collectible
In today's market, its very hard to tell what's going to be a collectible, because corporations such as GM, Ford and Chrysler live on the legends of the past collectibles. Look how they came back with the styling of the Thunderbird. They use marketing strategies based on the performance and styling of their old products, and create a bigger market for the cars and increased production. So naturally, there are more Corvette Coupes and verts, so it stands to reason that the hardtop being the first in a series in '99 and dropped after '00, may be one of these oddities.
I would say in today's time, its very hard to determine what is going to be a collectible. In 1990 they were speculating with the ZR1, and people paid over MSRP. It created a false market for that car. That was good marketing. They did give you something different, knowing it would be a collectible in years to come. The people that bought the ZR1 and were able to afford them, and some took a big hit, didn't want to tie their money up and wait around for it to become a classic. So, after paying $67,000, getting their enjoyment out of it, they knew when to take the hit and got out of it for $30,000. The ones that will benefit will probably be the second owners, who were probably more enthusiastic about the car, but couldn't afford it at the time, and will keep it for posterity, and drive the price up, while some are still being raced and destroyed, decreasing the numbers available of pure, mint, stock Z's.
On the other hand, it's the ones that are beat up, that will stimulate the collectibility of them even more, because people will want to buy them at the right price, looking to restore them, and therefore, creating another market.
I believe the first sentence of your last paragraph may be closer to the truth then your second sentence, because I have seen this happen before, and the collectibles are usually the models that were the beginning of a series, and usually dropped a year or two later from the line, like the '57 TBird. It lasted only three years. I feel the same about the hardtop, even though the Z06 is the same body style, the hardtop has a certain history behind it, and it was the first in a series. Who would ever think the '59 Cadillac would ever evolve the way it did as an icon for Cadillac. Back then people would say that it was the ugliest car that Cadillac ever built.
Granted with the hardtop, it really can't be predicted for certain that it will become a collectible, however, it certainly has some characteristics that would be considered collectible potential, based on past scenerios. Also, being our market has opened globally, you will see a lot happening, that you may not have seen before.
And, who said you can't drive and enjoy a car, even if it is a collectible. Maybe with a Duesenberg or Packard, it would be different, because those cars are like a precious diamond in our automobile history. And, have you ever seen some of these restored cars? They are better than factory, if done right. I could tear my hardtop apart now, and restore that body, and paintwork, much better than what the factory has given me. So enjoying the car, getting a few scratches and nicks, doesn't really take away from collectibility. Yes, granted, if you have a collectible thats been stored and mint, it would bring more money than a restored one, but I still would buy a restored gull winged Mercedes, for a good number, opposed to one that is all original, unless the original one was the same price. So, there is still a collectible market for those with less money to spend. There's a lot more to collectibles than meets the eye. There are a lot of factors involved. There are different markets for collectibles in cars.
One is the manufacturer limiting production to control price and feel the market. Another would be the collectors, like Reggie Jackson and Jay Leno, buying them and then auctioning them off at a higher price as a signature car that they owned. Then there's the person who is not a collector that has enough money not to care what he pays for the car that he wants, and naturally this will drive the price up eventually. And, lastly, there's the average person who buys a car that doesn't depreciate as others do, and it keeps pace with the economy and market. That's what is characteristic of the Corvette. So you might want to say that all Corvettes are a collectible in a sense, as they don't depreciate as fast as other cars, and then usually turn around 20 years later and appreciate in price. Then you'll get a few that may stand out as collectibles amongst the rest like your GTO, 442, Roadrunner, Cuda and so on.
If I had invested $5,000 in the right portfolio back in 1967, I would have had a lot more money, then what a nice '67 L88 would have brought today. But, would I have the car and enjoyment for all those years? No. So it's not all about money. Like you said yourself, you get into your car and it makes your day. I enjoy driving my hardtop, and I enjoy feeling that it IS something different. Remember, its what's in your heart that makes you feel good. And, when you buy a Corvette, you are buying something with a lot of history behind it, otherwise, we wouldn't be here, would we?
