The Clone Question When the musclecar restoration movement really took off about 25 years ago, the concept of a clone car was instantly met with a huge cry of derision from what you could call the musclecar conservative (or hard-core) right wing. Clone cars were considered the ultimate offense, mainly based on the assumption that they were intended to deceive the potential buyer into believing the car was genuine.
This latest musclecar resurgence has created enough demand in all forms of musclecars that "clone" is no longer a dirty word. Much of this new liberal acceptance is fueled by the desire to own a car even if it's not "real." Musclecar true-believers have always considered clone cars to be nothing short of immoral because even if the original builder is up front that the car is a clone, all it takes is one dishonest subsequent owner to create a false paper trail to represent the car as factory-original.
The result of this deception is always the same when an unsuspecting owner discovers that the car is a fake and the value of his investment tumbles radically. The bottom line is that the burden of ensuring that any car purchased is in fact genuine falls back on the purchaser, which is how it has always been.
ACES president Chuck Hanson gave us a great example of how much clones are increasing in value. Hanson has owned a documented 350hp '69 SS 396 Chevelle convertible for some time. After collecting all the appropriate parts, he decided to convert the Chevelle into a "clone" L89 aluminum head 375hp/396ci version that would be original right down to the correct casting numbers on the heads, a smog pump, the proper carburetor, and all the other related engine components. The word got out that he was building this car, and Hanson says he has been offered $55,000 from a collector who is fully aware that the car is a clone.
Cover CarNot every musclecar built is going for ridiculous dollars. We used Charles Bailey's '67 GTO as our cover car this month as a typical musclecar. It runs a 335hp 400ci Pontiac with a TH400 automatic equipped with a stout hydraulic flat-tappet cam, but the rest of the car is very close to its origins. Featuring power steering, power drum brakes, A/C, and a 3.55-geared Pontiac 10-bolt, this is Charles' version of the perfect street machine.
Charles is the first to admit that his car is not a 100-point resto queen, which is fine with him because he enjoys driving it rather than polishing it in his garage. We did a little research into prices for a '66 or '67 GTO coupe just to see what these cars are commanding on both on the Internet and through major auction sales from earlier this year. Not surprisingly, we found a dramatic range of prices with a typical GTO hardtop going for between $14,000 and $33,000. If you get into the convertibles, these soar into the $25,000 to $75,000 arena-yikes.
If a real GTO isn't that important, we found a few examples of Tempest sedans and hardtops that would make excellent street machines at still-reasonable prices of $6,000 and less depending upon condition. Rust buckets obviously will be much cheaper but more expensive to restore.
Recent Sales HistoryThe following chart illustrates some recent auction sales prices on both restored and modified musclecars as well as clones. Keep in mind that these numbers should be viewed as trends that could indicate what similar cars could sell for in the future. Because these values were accessed via the Internet, we did not actually see any of these cars, so there is no evaluation on the quality of the vehicles. You can get more information on these cars and other vehicle sales by accessing the auction company Web sites.
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