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I have got to admit that I have had to work hard to get my head around Crypto Currencies, Blockchain, NFTs and the idea of the Metaverse. I'm trying, but it is not coming easy.
I can go to Lamborghini's website and for a mere $USD69,696 I can buy an animation of a Lamborghini on Mars in the form of a Non-Fungible Token. Check it out Here is the description from Lamborghini as to what you are buying...
"A Yellow Aventador SVJ Roadster on the planet Mars with one astronaut walking and the sun and the moons of mars are featured in the background in this limited edition drop for ‘The Epic Road Trip’ series. Automobili Lamborghini, NFT PRO and INVNT.ATOM present an unparalleled curated series of NFT drops that offers fans, collectors, enthusiasts, and the crypto community the opportunity to collect the ultimate set of digital collectibles and experience an epic Automobili Lamborghini road trip. Drop 1 in Lamborghini's ‘The Epic Road Trip’ series is ‘To the moon and beyond’."
Maybe I just lack the disposable income, but I can think of better uses for my money. Perhaps it is because I'm not really interested in late model Lamborghinis. Needless to say, I'm not a bidder on this. It does beg the question, "Is there a digital representation of an automobile that I would pay for?" And secondly, "Is there a place for NFT's in the classic and specialty car world?" I do think the answer to both these questions is yes.
|  | Ruf's 'Fazination'; the first 'viral' car video, and the only opportunity for most of us to experience the bonkers Yellowbird. | |
If I had to pick my one favourite car it would be the Ruf 'Yellowbird' from 1987. Ruf made 29 of them, and they are all worth well over $1M today. I got close to one that came through Calgary, but never managed to get a ride. The video 'Fazination', that Ruf put out around 1990, most likely is the closest I will come to experiencing the car. Ruf hired a helicopter and filmed Stefan Roser going around the Nurburgring for two smoke-filled, sideways laps. They sold VHS tapes out of their showroom in Pffafenhausen, Germany. Had I been at the factory, I wouldn't have thought for a second to pay the $50 or whatever the tape cost. The footage is thrilling.
Nick Mason, the former drummer for Pink Floyd and long- time car collector, published the book, 'Into The Red', about 25 years ago. In it were descriptions of about 20 of the cars in his collection - including a Ferrari 250 GTO, BRM V16, ERA and various other extremely valuable racing cars. He took the cars to Donington Park and took good quality recordings of the noises they made while driven in anger. A CD accompanies the book, and the noises are fantastic.
Here is what a 1950 BRM V16 sounds like...
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There are not many recordings of a BRM V16 - they didn't work back then, and they don't work very well now. Rebuilding a BRM V16 and getting it to work properly makes even something like a 4-Cam Porsche Carrera engine rebuild look like your kid's after school project. I've seen the car at Goodwood, but it was only using about half of its 14,000rpm. I love the recording of this car developing all 400hp from its 1.5 Litres.
Sony's Grand Turismo gaming platform has recreated the driving experience of hundreds of cars to an astonishing degree. The new '7th' Edition has added cars as diverse as a 2013 Porsche 918 Hybrid, 1984 Nissan Skyline Silhouette Group 5, and a 1954 Maserati AGCS/53 Spyder. Polyphony Digital, which is owned by Sony but semi-autonomous, has annual sales in the Billions, and accounts for a wildly disproportionate share of Sony's overall profits. Many boutique manufacturers hope to groom future clients by giving their cars to Grand Turismo to digitally replicate.
I've visited some of the world's great automotive museums, and usually walk away with one of the lavish books sold in their gift shops. Ralph Lauren, Peter Mullin, Miles Collier, Fred Simeone and others have published lovely printed works depicting the cars they have collected.
|  | Why not buy a digital recreation of the car(s), rather than the book? | |
There is clearly a market for the representation of unique automobiles in many forms of media. We can use 3D cameras and Laser scanning to make a faithful digital version of a car. We can record the noises and shoot video coverage. We can add the history and stories behind the design and production. We buy books, magazines and videos about the vehicles we are interested in.
What hasn't really been done in the collector car world - at least to my knowledge - is creating a suite of digital content about one specific car, and then serializing it. That is what an NFT could do - It would allow a person to buy the digital version of a rare or important car.
I think this opens up many possibilities. The digital NFT could be sold along side the genuine artifact. Car collectors could monetize their collections by creating and selling the NFT versions of their cars - creating a business and offsetting the costs of maintenance and storage. Museums could offer NFTs of the cars in their collections and sell them the same way that they sell books in their gift shops, or auction them to their donors. Manufacturers could sell digital versions of their concept cars or racing cars. If they are limited editions and serialized, then a secondary market for them could exist, and they could be traded and collected.
In concept, this wouldn't be that much different than fine art - where you have an original, and then various prints or other reproductions. Ultimately, It would allow more people to experience and learn about the car, while taking nothing away from the owner of the original.
I'm not really interested in paying $70k for an animation of a Lamborghini on Mars. If I really wanted to, I could rent an Aventador for a day for a lot less money. If I really wanted a nice screensaver, I could spend a couple of days in Adobe Creative Suite and make an image of a car on Mars (ok maybe with a little help). But a digital model of a BRM V16, Auto Union 'C' Type or Ruf Yellowbird? Quite possibly that is something that I could be interested in.
Ultimately, it isn't the medium or media, but the message or content that is going to matter. If somebody can parcel engaging content on an interesting car, and wrap it up as an NFT sold at a reasonable price, I'm quite sure they would find a market.
|  | For Sale This week on Bring-A-Trailer | |
1967 Toyota Land Cruiser for Sale in CA
Auction ends Thursday, Sept 29th, 11:10am
Land Cruisers rust horribly, and as working vehicles they were mostly all given 'workmen-like' body repairs. Finding an original paint Land Cruiser that hasn't mostly dissolved is extremely rare. This one has all kinds of charm with only what appears to be a light dusting of surface rust.
Keep it as an 'artifact' or as a basis for restoration where you will be miles ahead relative to trying to fix a rusty one. Expect something in the low $20,000s.
| Last Week on Bring A Trailer | |
1957 Willys Jeep Pickup in FL
Sold for $44,000 on Sept 24, 2022
Brooks Stevens was given a challenging design brief to come up with some civilian versions of the wartime Jeep. He had a very restrictive set of design parameters owing to the fact that the vehicles would be produced in an old washing machine factory, and the depth of the steel presses was only 18"! The Jeep Pick Up, Jeepster and Station Wagon - ancestors of today's Jeep line up - were all created on the same platform.
Vintage 4X4s and Pick Ups continue to rise in value. They are practical, if slow, classics. This looks like a nice restoration fairly bought. You couldn't re-create it for the purchase price.
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RESTORATION PROJECTS WANTED FOR WINTER 2022/2023
With our S3 E Type now complete and just the finishing touches left on our Series Land Rover, we are looking for 2 or 3 restoration projects to keep us busy over the winter. If you are thinking about undertaking a restoration, or buying a car to restore, let's talk!
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- On-Line Auction preparation and management
- Post-Sale logistics and sorting
- Restoration Project Management
- Dent Removal Wheel Repair Wraps and Tint Paint Touch Up Detail
Email Lawrence
Lromanosky@me.com
| Scheduled on Bring-A-Trailer: | |
2006 Spyker C8 Spyder
357 miles from new
Jet Black on Cognac quilted leather, engine turned aluminum dash, Sport Exhaust with whisper mode
Scheduled the week of Sept 24th on BAT and to run in the 2-week Premium auction format (link to come).
New York Title and presently located in Scottsdale, AZ. Can be imported and registered in Canada.
We are hoping for a world record price for a C8 Spyder with this car.
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1998 Hummer H1,
Dark Green on Tan Leather
10,000 miles from new,
6.5 GM TurboDiesel, 4 speed auto, portal axles
Outfitted for fishing/camping with 5000w generator and inverter to run pull out kitchen in rear load area. Custom roof rack for fly fishing rods. VHS and CB Radio.
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1993 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 CABRIOLET
122,000km
Extremely well preserved Victoria car reconditioned to the highest standard by meticulous owner. Over 100 hours and $13,000 in parts (wholesale) was recently spent to replace all consumables. Looks like a new car.
The W124 and W126 and their variants were design masterpieces from Bruno Sacco that are not outsold by current Mercedes-Benz offerings. They only made about 35,000 E Class Cabriolets, with about 20,000 of them being fitted with 6 cylinder engines. That is about the same production number as a Porsche 996 Turbo or a Ferrari 360 Modena.
$40,000
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