Alec Pringle Posted June 18, 2011 Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Hi Dan, nothing wrong with being an enthusiast for originality, and nothong wrong with being an enthusiast for modified cars either. What irritates me is when a feeding frenzy of originality nitpicking kicks off over a car advertised for sale which does not make claims to originality. As in this black TR2. Just because it's expensive doen't mean that it has to be entirely 'original' . . . . . Cheers, Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 nothing wrong with being an enthusiast for originality, and nothong wrong with being an enthusiast for modified cars either. What irritates me is when a feeding frenzy of originality nitpicking kicks off over a car advertised for sale which does not make claims to originality. As in this black TR2. Just because it's expensive doen't mean that it has to be entirely 'original' . . . . . Probably I started this with my comment "A competition to 'spot the difference'?!" It wasn't my idea to criticise the car,or imply that cars should be restored as original. My idea was to use the detailed photos of an excellent car, with comments added as to what was and was not as original, as a way for other owner restorers to learn some of the details that are not shown in the manual and are often the subject of queries on this Forum. AlanR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Menno van Rij Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 (edited) It's an expensive car, looks very nice indeed, and a dealer sale. Unless my rusty German is well adrift, it's been comprehensively rebuilt, body off, and it's newly ticketed. I don't note any great claims to specific particular originality or significant provenance ? Surely the minutiae of original fine detailing is neither here nor there if it's a decent enough car, unless the vendor is making unreasonable claims of authenticity and originality ? Which doesn't seem to be the case here ? Cheers, Alec I totally agree with Alec's posting. I think that 55K euros for a car like this, in Germany, is not too high. It's close to the actual value overhere on the Continent. (And for arguments sake: let's assume that the seller/builder used first class material - paint, leather etc). Point is, the price is steep, but fair. An all original TR2 for that matter would fetch about 10 - 15% more, I think. Most 'new' owners are not into a totally original car, since they think it's impractical (e.g. cooling). Overhere in Holland, Hans Kooij is the guy to turn to when you want an all original TR. I'm sure it will set you back more than 60K when the car is in need of a full restoration. And it's important for the seller to have the bills etc., so that a any new owner car see that he's a lucky guy when he forks out the 55K. And if I would be selling my car, I would advertise it in Germany first! More people with enough money to spend. The UK market is different from the Continental market: the UK has more RHD classic cars on the road and in the garage. That has a downward effect on prices. It's like buying and selling watches: E.g. Sinn watches (Germany) are easily found in Germany for 700 - 1000 euros. In the UK these watches are 1200 - 1500 euros. (USA and Asia? 3000 - 4000 US$). Simply: supply and demand, even in this Internet era. I've experienced that it's the language barrier that's most troublesome and thus creates it's own 'home market'. TRs are more expensive overhere and there are a lot of owners who are willing to invest in these cars for that sum. And, you would not be able to find an even well looking Jag E-type or Bentley for 55K. A perfect XK150 for >120K euros is no exception. A guy a few blocks from my house owns an immaculate LHD(!) Alvis TF21 DHC and he's not even considering an offer under 125K euros! (Must say, it's really a wonderful looking car). Yes, the price is high. But he will find a new owner who's willing to pay that price, I'm sure. Menno Edited June 19, 2011 by Menno van Rij Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley James Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Couldn't agree more Menno and it would cost more to have it done. Ash Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifrog Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Sorry but for me 55K for a car is an awful lot of money, it may be worth it but what I have always liked about TR's is that there is room for everyone and every type of car, they were traditionally reasonably priced when compared to E types and Big Healeys and if you had a car that was a driver rather than a show car it didn't really matter. The moment that the hobby becomes too élitiste I will buy a Lada Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 I recently spoke to a person who in his professional life has restored around 300 TRs. A few years ago he finished his own 1953 long door TR2, to original specifications. Taking into account official shop rates, incl VAT, he mentioned that the car would have cost 175k Euros. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McIver Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Interestingly, if you scroll down to "similar ads" there is another black TR2 that shows the front universal joint grommet in it's correct original location, sited through the carpet. This is a feature which seems to have almost disappeared in the mists of time. Indeed, at the last concours I attended some years back, there was not one of the cars that I looked at showing the grommet, all being hidden by the carpet. I imagine this anomoly has been created by the carpet suppliers not cutting the appropriate hole and owners/restorers not realising that the factory fitment was indeed through the carpet and not below. No doubt some will say that the carpet gets greasy over time, but for anyone seeking originality, thats where it should be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.