Post
by Moeregaard » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:22 pm
I'm with Christopher on this one. I've long suspected that shill bidding has become prevalent at auctions, just to increased the value of a particular brand, and to encourage panic buying by those who think they'll miss out if they wait. I also feel that the classic-car industry is enjoying another bubble, similar to the one we saw in the late 1980s, when skyrocketing Ferrari prices dragged everything else in the stratosphere, only to see a marketwide collapse a few years later. E-Types are not rare, so it won't take much for the supply to exceed the demand as more cars make their way back onto the road.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, the silver lining to all of this is that cars previously considered not worthy of restoration are coming out of the garages and back gardens, and being put back into circulation. The days of three cars going into the shop with only one coming out are probably behind us. The downside to this activity is that it brings out the less-than-reputable guys who perform bodged restorations to get cars into the marketplace as quickly as possible. We saw this in the late '80s, and quite a few people bought E-Types and other classics, only to find out later that they plunked down a large amount of cash for a collection of tinworms and body filler.
My crystal ball (which is usually clear as mud) tells me that buyers paying these massive sums for E-Types with no real provenance (no famous past owners, etc.) are going to be taking some significant haircuts in the next couple of years.
Mark (Moe) Shipley
Former owner '66FHC, #1E32208
Former owner '65FHC, #1E30036
Planning on getting E-Type No. 3 as soon as possible....