP
Whitney Houston put that much up her nose.. Atleast he has something to show for it! I'd drive that muthaf@#$er like it was my last day living! Dirty
[ QUOTE ] Whitney Houston put that much up her nose.. Atleast he has something to show for it! I'd drive that muthaf@#$er like it was my last day living! Dirty [/ QUOTE ] LOL!!! That's a good point.
hey,you paid for it,drive it.it's a car with wheels..if you wanted to pay 2 million for somethin that doesnt move,get a piece of furniture or somethin! creepy
had a custy shelled out best part of half a mill over 15 years restoring a rolls silver ghost started life as a rotted out ch***is - drove the **** off it for a couplke of months and then sold it for a million - thought it needed red wheels and whitewalls - - if ya own drive it
As several people have pointed out, a real top end $$$$ car like this may be the safest collector car to drive financially. There's nothing you could do to the thing short of dissolving it in acid that would render it unrestorable for far less than 2 million, and as for general wear&tear, the cost of taking it apart and redoing paint and soft parts every few years is peanuts at this level of value. It's people with cars that are worth $20,000 that have to worry about destruction beyond car value or real insurance coverage.
This is what I like about hot rods (and I'm using the term generally, not just '23-'48 Fords) is that you can build whatever you like, to drive, and never feel bad about it. In fact, after about 1949, if I were to build a car it would look largely stock, cosmetically, and have as much later-model high performance as possible. I don't know what production figures were on '71 non-Hemi 'Cuda convertibles, but you could still get a cheaper one, a crate Hemi and ***orted other heavy-duty parts (Like maybe a six-speed from a Viper and not necessarily Chrysler parts... like a Ford 9"?) and have a car that was as nostalgic and fun to drive without the worries and headaches of owning something that was one of seven originals. That being said, the guy rocks for actually using his collector car. After all, they are still cars, right?
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