In <3.0.1.32.19970702112314.00689b98@cyberramp.net>, Jay Quinn wrote:
>I picked up on a thread yesterday, that reminded me of other threads in the
>recent past. It was something to the effect of our cars are being bought
>and shipped back oversees?
>
>Less and less of them for sale and being seen on the mean streets.
>
>What more, or rather in a nutshell can someone tell me of this happening?
>
>Where is the demand? Why is there a demand for these LH car's? How much
>are they paying for these cars? What kind of condition are they aquireing
>these cars? What are the most popular ones? Who is he buyer and exporter?
There are very active groups of collectors and restorers in Europe. I
have seen fair numbers of LBC's in Holland and Belgium, and 50's
American iron is extremely popular in Scandinavia. Before getting too
upset about this, let's think--most American sellers sell to those
willing to pay a fair (and not-so-fair, in some cases) price.
Considering the costs of (re) exporting the car, by the time it hits
the ground in Europe the buyer has a lot in it, and restoration
labo(u)r costs are enormous. One would think that the owner will take
care of his or her automobile. That's what counts. I've seen
examples of Swedish guys rebuilding '59 Chevies from heaps of rust
that most of us wouldn't touch because that's all they could find.
And I think of the collectors in other countries when I see LBCs
rotting into the ground here. It's not ideal to have competition like that
when one has a love of British iron and is on a limited budget, but
from what I've seen there are bargains still to be had, and I'd rather
see orphans placed in good homes than sit around or get hauled to the
junkyard.
>
>I remember the same thing happened to the VW Van known as the Micro-Bus.
>It was unique in the way that it had windows like an airliner on the top
>edge of the roof on both sides. I've only seen one in my life, and it's
>parked down off lower Greenville Ave. Very rare and most went right back to
>Germany.
>
I doubt it. In their day micro-buses were not particularly rare, and
there are still plenty around in places like Berkeley CA and Eugene
OR. Get the picture? While I can't claim to be an expert, I've been
to a few car shows in Germany, and do not recall seeing any micros.
A. B. Bonds
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