By David993S - Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:01 pm
- Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:01 pm
#132436
Have you (hopefully not) or someone one you know ever taken an otherwise decent car and completely bastardized it? If so, what's the story? Doesn't have to be a Porsche.......messing up any kind of sports / collector/ classic car will do.
I'll start:
We have a friend (the wife now widowed) who owned a very successful machine tool business. Made them fairly wealthy. The husband was a hot rod guy, not a sports car guy. A number of years ago, he bought a '69 Jag E-Type 2+2. White, steel wheels w/hubcaps, automatic.........certainly not the most desirable E-Type but a Jag none-the-less and it was in nice shape, ran well, etc.
He wanted to "hot rod" it. I advised him not to customize it into a hot rod and just spend a little to refurbish it and keep it stock. I even told him if he did that, I would buy it when he was ready to sell. But he didn't listen. He spent approx. $120K (money was no object for them) to modify the body, put in a Ford 302, mag wheels, customized interior (which was hideous), etc. etc. In other words, he took a decent Jag and ruined it. After the husband passed, the wife started liquidating his collection including the Jag. She started advertising it for somewhere around $50k - no takers. $40K - no takers. $35K - no takers. $25K - no takers. I told her the problem was Jag people don't want a hot rod, and hot rod people don't want a Jag. Eventually she sold it for $18K. A $100K+ loss.
What stories do you have?
I'll start:
We have a friend (the wife now widowed) who owned a very successful machine tool business. Made them fairly wealthy. The husband was a hot rod guy, not a sports car guy. A number of years ago, he bought a '69 Jag E-Type 2+2. White, steel wheels w/hubcaps, automatic.........certainly not the most desirable E-Type but a Jag none-the-less and it was in nice shape, ran well, etc.
He wanted to "hot rod" it. I advised him not to customize it into a hot rod and just spend a little to refurbish it and keep it stock. I even told him if he did that, I would buy it when he was ready to sell. But he didn't listen. He spent approx. $120K (money was no object for them) to modify the body, put in a Ford 302, mag wheels, customized interior (which was hideous), etc. etc. In other words, he took a decent Jag and ruined it. After the husband passed, the wife started liquidating his collection including the Jag. She started advertising it for somewhere around $50k - no takers. $40K - no takers. $35K - no takers. $25K - no takers. I told her the problem was Jag people don't want a hot rod, and hot rod people don't want a Jag. Eventually she sold it for $18K. A $100K+ loss.
What stories do you have?