QOTD: Are These Bucks Too Deluxe?

by Matthew Guy

Published: October 1st, 2018

This weekend, someone raised their bidder’s number at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas when the auctioneer asked for $58,000. It wasn’t on a Hemi ‘Cuda convertible. Nor was it on a tasty ’70 Chevelle SS. It was on the 1997 Acura Integra Type R you see above.

After buyer’s fees, the new owner shelled out $63,800 for what may very well be the lowest-mileage ITR in existence. Do you think collector’s tastes have shifted? Maybe permanently?

It wasn’t too long ago we were watching ’70s muscle trade for inflated six (and seven!) figure price tags. Most reasonable people saw this as unsustainable, correctly assuming cooler heads would prevail and the market would come back down to earth. The crash of ’08/’09 took care of some of the problem, while more attractive investments took care of the rest.

I’m not here to argue whether cars should be purchased as an investment. If someone has the pockets to drop several cubic acres of coin on a fleet of classic cars, then turn around and sell them a few years later for a tidy profit (*ahem* Ron Pratte *ahem*), more power to them. It might drive up the price of certain models, but that happens in just about any form of collecting — art, pop culture, or cars.

For comparison’s sake, this very clean and all-original 1991 NSX sold for $40,000 before buyer’s fees. In the right color with the right transmission, I think I’d select this 21,000-mile rocket instead of that ITR and pocket the $18k difference.

Regardless, today’s question asks what you think will be the next car — or genre of cars — to tip the scales of fortune at places like Barrett-Jackson. We’ve asked a similar question in the past, but enough time has elapsed that perhaps you’ve formed new opinions since then. Or not.

One thing’s for sure: the sale of an 1,200-mile ITR for $60k+ makes the conversation relevant again.

[images: Barrett– Jackson]

#Acura #Auction #Barrett-jackson #CollectorCar #Integra #NSX #QOTD #TypeR

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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5 of 72 comments

PentastarPride on Oct 01, 2018

Uggh. This is the kind of car you're stuck around in traffic. You can't see it in traffic but you can certainly hear it, even though you're driving right next to a fully loaded Peterbilt.

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- Art Vandelay on Oct 01, 2018
  
  Stock they were as quiet as anything else and nobody (now anyway) is cutting up a type R and mounting a fart can. These never were hand-me-down Civics that people did that sort of crap to. I bet most of these were sold with "Market Adjustments" on them.
  
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Cimarron typeR on Oct 01, 2018

I see the market not slowing down, I can think of certain areas, SoCal especially, where there is absolutely a prestige to owning the lowest mile ITR available. One of my buddies from grad school who is from Ontario, CA. His FD Rx7 (given as a college grad present ) has probably 40-50k miles, and rarely leaves the garage, and he just went through an extensive pseudo restoration on blue Bugeye WRX, with fresh rally blue paint, 2.5l engine swap. I've always liked the Lebaron turbos, especially white over black leather interior. Have you considered a Miata? at least there are clubs/events to take your kids to. At one point I was looking for a 1st Gen Supra (not Celica Supra) for a little while, at one point there was only 1 running example on autotrader. I'm sure lots of people are just sitting on theirs until they increase in value, kind of like 240z's did.

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- Art Vandelay on Oct 01, 2018
  
  I assume you are replying to Gearhead77. I think I see somewhat eye to eye with him on this. I have owned multiple Miatas (early NA's to late Mazdaspeed NB). They are great cars. But they aren't cars that you think of as being "of that era". Again, not to knock them, I love them. But if I want to shut the door and forget Kurt Cobain has been dead for nearly a quarter of a century, I want something like a 300zx or something that takes you back. Perhaps the only time on this forum that the answer IS NOT Miata.
  
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- Gearhead77 on Oct 01, 2018
  
  Can’t take the family for ice cream in a Miata ;) Probably the only way the wife will give permission for a “fun car” too. My in-laws had one when I first met my wife. When a 92 LeBaron was only 5 years old! Art is correct. A Miata is timeless, no matter the generation. A LeBaron from the 80’s-90’s is a product of its time. It wasn’t a great time or a great car,but it’s the time I grew up in and would like a living piece of, even if only for a while. Such is the reason for 60k Integras and whatnot. (I want a Miata too but..)
  
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