Rob Lewis wrote:
>$30,000 for a Bugeye!!!
>
>At least tell me someone knows or once owned this car!
>
>I think I need to lie down for a while.......
Rob,
The car that you've located was formerly owned by Rob Garofolo of Thousand
Oaks, California. The car appeared three months ago in Hemmings Motor
News. I called Classic Showcase to find out the story behind the car. The
ad read as follows: "1960 Bugeye, ground-up restoration. 99 point show
winner, shown in museums, won Gold Award in Austin-Healey Concours
Registry, superb example" No price was given. Upon inquiry, I discovered
that it was Rob's car. Its Leaf Green with a Green interior. Many people
are familiar with this car as it was featured in Road Track, Chatter,
Austin-Healey Magazine etc.... Apparently, after receiving his Gold Level
Award at Breckenridge, Colorado in 1992 he has done very little with the
car other than display it at regional meets and museums. In fact, the
owner at Classic Showcase said that he'd only covered 400 miles in the car
since completion in 1992, what a shame! I was told that Rob sold the car
because he wasn't enjoying it anymore. He was too concerned every time he
took the car out for a spin.
Having judged this car at Healey International '92, I can attest to its
originality and condition. It truly is an impressive car. Rob went to
many lengths to insure complete originality (NOS floor mats, Dunlop Gold
Seal tyres, NOS heater duct tubing, etc...) In fact, I used the car for
inspiration in attaining my own Gold Level Award with my Iris Blue 1960
Bugeye at Conclave '98.
As for the value of this car, that's up to a potential buyer to determine.
To date, I don't honestly know how much money I've got in my car. I've
kept every receipt and they're siting in the desk drawer beneath my
computer. I never added it up nor do I intend to. I undertook this
project for my own enjoyment. I've met some great people, traveled to some
pretty neat places in pursuit of elusive parts, and have a little piece of
automotive history that I can drive and enjoy. If someone's looking for a
concours Bugeye, they don't get much better than this one. What's someone
willing to pay for it, who knows?
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