How can this Garage Envy blogger resist tuning in to at least a few minutes of a Barrett- Jackson, or a Russo Steele auto auction? He can’t. This is Garage Envy in full bloom. These enthusiasts are living out each or our fantasy’s of owning a piece of our own automotive past.
Car auctions go on all year long, but without major racing series events to distract me, now seems to be the time that I pay most attention to auctions. I was first dismayed to see the continuing trend of emphasis on American muscle cars in the broadcast auctions. If you read the collector rags, the full gamut of cars are changing hands, but muscle cars are apparently what draw the TV audience. It’s really awesome to watch the prices some of these cars are pulling down this season; there seems to be no recession in the car collector community.
One thing I am having trouble sorting out is that many of these cars are too nice. They get pushed onto the auction block with gloved hands, doors and hoods are gently opened and closed, polishing cloths are always at hand. These cars are “garage queens”. They deserve to be driven. Maybe only gently and on sunny days, but they need to be out there burning up some miles. Preferably at yours or my hand. That’s why Jay Leno’s brand of collectorship is at the core of Garage Envy’s focus; his cars get driven.
I have a personal prescription for the “too nice to be driven” restorers, emulate the ancient Navajo rug maker strategy of allowing a small mistake to remain in the finished work. That way the result isn’t too perfect to use. My own Navajo experience at restoration included an Austin Healey with a “perfect” paint job that had a rocker panel rust breakout shortly after completion and a Karman Ghia that nicked the door jam when being backed out of the paint garage. Believe me, those restorations rolled up plenty of miles after completion; probably aided by their lack of perfection.
So I stand by waiting for a call from any of those successful auction bidders. If they want a bit of that perfection to be rubbed off of their “garage queen”, I’m their man.
Less than “perfect” Austin Healey
