The most expensive Z ever offered for sale....$300,000?

[robftw]

and a (then) state-of-the-art Sony stereo

[Z train]

Looking at the pictures in the Scarab auction, I'd guess it's a Clarion or Craig, not a Pioneer. I know what the Pioneers back then looked like...

Arne-would ya like to make a small wager?

[Arne]

Arne-would ya like to make a small wager?

If you're talking about the picture I posted, that's not the Scarab - that's my car. And that's why I know what a Pioneer looks like....

[Z train]

Yep,i have to agree with you not a Pioneer in the ad car..But we digress...

[FastWoman]

Two words....................Jay Leno.............If he sees this he will go big bucks, not 300K, but well over 60,000.

Five words: "Hire a friggin' professional photographer!"

I took much better photos than that when selling an old beater station wagon on CL. It amazes me that someone can put a car up for sale at $300k and not throw a few $$ to a photographer who can make the car actually LOOK like it should be worth $300k!

I sent the seller a message to that effect. Let's hope he follows my advice... and gets some incredible price for this Scarab.

Edited September 11, 2011 by FastWoman

[jepherz]

Crazy, just saw this car on ebay since it's local to me. Strange this car ended up in Missouri...

[5thhorsemann]

Five words: "Hire a friggin' professional photographer!"

I took much better photos than that when selling an old beater station wagon on CL. It amazes me that someone can put a car up for sale at $300k and not throw a few $$ to a photographer who can make the car actually LOOK like it should be worth $300k!

I sent the seller a message to that effect. Let's hope he follows my advice... and gets some incredible price for this Scarab.

You are a very detail oriented individual, are you not.

[ta240]

I hope he gets every penny! We all need our cars to be valued fairly..............

I actually wish they were less expensive but I can't do anything to make them more plentiful. I miss the days when Z's were more affordable fun. I'd love to pick up a 280Z with A/C but anything clean is just too expensive. I guess as prices go up there is more incentive for people to fix them up but I see another Z on the road about every 2 months anymore and I miss the days when they'd be running all over the place, everything from beaten up ones barely still running to pristine examples all being driven.

[Jetaway]

I actually wish they were less expensive but I can't do anything to make them more plentiful. I miss the days when Z's were more affordable fun. I'd love to pick up a 280Z with A/C but anything clean is just too expensive. I guess as prices go up there is more incentive for people to fix them up but I see another Z on the road about every 2 months anymore and I miss the days when they'd be running all over the place, everything from beaten up ones barely still running to pristine examples all being driven.

I'm with Ta240. I paid $4,700 for my 1972 three and 1/2 years ago. Not including tires, another $1,800 -- $2,000 in parts. Overall it's in the same shape now -- another 35,000 on the major components balanced by a lot of twiggy little sorting out of things that made it quieter, warmer, cooler, and better looking -- and if I had to sell it tomorrow, I'd be happy with $4,700. OK, happier with $5,000. But I'd be too nervous to drive it if it worth $12,000, which would be its value in 2018 on its way to pushing $20,000 five years after that with a relatively modest 10% annual increase in value.

My general thought on investing is you probably shouldn't invest in something that is at risk of being wiped out by a drunk, a teenager talking on the phone, or a wind gust pushing a long-haul truck on top of it. But that may just be me.

Chris

[DatsunZGuy]

Interesting car, but IMHO a 30K price range would be more realistic. A Datsun Z Car with a V-8 is not in the same collector/price category as a say a Boss 429 or Hemi Cuda.

[Travel'n Man]

Interesting car, but IMHO a 30K price range would be more realistic. A Datsun Z Car with a V-8 is not in the same collector/price category as a say a Boss 429 or Hemi Cuda.

I'm confused..........you do not see any historical reference with this car?

[Jetaway]

AC Cobra or Cosworth Vega?

I've spent more time trying to come up with an estimate for the worth of this Scarab than is healthy. Share the sickness.

What is a company-built Scarab? Multiple one-offs? A limited production new vehicle? A professional conversion? Your answer, I think, sets your estimate of its value.

The best comparison I could come up with were the vehicles listed above, AC (Shelby) Cobra or a Cosworth Vega. Both took an existing chassis, and put in a more powerful, or at least more technically sophisticated engine (and a few, relatively minor modifications to the suspension and drivetrain to handle the extra weight and power).

I wanted to compare original retail of the 6-cylinder AC (Bristol?) that was transformed into a Cobra and likewise, a stock Vega with a Cosworth Vega. Had a hard time finding those retails, so I settled for comparing the original retail of an AC Cobra and Cosworth Vega (not that easy for me to find) to estimated value today.

For the AC Cobra I came up with $600,000/$4,600, a ratio of 130:1

For the Cosworth Vega I came up with $10,000/$6,000, a ratio of 1.7:1 (Fun fact I learned. The Cosworth Vega was the second most expensive car in the Chevy line-up, listing for $300 to $600 less than the Corvette.)

Couldn't find any original retail on the Scarab, so I began with an estimated list for a 1972 Z ($4,000) and took the average of a 50% and 100% price premium (I know, 75%, just exposing my thought process) and plugged in the asking price.

Scarab $300,000/$7,000, a ratio of 43:1.

Seems a little high.

AC Cobra and Cosworth Vega represent the alpha and omega of valuations. Maybe the MB Gullwing and a selected Ferrari or two have a greater, due to racing performance, historical significance and, well, the fickle finger of fate, have a "desirability" to, uh, what, rational valuation ratio, but the AC Cobra is right in their ballpark. The Cosworth Vega, through its association with the widely despised Vega, arguably has a lower than average desirability / rational ratio. The Vega was technically very advanced for its time -- perhaps too advanced and GM wasn't able to solve assembly problems before the name was tainted -- or maybe its being assembled at a plant still studied today as a textbook example of how not to run an assembly plant -- or both, led to today's under appreciation of the car. (No, I've never owned one. Had a Pinto for a short time. It, ummh, was not good, lets just say, not good.)

The valuation of items at the very top of the market, any market, are better modeled with a power function than a linear function. Lets take the ratio of the square roots for the AC Cobra and Cosworth Vega.

AC Cobra: 11.42

Cosworth Vega: 1.29

Simple mean = 6.35

Inverse of mean = .157

Estimate for Scarab: $7,000 / .157 = $44,585.

Actually, this seems a little low to me, but the estimate is based on generic cars, so to speak. It looks in good condition, and if the text can be believed, it is in good condition. First one produced, company owner's car, 1/2 of all the stock used in publicity and promotions. I guess I could see someone going twice the generic estimate, putting it in the ballpark of $90,000. A special someone, but nonetheless not out of the realm of plausibility.

But $300,000? I got doubts.

Chris

P.S. Watch it go for $450,000.