Gosh, this whole thread is becoming quite existential. Folks upset that no one wants to buy their cars. Others worried that they may have bought the wrong car to restore, in terms of recouping their investment. Others half way through projects and finding the costs much higher than anticipated. Yet more people pointing out that the economic situation is so uncertain that people who might normally jump at the chance to get a quality car are holding back, just in
case. Well, welcome to the recession.
Now, here are some cold, hard facts. You will never regain the investment in any Imperial in terms of time, money and effort. Right now, I cannot think of a car that might sustain it. The bottom has fallen out of the market, from Model Ts to 1950s T-Birds. Maybe a Corvette or a 57 Chevy, possibly. Finding parts for your Imperial is going to be costly and time consuming. Finding competent mechanics willing to work on them will be just as difficult. So what you have, from a majority perspective, is a money pit that only gets deeper.
So, why do we do these things? Why am I consumed with getting my 58 running again when I have already poured into it more resources than I
care to think about? Part of the answer lies in finding your true avocation. For some it's golf. They buy expensive memberships to clubs, buy all the right gear plus the magazines and videos, and practice, practice, practice. They think, they dream and they talk about golf. They even pray about it. Other folks do the same about postage stamps, or study the civil war, or go fishing. Few of these people think they will make a profit on the money they spend on these activities, though there are social and business connections to be made on the golf links to help justify the inordinate costs involved.
The old car hobby is one of the few hobbies mistakenly infused with the idea you are going to make your money back. You ain't. Art collectors have a better chance, I suppose. And Imperials, as lovely as I happen to think they
are, ain't art that appreciates. Cars are designed to be disposable. Most aren't worth spit after ten years. Mine will be fifty in 2008 and it's almost four years since it broke down and yet, somehow, with all the many opportunities to drive other vehicles that come my way, and I am particularly lucky in this respect, I still yearn to get behind the wheel of my 58 and blast off for yet another ride of my life. I can personally say I have never driven a better, more satisfying car. I cannot put a finger on it or define exactly what that means except all I want to do is take it out to play and have some fun.
So all the time, money and effort is worth it to me. The difficulties so far are merely obstacles, the price I have to pay for such a satisfying experience. I do know people who buy cars, fix them up, campaign them for a while,
which is to say enter them into shows with a view to collecting trophies, and then sell them in order to acquire something else to do the same thing all over again. This is perfectly valid. Most car shows would be nothing without them. It just isn't the motivation that makes me want to play. To a certain extent, driving old cars is a part of what I do for a living. I do it quite well. I wish I could tell you why driving a 1963 Lincoln or a Ford Model A is so much less enjoyable than a 58 Imperial. I can definitely say I came into the Imperial orbit because the 58 was, for me, just incredibly satisfying.
I know plenty of other people who feel that way about their car of choice, too. To me, in the end, that's all there really is. I recognize that the activity is almost silly in some people's eyes. Upon
conversation, I usually find each one has his or her obsession. It may not be what turns me on but it's all good. I refuse to defend my enthusiasms or attack theirs. The world of the Imperial is not closed but only a few will choose to stay. This mailing list and web site was started to create a community of Imperial enthusiasts because, let's face it, there are that many of us about. I'm not aware of any local Imperial clubs except maybe some state wide organizations that only meet once, maybe twice a year. I have no opinion about whether you should or shouldn't restore your car. I only know I'm not going to be happy until I can drive mine again.
Hugh Hemphill
58 Imperial
San Antonio, Texas.
