Tom’s Take: Drive Them… Garage Queens be Damned

Tom’s Take: Drive Them… Garage Queens be Damned
Story And Images By: Tom Stahler

(Scottsdale, AZ) While conversing on the auction block at Russo and Steele Auctions with longtime friend and associate, Darin Roberge, our conversation moved to the value of extreme low mile cars. A late model Ford GT was crossing the block. It was a nice car and had a whooping 3500 miles on the clock.

“That wont do as well,” said Darin.

 “Seriously?” I retorted.

This led to a conversation on the value of a special-interest car that has eighteen miles on it versus the same car with 3500. It irked me a bit. While I have a general appreciation in the used car market for a lower-milage vehicle, the collector car market seems to have even greater impact. That said, while I do not own six to eight-figure priced cars, even if I did, I would still drive them. Cars were meant to be driven. Period.

While on the topic, consider a highly collectible flame-top 1957 Gibson Les Paul guitar. Aside from its stunning shape and beautiful woodgrains, it does no one any good sitting behind glass. Ok, a temperature controlled environment is good for the seventy year old wood, however, just sitting behind the glass as hanging art, not hearing the marvelous tone and sustain of such an instrument, the true artistry is lost on the human experience.

The same goes for cars. Sitting static in a museum or a garage loses more than half of the intended experience. Sure, it’s beautiful to look at, but without hearing the motor, and feeling the momentum and forces of movement, it is merely another intimate object. It reminds me of a dog that is just left in a courtyard — and let’s face it, that’s abuse! Cars need to live and breathe, consume, and thrill the occupants.

When I go to car shows, auctions, races, and many other automotive events, it is marvelous to look at a “10-point” car that is fully restored, like new… However what really turns me on is patina! Yes, scratches, dents, subtle revealing marks that previous owners actually enjoyed — and drove — the car. Survivors are clearly more interesting than the run of the mill, gazzillion-dollar restorations. But hey, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong…

That is what I like about attending and driving in events like historic races. You hear, feel and smell the cars — not just look at them behind velvet ropes. Consider that one of the few events at Laguna Seca without noise restrictions is the Rolex Reunion (formerly the Monterey Historics). It is here that you can not only stroll the paddock to see so many radical designs, but hear them, watch them flash by in motion, watch a driver try to keep it on the road (right Adam Corolla?).

I feel sad for great cars that just sit in garages to be the centerpiece of cocktail hours. I can only imagine the faint heartbeat slowly leaving these beautiful beasts — that perk up when the garage light comes on, only to be disappointed as the owner stokes it and never drives it. As for the aforementioned Ford GT, which in my opinion handles like a brick, despite the beautiful design by my friend Camillo Pardo, probably begs to be driven… To be thrown into a corner … To be revved to the limiter… It really does not hurt them — they were built to drive.

Sadly this is the difference between an enthusiast and an investor. In the last 10 years, whole hedge-funds have been created around classic and collectible cars — cars that are not driven one meter. God bless guys like Pink Floyd drummer, Nick Mason and guitarist extraordinaire Mark Knopfler who race their Ferrari 250GT SWB and Maserati 300S, respectively, despite their “priceless” price tags. Consider also Rob Walton, heir to the Wal-Mart fortune, who races numerous rare cars, including an E-Type Lightweight, that he crashed — and subsequently repaired — during the Rolex Reunion at Laguna Seca. There exist only six such E-Type lightweight race cars in the world.

Another wonderful enthusiast is Jay Leno. He’s got a lot of cars. It takes a while to tour his collection. But the casual observer will see that every single car has updated tags and a trickle charger attached so each can be fired and driven at a moment’s click of the ignition. He continues to thrill guests by taking them for rides in everything from early Twentieth-Century Steam-powered cars to Dusenbergs and Bugattis to the latest and greatest McLarens. Considering the guy has a full time staff of eight in the hidden bunker, the cars all start and they all go…

Not long ago, my daughters and I adopted a wonderful rescue dog. He was originally a stray — in the dangerous South Central Los Angeles region. He was lovingly rescued by a big-hearted woman who fostered the dog until our family met and fell in love with him. Do you think we just put him in the back yard to pasture? Hell No! He is the center of attention and has become a key member of the family. That same passion should go to the living, fire-breathing cars that find their way to new homes in collector car auctions. Sure, they are investments — as long as the market and economy stay solid, but damnit, enjoy them! They want, beg, to be driven.

Listen to the anthem, called Red Barchetta, by the Canadian progressive rock band, RUSH. A story of a young man who visits his uncle’s farm and gets to drive a classic. That is what the culture and passion for the automobile is all about:

I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta
From a better vanished time
I fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel
I commit my weekly crime

I am certain, some hedge-fund manager in New York will disagree with my premise. However, the beauty that is automotive art is meant to be enjoyed in the ethereal artwork that includes sight, sound, feel and noise.




TAGS: Scottsdale Auctions, Russo and Steele, Barrett-Jackson, RM Auctions, Tom's Take