96 GTS out of Wellborn collection up for auction will set the market

[TAXIMAN1]

Wow, that must have been one very special 1996 Corvette !

lol. that's what I was thinking. a 96 corvette is worth about 8-10k.. 20-25% of its original msrp. Grand sport is an exception, but even those aren't worth what they were new.

 

[Free2go]

Wow, that must have been one very special 1996 Corvette !

 

[GRANGER73]

Actually was a 1970 ZR1 convertible and a1972 ZR1 coupe sold in 88 and 89.

 

[mclarengts]

It looks like it will sell on the 23rd

 

[Matt Houston]

More info and lot number can be found here.

 

[Slug]

Sold $55,000 including buyers fee. 96 GTS is not going to get any cheaper than right now.

 

[Free2go]

The first year I had my car, I went to a lot of car shows. Not so much anymore. What I found interesting at the car shows though was what the average Joe thought my car was worth. People would ask me "what did you pay for it"? I would always just say "what would you guess I paid for it?" 99% of people always guessed $75k or more. I firmly believe that the Viper community is the Vipers worst enemy. The Viper will go up in value if we have a massive VOI at Jonestown........

 

[Darth Menace]

good to see. I know auctions get more than normal life, but I like seeing this

 

[Caesar!]

$55,000 Good!
Lets face it guys...They aint getting any cheaper and they are simply the Coolest And Meanest Baddest looking cars around!!!

 

[agentf1]

$55,000 Good!
Lets face it guys...They aint getting any cheaper and they are simply the Coolest And Meanest Baddest looking cars around!!!

The first year I had my car, I went to a lot of car shows. Not so much anymore. What I found interesting at the car shows though was what the average Joe thought my car was worth. People would ask me "what did you pay for it"? I would always just say "what would you guess I paid for it?" 99% of people always guessed $75k or more. I firmly believe that the Viper community is the Vipers worst enemy. The Viper will go up in value if we have a massive VOI at Jonestown........

SO TRUE on both accounts. I know when I looked for either a Sapphire/Silver or Graphite/Silver car like 8 years ago nice examples were SOOOO hard to find. I cannot imagine they are getting any easier to find today.

 

[DaJerseyViper]

In my opinion the auction scene is filled with rich guys looking to buy cars without doing any leg work. The car rolls up on the block, they see it, they buy it for an inflated price. To me the thrill of the buying process was the "hunt" and then the "negotiation"...I looked as quite a few and made offers on 3. The 2 people that overvalued their cars or wanted to play games, still have them up for sale a year later.

Also keep in mind, just because a car is at auction does not mean it is top notch... Im glad the car brought $55k but the idea of buying a car back in 1996 for $90,000 and letting it sit in a garage for over 2 decades with only a few hundred miles on it, then selling it for a $35K loss, without having the pleasure of enjoying the car for all that time, is just pure insanity.. How do you own a car as bad ass as the Viper and NOT drive it for 20 years? Talk about self control or insanity..

 

[46hemi]

Ask the guy who sold his 71Hemi Challenger with less than 2k miles on it at Mecum last week. ☺.

 

[DaJerseyViper]

Ask the guy who sold his 71Hemi Challenger with less than 2k miles on it at Mecum last week. ☺.

How much? Im sure he made money on it. That viper lost 45% of its retail value..Not worth keeping it for 20 years and not driving the darn thing...

 

[46hemi]

The car sold for $640k (plus buyers premium). He was the original owner and it has some 1800 miles on it. The good cars are bringing good money, the difference is the ***** ones are not doing crazy numbers like they were...a lot like housing I suppose.

 

[Caesar!]

I Bought my 1970 Dodge Challenger RT.. U code 440 Magnum car Plum Crazy purple back in 1990 for $4000
Hardly A rise in price since 1970...I sold it in 1993.. for $5000 after dumping 10g into it..they started skyrocketing in price in late 90's 2000
And I couldnt sleep after that...
Then in 2011 I bought a 71 Challenger White and Paid much much more

The reality is...The Viper GTS is on a cusp of rising and quite possibly if you dont own one now you might never have a chance to own one again if the prices start rising out of reach..

Once Carol Shelby passed I said thats it...Im getting one...
The Viper GTS is ....Truly is an American icon of Muscle and Supercar all in one!!!.

 

[Sybil TF]

In my opinion the auction scene is filled with rich guys looking to buy cars without doing any leg work. The car rolls up on the block, they see it, they buy it for an inflated price.

What you don't see and I was surprised to find out from a car collector is the number of people who buy back their own car from fear of losing it to a low price. Wonder why B.J. brought back the reserve?

 

[steve e]

What you don't see and I was surprised to find out from a car collector is the number of people who buy back their own car from fear of losing it to a low price. Wonder why B.J. brought back the reserve?

Wow, I never thought of that, makes sense.

 

[DaJerseyViper]

The car sold for $640k (plus buyers premium). He was the original owner and it has some 1800 miles on it. The good cars are bringing good money, the difference is the ***** ones are not doing crazy numbers like they were...a lot like housing I suppose.

Now THAT is an investment car..Considering he probably paid no more than $6400 for it brand new..100xs profit!!!

 

[DaJerseyViper]

Im not anti GTS but In my uneducated opinion and that's all it is, I have no factual basis to back this up, But I think the 1st and 2nd gen RT10's will demand more money in the collector car scene down the road than your average GTS, only for the following reasons:

1) they embody what the viper is and was designed to be, an open air roadster reminiscent of the Shelby Cobra.

2) they were produced in less quantities than the GTS

The GTS's bring a slightly higher premium right now, but I think roles will reverse over the next 10 years or so. Also every other viper I have ever seen on the road has been a GTS blue and white. Besides mine I have never seen a viper in my neck of the woods..(well with the exception of a few 3rd gen vipers, but I dont even consider them real vipers with their ugly convertible top..They look more like an S2000 on steroids..Sorry if I offend anyone..)

 

[Sybil TF]

Wow, I never thought of that, makes sense.

It was enough to make them bring back the reserve like some other competing auctions.

 

[Free2go]

Besides mine I have never seen a viper in my neck of the woods..(well with the exception of a few 3rd gen vipers, but I dont even consider them real vipers with their ugly convertible top..They look more like an S2000 on steroids..Sorry if I offend anyone..)

Your opinions are impressively inflammatory yet subtle and palatable...tastefully adding flavor like shaved truffles on a steak.

 

[GRANGER73]

It was enough to make them bring back the reserve like some other competing auctions.

Tough call. If you buy it back you have both buyer and seller fees plus both coming and going expenses. At least BJ makes something on the car when seller buys it back. BJ makes nothing on a reserved car if it doesn't sell. The NR sellers are really "market testers".

 

[2001-V10 Power Nut]

There was a 2013 GTS, all black, that sold at this auction, it sold for $82,500 plus the Mecum premium, either 5 or 8%

 

[treed]

Interesting discussion for sure... one thing I often think about regarding Viper collectibility, is the following:

Are there enough Viper enthusiasts to actually drive up the values of these cars?

I recently read a good article on collector cars where they were emphasizing that rarity does not always equate to value. If you look at the prices of the chrome bumper Vette's, its crazy, especially considering there have been over 1 million Corvette's built. There is just a huge Corvette following that makes the demand out weigh the supply and keeps the prices high. There has never been a affordable "base" model Viper to build up that base level following, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what this does to the collectibility over time. Another thing to keep in mind with many of the super high priced collectible Corvettes, it's typically driven by rarity of engine options. An LT-1 Corvette will always pull way more money than a base model for example and a 4-speed will always pull more money than an automatic. This has become an industry in and of itself, stamping Corvette drive trains to falsely appear "rare", recreating false documentation and on and on.

I believe this will cause some challenges for the Viper. All generations came with the same exact engine for that generation. All vipers were built with manual transmissions. ACR's have upgraded components, but still, the same 10 cylinder engine and same transmission. Most "rare" vipers are simply rare paint schemes. Even the 1998 GT2 has some cosmetic differences and smooth tubes, but the same basic drive train as other 1998 Vipers. I'm not saying that Vipers won't become collectible, as only time will tell. Just suggesting there are some potentially limiting factors that may keep them from being as interesting to collectors as some of the Corvettes are, for example.

 

[DaJerseyViper]

Interesting discussion for sure... one thing I often think about regarding Viper collectibility, is the following:

Are there enough Viper enthusiasts to actually drive up the values of these cars?

I recently read a good article on collector cars where they were emphasizing that rarity does not always equate to value. If you look at the prices of the chrome bumper Vette's, its crazy, especially considering there have been over 1 million Corvette's built. There is just a huge Corvette following that makes the demand out weigh the supply and keeps the prices high. There has never been a affordable "base" model Viper to build up that base level following, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what this does to the collectibility over time. Another thing to keep in mind with many of the super high priced collectible Corvettes, it's typically driven by rarity of engine options. An LT-1 Corvette will always pull way more money than a base model for example and a 4-speed will always pull more money than an automatic. This has become an industry in and of itself, stamping Corvette drive trains to falsely appear "rare", recreating false documentation and on and on.

I believe this will cause some challenges for the Viper. All generations came with the same exact engine for that generation. All vipers were built with manual transmissions. ACR's have upgraded components, but still, the same 10 cylinder engine and same transmission. Most "rare" vipers are simply rare paint schemes. Even the 1998 GT2 has some cosmetic differences and smooth tubes, but the same basic drive train as other 1998 Vipers. I'm not saying that Vipers won't become collectible, as only time will tell. Just suggesting there are some potentially limiting factors that may keep them from being as interesting to collectors as some of the Corvettes are, for example.

Werent all Shelby Cobras built with the same engine and trans package, did not have a huge affordable following and they are still super rare and collectible.