Re: [Chrysler300] 1955 C-300 Sold on eBay

["RLS" <obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am somewhat perplexed that the thrust of the responses to my posting of the auction results of this car is the marketing hype associated with its description rather than the fact that a 1955 C 300 sold for a 180,000.00  I doubt that the marketing description contributed to any more than a 1000..00 bucks to this sum.  I suspect that the buyer and competitive bidders probably cared less if the car came from the factory with a heater or had Kelsey Hayes(for those who missed this, it should have read Motor Wheels) instead of the "less" common steel wheels.  Wonder how incorrect the 200,000.00 Barrett Jackson G's were!

A close reading of other descriptions of other cars will show many such marketing hyperbole(the 57 300 C has factory hydraulic lifters?) and would do zero to 60 in less than 8 seconds--possible I guess but not likely as factory stock.

I will not critique other member's automobile restoration efforts as to how close they are too Chrysler Corporation factory built, but in the case of my B, I used polyurerathane paint from PPG, a Goer's "reproduction" interior, Diamondback Tires(shoot me, I did not use Goodyear Blue Streaks), a Tanskanen windshield, a Bob Jasinski battery--that has served me well for 8 years now--, I replaced its miserable Powerflight with a Torqueflight and heaven forbid installed a powerseat--would take some future owner compulsive obsessive all of a very few hours to return to stock configuration,,,,of course the Deltron paint would require somewhat larger effort,,,oh hell I forgot the 2:92 rear axle out of a 58 Chrysler.  Now on the upside, I've yet to replace my dual points with a Petronix,,but perhaps this is in my car's future.

I also belong to NCRS(Corvettes) where these guys make us look positively Road Warrior(think Mel Gibson) in their obsession with extreme factory original--oh you don't have paint overspray on your exhaust manifold?,,off with your head and 20 points from your judging score,,,

Read the BS in the descriptions of virtually any car from any auction catalog, or the ads on Ebay or Autotrader.com or do I dare say in our own Newsletter.  It is up to the buyer to separate the fly specks from the pepper.  If I were to find that a car that I purchased really did not race at Daytona after being told in an ad that it had, or that it was built without PS when in fact it had been, this would not annoy me as much to find that under all the shiny paint that it in fact the paint that was holding its rusty hulk together.  And anyone to who a car's history is so important deserves to be taken if he should buy such a car merely on the assertion of a marketing catalog or online advertisement deserves his fate(hell the most factory of all documentation---yes you all out there who now assume that your cars are correct because of submission of a vin plate to the Club for verification of authenticity,,they too are extremely often faked--just as Corvette warranty Protecto Plates--). Wonder how many cars in our club are worked over Windsors!?  Likely 50 years from now, no one will give a wit about totally correct cars.  Either because they will be so pleased to even have a 300 or more likely that there will be so many fakes that NO ONE will be able to tell which are the real one and which ones are the reproductions.  There are already many noted Ferrari's and Cobra's that up to a dozen "correct" repros are being marketed and it is almost impossible as to owns the original(think Da Vinci and Rembrandt).  Every time a "new" 300 shows up out of nowhere, what effort is put forth to ascertain that this is a "real" 300 and not a converted Windsor or New Yorker?  Just as I suspected!

To some these cars are meant to be enjoyed and even driven and to worry endlessly whether their has been some variance from factory specification is less important than the beauty of an extremely well restored auto that gives the appearance of a work of fine art when observed.  Others of course originality is crucial(i.e. survivors with no restoration efforts) and to others only the totally factory preservation of the original as built car when it is restored is their only goal.  Can't we all just get along.  To imply that a member's car is a lesser auto because it is not as factory built is not fair.  As I've noted in previous missives on this topic, there is not a single car in our club that would pass muster for factory correctness in a Bloomington Gold(Corvettes again) type evaluation.   This of course is because many items deemed as urgent in the judging of Corvettes is not deemed of importance in judging our 300's.  Something odd about a car losing more points because the member has installed wire wheels on a B(anyone remember Ken Block's 300 at Indianapolis?) than it would lose if not painted with the factory type enamel paint.

To me the 55 C 300 of discussion in Tango Red is the most beautiful appearing Chrysler 300 that I've ever seen.  Would I have preferred it with its factory PS, yea I guess so as it must be a real pain to parallel park.

Incidentally did the other 55 C 300 that sold at this auction actually come from the factory with Air Conditioning?

When does the ground war begin?

Roger Schaaf
300 B Calyfornua
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dan Elliott 
  To: lettercars@xxxxxxx ; obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx ; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; c300@xxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 5:12 AM
  Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] 1955 C-300 Sold on eBay


  Amen, Gil.  Some of us have worked too hard on the real race history behind the 55-56 300's
  to have the truth as we've reasonably been able to put it together simply washed 
  away in this kind of auction setting.  The irony here is that one of the important players
  in RM auctions was the purchaser of the only remaining Kiekhaefer 300B from the Kiekhaefer
  estate.  I presume he had nothing to do with the auction mentioned here.  

  Dan Elliott
  www.300B.info


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of lettercars@xxxxxxx
    Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 8:51 AM
    To: obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; c300@xxxxxxx
    Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 1955 C-300 Sold on eBay


    All:
    The more expensive of the two C300s, 3N55 2283 ($181,500 worth!) MUST be 
    commented on. Almost everything stated about the car, except the fact it is a 
    legitimate C300 and of fine quality, is untrue. It started out its life as a 
    Platinum car, equipped with power steering, radio with rear speaker, a 
    heater, and a power seat. Certainly it had a clock, as they were standard. The 
    statement about being equipped with steel wheels---ostensibly for 
    "racing"----rather than the more common wires is idiotic. Actually, the great majority of 
    C300s were equipped with the standard steel wheels and wheel covers. The 
    car was delivered thru a dealer in that "hotbed" of NASCAR, Kansas. (At least 
    RM said the NASCAR connection couldn't be confirmed with certainty.) No 
    kidding.
    Apparently this car was "restored" to kind of mechanically duplicate C300s 
    #1 or #2 which competed at Daytona. Neither of those cars were red.
    I think this is a great example of developing a "story" on a car that 
    gradually morphs into the "truth" if repeated enough times. Evidently someone 
    thought the story was worth 180 or so thousand bucks---or at least if repeated a 
    few more times----would be. Personally, I have no use for this nonsense.
    300ly, Gil Cunningham
    Tallahassee, FL
    A perfect day here today!


    In a message dated 9/16/2008 11:19:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
    obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

    For those who may have missed the results of the RM Astor auction a few 
    weeks ago, check out the sale results on the pair of C 300's that sold. The more 
    expensive one was a strong number 2 plus maybe even 1 car, the less 
    expensive one was a strong number 3. All opinions of course are subjective.

    http://www.rmauctions.com/AuctionResults.cfm?SaleCode=AA08&SortBy=AL&View=Norm
    al&Category=Cars&Currency=#

    Roger Schaaf

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: RLS 
    To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; Rich Barber 
    Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 7:48 PM
    Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 1955 C-300 Sold on eBay

    I was the 2nd place 34 k bidder. As some wag once said: "2nd place is the 
    first loser". If I knew more about it I may have bid a bit more.

    Roger Schaaf
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Rich Barber 
    To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 4:53 PM
    Subject: [Chrysler300] 1955 C-300 Sold on eBay

    Someone got a pretty nice C-300 on eBay for $35K. A last minute bid. Not
    our bid or car. 

    See: 

    http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=250291821587

    C-300'ly,
    Rich Barber
    Brentwood, CA
    1955 Chrysler C-300 (Hard to put a value on these puppies)

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