Are they nuts?

[1987cp]

If you buy that car at anywhere near its asking price the only thing to do with it is put it in a garage and trailer it to shows. Putting on miles will only diminish the value.

Reminds me of the old dude who got all indignant when I said he should put a Honda or Cavalier motor in his Austin-Healey.

[tjc78]

I see his point... however, a modern Civic or Focus powertrain would be kinda cool in an Austin Healey.

[P72Ford]

If I get to some of the other cars on my bucket list (I may try and get one when I am done with this coupe), I will be looking for very clean, low mileage originals to make drag cars/ street cars out of.

'78-'83 G body Malibu, and a '77+ Cadillac Coupe DeVille. I wouldn't care if they were mint 5000 mile cars. If I didn't have to paint it, go through the undercarriage, etc, it'd be that much easier. Minty fresh trim, lights, interior, etc are all pluses. I'll trim that minty interior to fit around the roll ball... Keep it totally stock looking (minus the wheels), and make it hellaciously fast.

But there are some things I would buy, and never dream of modifying. Like an original, or well restored model A (I love the 2 door sedans). I would be thrilled to put-put around in a perfectly original car, and know that years ago that was how cars were.

My Dad's friend bought a 28,000 mile '37 Ford Business Coupe in 2001. Totally original; paint, interior, etc, and in fantastic shape. It had a juice brake conversion, and the mechanicals were all excellent. It was an expensive car...

My Dad picked it up in Buffalo, NY and brought it back here and stored it for a few months. During that time, we would occasionally take it out for drives, and the experience was unforgettable to me. The originality of the car made it an emotional experience to drive, or drive in. And I know my Dad felt the same way. Someone had bought this car new in 1937, and here we were, 64 years later, driving in the same car, just like it was all those years before. It was like re-living a small part of history.

It was far from being fast, but that was the last thing on my mind, sitting there in the original mohair seats. Its an experience I enjoyed immensely, and something I would love to feel again, some day.

I've had that same feeling on other occasions ('51 Ford Business Coupe), and even with my Dad's '62 Impala. I enjoy correctly restored/ original cars just as much as I like really fast, modified cars.

If I were someone who owned one of these TCs when they were new, loved it, and wanted to take myself back, $13K would be a small price to pay.