Mopars in NY Times

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FASTBACK340

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In todays WHEELS section of the New York Times theres a story on the new Challenger and how DC came about re-introducing the dormant nameplate.They also went on to talk about the sky rocketing value of vintage Mopars. During this highly researched piece of journalism they then mentioned how E body `Cudas are highly priced, but the second generation Barracudas are " ...worth as much as a nice Valiant and could be had for about $5,000 in showroom condition.":bs:


I wrote the Times stating I'll take three....I have cash waiting. :-s
 
this is again a narrow view from the ny times. clearly all mopars are on the rise not just the e bodies. mopars are hot in general. that is a great responce that you wrote back with. in the same line of thinking i wonder if ma mopar has any intensions of re-introduceing the scat pack again? given any thought to this? they are set up to do it now very easily. you have the charger r/t, the challenger, the soon to superbee charger, the viper truck, (that might be a stretch) magnum r/t (that could be a stretch as well) and the viper. that is 6 members counting the truck and the magnum. i think it could become a reality. how long after the challenger is re-introduced do you think it will be before a t/a edition appears? they talked about this at the nats this year, along with an r/t as well......
 
I think this whole retro-bandwagon thing is becoming so dilluted that maybe some things are better left as fond memories. I recently saw a yellow, yes, YELLOW pick up with GTX badging & stripes. The Daytona versions of the pick up & Charger (C'mon...make up yer mind!) also induce a test of my gag reflex. And now there's an Aspen version of the Pacifica! And DC just announced a new Avenger mid-size car is coming out too. I'm surprised they didn't call it a Dart...or Demon!

It's almost as if the powers that be at DC are looking at what not sold well in the past, but what has the auction "buzz" these days and are just tagging new models with these names without much thought about what MADE the name plate successful. I don't care how many stripes or badges they hang on a new car... if it doesn't walk the walk, it ain't worth the talk...

It's like saying I need a name for my band. The name The Beatles could be pretty marketable....:tool:
 

Here's a copy of my rant to the NY Times.... God, how that line ruffled my feathers!






NY TIMES QUOTE:

Barracudas from this era are worth little more than nice Valiants, perhaps $5,000 in showroom condition.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


As an owner who's in the middle of a complete restoration of a second generation Barracuda (it's a 1968...) I can a test to the fact that these cars are indeed worth a bit more than a "nice Valiant...." A straight, solid rust free 6 cylinder coupe is worth maybe $6,000. If your lucky to find a "showroom condition" 340 or 383 fastback version expect to shell out close to $30,000. They also made 50 with the REAL Hemi engine as a limited edition factory sponsored race car in 1968 also. These are worth well over $100,000... IF you can find one for sale.

Otherwise a pretty interesting article. I can't wait to see what vintage name plate Chrysler hangs on it's next cookie-cutter lump. And BTW: If you happen to have any $5,000 showroom condition Barracudas available, I'll take 3. I have cash in hand.

John V. Agugliaro
Queens, N.Y.
 
FASTBACK340 said:
I think this whole retro-bandwagon thing is becoming so dilluted that maybe some things are better left as fond memories. I recently saw a yellow, yes, YELLOW pick up with GTX badging & stripes. The Daytona versions of the pick up & Charger (C'mon...make up yer mind!) also induce a test of my gag reflex. And now there's an Aspen version of the Pacifica! And DC just announced a new Avenger mid-size car is coming out too. I'm surprised they didn't call it a Dart...or Demon!

It's almost as if the powers that be at DC are looking at what not sold well in the past, but what has the auction "buzz" these days and are just tagging new models with these names without much thought about what MADE the name plate successful. I don't care how many stripes or badges they hang on a new car... if it doesn't walk the walk, it ain't worth the talk...

It's like saying I need a name for my band. The name The Beatles could be pretty marketable....:tool:
Click to expand...

dilluted yes i will have to somewhat agree. fun to see, yes. sad to see some, again yes. should they stop doing it? no! the only reason why i will stick to this is 2 reasons. 1 if there were no intrest in this retro thing, then there would also be little to no repops from ma mopar, hardly any intrest in high-performance goodies, much less new development of parts or equipment. the current muscle cars may not be everyones taste but it is a fresh step towards the outside of the box that we have been in far to long. the new challenger is the closest thing to the original out of the box thinking that got us to where we are today with the muscle car world. if it takes 2 steps back to get us 1 step forward then so be it. if the new crop of muscle cars rekindle a flame in a person that has an old 69 daytona or 70 superbee tucked away in a barn or out back in the woods somewhere to get it out and restore it or drive it ,then it was worth it. the second reason is it dosent hurt the value of any of our cars, keeps the intrest up in them, and maybe lights a fire in a new young adult to want to go out and do the same as us.
 
300C and Charger ... one small step perhaps in weaning some folks who don't need them off fuel wasting, gas guzzling, road hazzard 3 ton trucks. Drove a Magnum R/T - very nice vehicle. D/C needs these to be reliable though. Mopar sold a lot more 6 cyl Darts and Dusters than the Muscle machines for the same reason people today want Accords and Camrys ... reliability (or perceived reliability) and economy. Around here on L.I. I see a lot more V6 Magnums on the road than the R/Ts.

There is not a huge market for modern muscle cars, just as there wasn't in the 60s to early 70s. This is a niche market. It's a showroom draw, just as the Viper was at the beginning. In the end what will make or break D/C now is reliability, warrantee, service, product quality and perceived quality and economy.

The fact that they are placing more $$$ into retro stuff may be nice ... but D/C's prices on these pieces is usually ridiculous, and it definitely appears that most of the good stuff (outside of crate engines) is coming from the aftermarket. Indeed, aren't D/Cs performance/restoration parts from the aftermarket?

Why would I find it offensive if they rename a new vehicle a Superbee or Daytona? That's just silly. I don't care what they name it. Real enthusiasts - those that know - aren't going to be fooled. Most others won't buy one anyway. The Ford Mustang went through many "versions", and until 2005, none of them really resembled the 60's cars that were so popular. Still the Mustang remained popular. One of the main reasons ... simple and cheap, and not unreliable either. Not to mention strong brand association. The 5.0 folks in general still liked the 60's cars, and the vintage cars owners - including a number of Mopar folks - liked tooling around in the 5.0s.

Getting ticked off over a corporate decision like that isn't worth it.
 
FASTBACK340 said:
Here's a copy of my rant to the NY Times.... God, how that line ruffled my feathers!






NY TIMES QUOTE:

Barracudas from this era are worth little more than nice Valiants, perhaps $5,000 in showroom condition.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


As an owner who's in the middle of a complete restoration of a second generation Barracuda (it's a 1968...) I can a test to the fact that these cars are indeed worth a bit more than a "nice Valiant...." A straight, solid rust free 6 cylinder coupe is worth maybe $6,000. If your lucky to find a "showroom condition" 340 or 383 fastback version expect to shell out close to $30,000. They also made 50 with the REAL Hemi engine as a limited edition factory sponsored race car in 1968 also. These are worth well over $100,000... IF you can find one for sale.

Otherwise a pretty interesting article. I can't wait to see what vintage name plate Chrysler hangs on it's next cookie-cutter lump. And BTW: If you happen to have any $5,000 showroom condition Barracudas available, I'll take 3. I have cash in hand.

John V. Agugliaro
Queens, N.Y.
Click to expand...

Did you see the article in the last MCG about the kid that won a contest for his design of the new "Barracuda"?
All i can say about it is
scld0005.gif
even the writer of the article said it looked like something out of a Sci-Fi comic book!
 
For whatever it may be worth...

The reporter and I did not discuss any prices, I do not know where he got that info, it was not from me.

Barry
 
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