today’s TOPIC
What’s New in
Classic Cars “I BY » Peter Eisenhauer
f you drive a ‘56 Impala you will always draw a crowd, people will want to know the story of the car.” So says Deborah West, owner of Classic Lady Motors, a collector car marketing service headquartered in Cornelius. West moved to the area 19 years ago from Chicago after visiting a friend in the area and loving it. She had started selling classic cars and found the region with its ties to NASCAR and large numbers of car enthusiasts was an ideal base. “I networked into a business, all by word of mouth, based on convenience to the customer,” West said. Looking at trends in the market today, West said, “muscle cards always do well.” She sees the leaders currently are ‘60s and ‘70s muscle cars such as Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros. John Gibson, sales manager at Shelton Classics and Performance, a consignment dealer in Mooresville, 10 LimitlessMagOnline.com | March 2022
also sees a strong market for 80s muscle cars, such as Mustangs and Corvettes, particularly if they are in original condition, Gibson said. There is also increased interest in Buick Grand Nationals, one of the hot performance cars of the 1980s. Gibson also sees strength in the market for early 70s pickups, such as the Chevrolet K10. The 4-wheel-drive models sell best. Gibson sees a softer markets for prewar vehicles. As older models become more difficult to maintain, many end up as decor. And the market is currently flooded with mid-50s Chevy cars, like the Bel Air. “Prices on some of those models are down by half,” Gibson said. “You never know what will increase the market value,” said Gibson. “A movie or TV show might feature a model and suddenly it takes off.” West sees trends in car collecting mostly based on the successive
generations of buyers. Millenials who have now come of age and have the money are looking for the cars of the ‘80s and ‘90s that they admired back in the day. “It’s always a sentimental reason, like ‘I drove that car in high school.’,” West said. Many of the younger buyers are keen on finding Ford Broncos and other off-road vehicles. Although the classic car market is active year-round, spring is always the busiest season, with another peak in early autumn when there are also some major car shows. In spring, people are getting out more. Driving their cars. “You don’t want to drive a classic car in inclement weather,” West said. “They need to be kept out of the elements.” Gibson said that along with the better driving weather, spring-time also brings tax returns to many collectors, which can often make a nice downpayment on a desired acquisition.
