<VV> Rarity and Value.

[Bill Elliott]

There is some truth to your position, but you're missing some important points.

Back when the cars were new, a turbo vert was the most expensive Corvair... within spitting distance of a Corvette. It's not that they weren't desirable, it's 
just that not many people bought them due to price, insurance, etc... could be a range of issues, but more than likely the buying decision was very different 
for a Corsa turbo vert than it was for a base 500. 

Very different than the reason there are so few 3sp Corsas... those weren't that common because most people wanted 4spds and were willing to pay the 
option cost. But to your point, having a rarer 3 sp doesn't mean more value. People DIDN'T WANT to buy a 3sp Corsa.

The most valuable cars on the collector car market today are the rare models of the most desirable cars... whether that was due to tastes, dollars, or what-
not.

I used the Cuda before...let's talk about GTOs.

EVERYBODY wanted a GTO then and now.

The Tempest (sharing the same body) is not nearly as valuable even though many people in the 60's bought one instead of a GTO. They DIDN'T buy the 
GTO, but that doesn't mean they didn't want to...then or now.

And The Judge GTO is even more rare... expensive then, expensive now... based on rariety.
And the GTO Judge convertible is priced WAY out there if you can even find one. Value due almost exclusively to rarity. 

You'd think GM would have sold as many of those as they could build as well... yet they sold far more '66 Corvair turbo convertibles. Does this make the 
GTO any less valuable? No way. The combination of "GTO, "Judge" and "Convertible" make for a VERY expensive and rare production car. Then and 
now. But not necessary because people DIDN'T WANT to buy them, but because they DIDN'T.

But your point is valid that rariety alone does not make the value. It's the desirablity of the basic car that dictates the basic value and in most cases the 
rarity adjusts that value.

Also...what was poplular THEN is not necessary what is popular NOW. (Though it's generally a good indicator...)

Overall, I think we can all agree that the Corvair is the most undervalued car on the collector market... and has been for a long time.

Bill

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 16:15:16 -0600, Wayne Graefen wrote:

>If there is only one thing I am completely confident of about the relationship
>of rarity to value in the car collecting hobby it is this:   Rarity has very
>little to do with value.

>"Rarity' in and of itself is largely a function of the fact that consumers did
>not order more of them (whatever they are) when they were new.  GM would have
>done its best to build a MILLION Corsa turbo 4spd converts in special order
>Fuschia if buyers would have wanted them!

>On RARE occasions, a factory offers a special 'limited production' model and
>does hold the number built to a few dozen or a couple of hundred but for the
>most part that is because they are marketing something they don't think they
>could sell much more of anyway!