Their not collectible.....Their just weird....

I love getting photos and emails from people railing on and on about their ultra-rare car that's worth a zillion dollars, when in reality it's not worth what a "Regular" car of the same model is. Here's a few examples that left me shaking my head. #1. 1966 Corvette. I can't even believe that Chevrolet offered this combination-but they did. This guy had a 390 hp 427 Corvette with a Two-Speed Powerglide automatic. Why? if you got a 396 or 427 in an Impala and wanted an automatic-you got the excellent TH400. Yet in a 'Vette-you couldn't get a TH400 until 1968. Obviously performance was not nearly as good as a 4-speed model. Now granted-any 427 Stingray is worth major bucks, but this guy was saying he thought he could sell it for $250,000!!!  Welcome to Fantasy Island. Especially when RK Motors-a huge dealer of classic cars in North Carolina is selling a frame off restored 435hp 427 tri-power 4-speed convertible for $74,000!!!. They also have a 400 hp tri-power 427 4-speed model selling for $69,000. Now that's out of my pocketbook's range-but if you want a big-block Stingray and have the finances-check the internet and Hemmings-you can find a ton of them for $50,000. Even L88's-will top 100k sometimes but this guy's on glue if thinks someone will pay a quarter-million for a 'Vette with a "Powerslide" behind a rat motor!!  #2. 1970 Firebird Formula 400. This one was ordered by an idiot who the salesman couldn't convince to buy a 350 base model. Apparently the guy HAD to have the scooped hood which was only available on a Formula 400. And he was either,cheap, broke, or stupid-I think all three. Here's why-yes it's a Formula 400 with the 330 hp L78 400. But it's a three-speed stick with no console, no a/c, no guages,and no radio. It doesn't even have Rally II wheels-it has black steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps-which were standard. This car doesn't have a single option. Now you could say maybe the guy wanted a light, bare bones racer. I would buy that if it had a 4-speed or a TH400 and guages and a tach. If you were going to race it on the street or the track a 4-speed or a TH400 is a better choice than a 3-speed. And you'd definitely want a tach so you'd know when to shift. And even if you bought the car cheap-why wouldn't he have put an aftermarket tach on the steering column? And why wouldn't you ditch the ugly steel wheels for some Rally II's or maybe Cragar S/S's or Center Lines or something period -correct? Apparently this guy bought it from the original owner. He says he won't sell it even for 100 grand. That's good-because no one's going to be offering that-especially when Trans-Am Specialties of Florida-is advertising a pristine, loaded, numbers-matching SD-455 Trans-Am that was owned by Actress Christina Ricci for $54,000!!! They also have a restored 1971 455HO 4-speed Trans-Am for $43,000. They also have a 1979 400, 4-speed, WS6, T-Topped Gold SE T/A with 44,000 original miles for $26,500!!!, and a 1979 WS6 Formula with a 403 / Th350 combo with 33,000 original miles for $19,000. So I don't think any one's going to be beating down this guy's door to give him 100K for a three-speed Firebird with no options whatsoever-not even a tach or an AM radio!!!  # 3. 1972 Olds 442. I met this goofball at Hot August Nights a couple years ago. He looked at my Hurst / Olds and said "Come with me, you need to see MY Olds." He was obviously implying that his was cooler than mine-so I'm thinking it has to be a '68 or '69 Hurst / Olds, or maybe a 4-speed, W30 1970 model, or a convertible '65 model. No, he shows me this 1972 442 with a 2bbl 350,a column-shifted automatic,and bench front seats. Now if you don't know-the 442 was a separate model from 1965-71 and always had a 400 or 455 V8 standard. In '72 it reverted back to being an option on the Cutlass. So you could get a mean-looking machine with a 160 hp 350 with a 2bbl!! When I asked him why he hadn't at least put a 4bbl carb and intake on it-he'd have way more power and probably better gas mileage-he sneered-"You don't compromise the value of a rare car like this by modifying it." Then he said he'd sell it if someone offered him $50,000. When I pointed out that a 1971 442 with a 455 and a 4-speed sold for $32,000, and a 1970 4-speed,Rallye 350 went for $29,000, at that years HAN auction-and that perhaps he was a tad overpriced,he sneered-"Those cars arent' as rare as mine." I walked away-citing Murphy's law-"Never argue with an idiot because people might not know the difference." Honestly-simply because it was a rust-free 442 body he might be able to get ten grand for it from someone who wanted to swap in a 455 or maybe make a Hurst / Olds clone. But no one's going to pay 50K for a '72 Cutlass with bench seats, a column shifted automatic and a 350 with a two-barrel!!! Not when 25K will buy a 400 or 455 '68-70 model in any state in the union. Here's your sign. #4. 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am. This one should probably be number one. I met this clown at HAN last year. I was looking at a line of T/A's and GTOs and other Pontiacs when he offered to show me his "One of a Kind" '79 T/A. Again-I'm thinking it must be a 400-4-speed 10th anniversary model with a rear console-or maybe a "Macho T/A" with a Doug Nash 5-speed or an H/O racing specialties Turbo. No this was a 301 engined model-for a $150 credit that year instead of a 400 Pontiac or a 403 Olds which were the standard engines you got a 301 that wheezed out 150 hp. In addition he was proud of the fact that it was taxicab yellow, with a red velour interior. Yuk. I asked-obviously this car was red, black or white originally- the only colors offered with a red interior-why would you paint it yellow? Oh-no-he said-This combination was special-ordered through the District office-the guy he bought it from said he had to put down a $2,000 non-refundable deposit and wait 10 weeks for it because the dealer and the Pontiac brass said that wasn't an allowed color combination-and that the car would be hard to sell if he didn't buy it-especially with the step-down engine-no tire-smoking 400 incher-they wouldn't be able to give it away. Pontiac basically refused to build the car. Then the idiot paid the whole sticker price in cash and agreed to wait 12 weeks for it. Having the full price in hand, the dealer relented and called the regional Vice President and got the car built. The guy was so proud of that story. Yeah-that's what every Pontiac enthusiast wants-a yellow Trans-Am with red interior and a 150 hp engine. Sorry to break the news to you guys-but two-barrel step-down engines,two-speed automatics,three-speed sticks,column-shifted bucket seat cars,4-speed bench seat cars,radio and heater-delete cars, aren't collectible, their just weird. As we used to say in the car business- there's an ass for every seat. But don't try to make me drink the kool-aid on how "Valuable" some freak option combination is. Mastermind