Hot Rods Just Curious... Will A Top Notch Show Car Make Money?

I was at a large local show, when they handed out the trophys the man who took second in the camaro class complained very loudly that he spent 75k and only took second. Some people are driven to win at any cost, most of us look at it as a hobby. My girlfriend has made almost a dozen trips to Poland to research her family history, I don't get it but it is her hobby. She does not get my chevy either.

 

I think anyone us who has been a large number of car shows have probably seen "that" guy who will freak out over not receiving the credit he thinks he deserves for his investment. There used to be a guy in my area that would show up to a show with a pit crew of 3 guys in matching outfits to a lawn show and throw a tantrum when he didn't take best of show. I don't know sometimes which was more entertaining, the show or watching this guy blow a gasket.

 

Only time a purpose built show car will ever make money is when it hits the first show, stands everyone up on end, and someone else says I got to have that trophy queen that is going to be in the magazine. Other than that, unless it is a historical piece with verifiable bloodline its as good as crap in a year. This here today gone tomorrow society makes things pretty hollow. .

 

BINGO bossman
at my former place of employment we had a dedicated 32 ford frame jig
set at our preferred ride height with jigs to hold every thing in place, even for uncommon mods and things like moving the rear frame sections inward. never had to test fit anything. Super fast and efficient method.

Also pro builders that get attention, get sponsors, Some would be shocked at how many parts are "donated' to some of the pro guys. Dont forget the big car shows that have the big name guys set up at every event. Sponsors help that out a lot as well. Look at the names on the trucks and trailers moving these guys around from show to show.
The giveaway cars for the big shows are built with parts from the sponsors and by a builder sponsored/supported by the show. So a lot of this boils down to advertising/name recognition.

 

I skimmed through the comments here, so I might be reshuffling the same deck. I'll add my two cents anyways.

People with money usually fall into two classes: Smart Money, and Dumb Money. Smart money people may have inherited it as a starting point, or built themselves up from nothing. They've made some gambles, but they've also made smart investment decisions that have seen their overall portfolio and wealth increase. They know, or have learnt, a good risk and a bad risk. They have improved their wealth over time.

Dumb money people usually find their wealth through inheritance or a lotto win. They don't understand the value of a dollar, or the value of restraint. You'll see their wealth continually drain until they spend themselves back to their original starting point. They might have made investments, though they usually weren't sound ones. Often, they blow it all on houses and cars, helping friends and family, living the high life.

My point to all this is - I would argue that the guys and gals spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a show car are Smart money people. They KNOW that spending that much in competing for a Riddler is a bad investment. They understand that their investment will most likely result in a loss, not a profit. But the (potential) reward outweighs the risk, and they have the financial means to take the financial loss. They understand the value of a dollar, and sign the cheque anyways.


***(I am NOT saying that anyone with an inheritance or lotto win is automatically dumb. My illustration is more so that 'found' money often brings a different mindset than 'earned' money)***

 

I gave a big discount on my '41 Stude taillights to a big name builder putting together a car for another big name parts manufacturer, with the understanding that my name would be on all the display cards when the thing was shown. The car made a big splash at SEMA, and toured all the GoodGuys shows the following summer. My name was nowhere to be seen on any display materials though. Guess I didn't get a good return on that advertising investment.

 

That sux.
Seen it happen before
Also seen people get credit for parts not used

 

It's interesting to me that many of the replies refer to the Riddler award. What would interest me is just what became of the cars that won this award. Do they still exist, were they parted out, or were they sold and ended up on the street instead of inside a glass case somewhere?

 

most sit in the owners garage or shops show room

 

I remember a local guy that bought a ‘32 Roadster, it made a big splash on the ISCA show circuit. New owner showed it and naturally it drew yawns. Been there, seen that. He had the interior redone, new paint, etc. and it was still “so and so’s” car.
This was in the late ‘80’s and on Saturday mornings there was a get together at a local shop for coffee and a BS session. The shop owner said Hey, bring that thing over next week. Uh, no, I don’t drive it on the street. OK, bring it in your trailer and hide the trailer at the other end of the industrial park. No, I can’t. It’s too low and I can’t drive it up your driveway.
The same guy had a Deuce Tudor, nothing exotic but really nice. At the Nats a family member was always stationed at the car standing guard, I always thought the object of this is supposed to be fun with cars, right?
Different strokes.....

 

Our club use to have a yearly indoor car show at the National Guard Armory every January when nothing else car related was going on and we always came out to the good, usually covered our club picnic in the spring.

The last 2 shows we hosted we almost broke even and the finally show we were blessed with a hugh ice storm, lost power and lost our arses.

This was 30 years ago before the internet & cruise-in's, you rarely saw too hot rods being driven on a daily basis.

The huge yearly car show in Greenville, South Carolina is now nothing more than a venue for all the new car dealers and a concert featuring some headline band, the last one I attended there were less than 20 rods & customs.

The car shows in my area are just none existent, good luck with what ever you do Ron. HRP

 

A $100K car on the show car circuit is nothing. The serious guys spend $100K on the tow truck and another $75K on the trailer. Wes Rydell has won each of the big 3 trophy's (Ridler, AMBR, and Goodguys COY). He had no trouble flying Chip Foose and his team up to Grand Forks, ND to work on the Ridler winner on a weekly basis. Seven figures or more for one of these cars is common place. And NO, even after appearance fees, retail items, and promotions, they rarely get their money back out of it. But, for the weathiest among us, a few million here or there is no big deal.

We normal humans struggle with orders of magnitude. Most of us will never spend more than a few hundred thousand dollars at one time in our life (home mortgage), and we might not gross more than a few million our entire life ($3 Mil = $75K/yr for 40 yrs). But for someone who has a $500 Million net worth, and makes $10 Million a year on stocks, bonds and other interest bearing accounts, spending $1 Million on a car is the same as the rest of us who make $75K/yr spending $7,500 on a car.

 

had a customer do 90k worth of damage to his new Ferrari
paid us for the estimate time and to deliver the car to his 'toy' shop
said he would just go buy another one

same ratio of wealth vs worth when we haul off a beater for scrap

 

Our club helped a volunteer fire department host a car show in conjunction with a huge town festival and the last big award trophy was for peoples choice, anyone at the show could cast a vote as could the spectators so as you can imagine there were a lot of ballots to look at, It came down to 2 cars a 1950 Mercury and a 1966 fastback Mustang, the '50 Mercury won by a landslide but that didn't stop the owner of the Mustang from showing his arse in front of everybody stating how much nicer his car was and how he had paid a professional restorer in Atlanta ,Georgia to restore his car, the owner of the Mercury reached over in his trunk, picked up the trophy and handed it to the the cry baby and said, here STFU!

The guy in the Mercury , who is a friend of mine has never been back to that show. HRP

 

I knew a guy who built the same Coupe, over and over.

He'd get all the parts for free, and most of the labor from Hot Rod Shops, and write articles in one of the big magazines about the build with all the product placement to return the favor.

When the car was done in the last version, he'd sell off all the parts that came off, from the version before.

I think he made some money that way.


Another one built ( pretty much cookie cutter, down to a formula ) cars to raffle off.


And then there is the option to sell your soul, and get yourself on one of the TV Clownshows.


Any other way, and its a tough way to make a living...

 

I remember going to these small town or local annual shows where it was either spectator's choice or participant 's choice. It came down to how many friends you had there as to if you were leaving with an award. Sad to say I have few of those kinds of trophies. A hollow victory but never the less, still a victory.

 

Car show drama
LOL
Jerry Springer with cars. I love em
Watching guys argue and get upset over a $5 trophy is sometimes the best part
I can’t wait for car show season to start

 

Frozenmerc has it right... It's all relative to disposable income.

I have a very good friend who I have a lot in common with, but he has a level of wealth one -zero- higher than mine. Basically if I am willing to spend $100, he is at $1,000. It was weird at first until I figured out the one zero rule. We are exactly alike in car interests, he just has a much higher cash to pain threshold than I do.

Now that I know to add the zero, there's nothing weird about it at all. Plus he's super exciting to go to swap meets with, because you never know what you're buying.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but that's a really shitty move by both car owners. Sure the Mustang guy was being a baby, but someone spent at least a few dollars on a trophy and gave it to the Mercury guy and he just gave it away like he didn't give a shit.

That's pretty disrespectful of the people who put on the show and paid for the trophys to give out. It's meant to be a nice gesture of appreciation. I agree it was inappropriate for the Mustang guy but I don't get people's aversion to trophys at a show. The Holier-than-thou too good for trophy guys are missing the point of it as much as the whiny losers are.

I've seen hundreds of old pictures of rods and customs where the owner displayed the trophys they'd won with pride. I think that's nice, I'd like to see that tradition continued.

 

I’m not gonna do anything right now except see how many tanks of Super Unleaded I can run through the red car you sold me when the summer weather hits.

Still, I do sorta have the itch to build something again and after reading about these cars there’s a couple that I think would be cool to clone. Just to have the experience of letting people see them again.

Just thinking out loud I guess.

 

I understand that...

Only two guys have been serious enough about my Roadster for me to put a number on it.

I priced it kinda high, because of all the work I have in it, and because of what it means to me.
But ( the way I saw it) not stratosphere high.

Neither deal penned out, and now many years later, I'm glad they didn't.

 

Ivo and Grabowski T's have been cloned and shown, Ron Martenez's Invader won AMBR twice was shown none of them for any big money. Drifting has replaced car shows with the kids, that and I phones.

 

My students love drifting
Why? Because it what they see. Hot rods usually sit in garages out of sight

 

ya gotta feel kind of sorry for guys like that...their world is so so small. i could see being bumbed after working for years to go to a national show and not place but hey, thats the point right? have some class, lose AND win with grace

 

not all the kids....

 

To put Automotive Art in perspective with Fine Art, I recall maybe 4 years ago a Ferrari GTO made $38,000,000 at auction. At the same time, Van Gogh's "Haystack" (which to someone ignorant as I, could have been done by my third grade grandson) went for around $75,000,000.
Which would you rather have?


I guess the automotive record is now up to $48,000,000 (another GTO). Highest priced painting - $450,000,000.

 

I have a buddy that has a very good looking 50s custom, not over the top, but a really good looking car. He does shows, nothing else. He enjoys traveling from city to city, staying at motels/hotels all at the show promotors expense. Does he make any money...no. Does he enjoy himself.....yes.

 

Take a hotrod drifting and really turn things on the end...

You see someone really pouring the coals to a hotrod, donuts, burnouts, almost everyone under 40 pulls out a phone and records... WHY???? Its all cause the crying baby on the fender that needs to be kicked across the parking lot, drive in speaker and tray on the window, coke shit everywhere rolling antique store bullshit that has taken over the shows. Alot of this started with the wives being " more involved".....

 

Life is all about the buzz. My only motive is to feel good
and sometimes it takes a lot of pain to get there....