I would call this “dreaming.”
Thats what I thought until looking at Hemmings and most 57 Chevys customized are around the 100K mark. The new frame alone on this one was $25K. I can’t imagine what the body shop bill was for the rotisserie body and paint work. The engine and trans were brand new off a Caddy that overturned coming off the transport. So adds up in a hurry.
The costs add up. But what he could sell it for, well, asking prices can have little to do with market value. Of course, two bidders with a few drinks in them at Barret-Jackson may be just what he needs!
The $180K was just what the insurance company put the value at like a baseball card collection I suppose. Might be struggle though getting that out of them if the car was destroyed. My limit would be more like $5000 for a collector car.
Thank you. I was trying to remember the Pontiac dealer that was famous for race tuning. The Car and Driver GTO also had soft compound rear tires that looked like factory stock. C&D testers were amazed by the 4.5 second 0 to 60 time when they should have been highly skeptical.
GM has been famous for supplying cars for road tests that had been modified to make them better than the ones they actually sold. Car and Driver has been duped 3 times that I have read about, ’
The second one was a Chevy Citation and the third was a Chevy Cobalt. On both cars the spot welds on the unibody seams had been replaced with full seam welding making the cars stronger, quieter, more rigid and better handling.
One of the road testers of the Cobalt rented one at an airport and was surprised at how flimsy it seemed compaired to the one he drove for the magazine.
When their magazine’s income depends on keeping their advertisers happy, their official policy is to not investigate questionable performance figures. In other words…Keep your mouths shut, guys, so we can keep those ad dollars rolling in.
Exactly. And the GTO test was late 1963 or early 1964. The current money/power of advertising is incomprehensible. Vehicles, insurance, pharmaceuticals, fast food, and many others. “Idiocracy” is unfortunately not five centuries in the future.