Re: Prominent owners of cars

[Johnson David-QA2282 <David.R.Johnson@domain.elided>]

In AD-V8 #427, Eric Storhok posed the question, "Does having a prominent previous owner really make an Alfa more valuable??"

I would like to think so, since my 2600 was once owned by Keith Martin, editor and publisher of Sports Car Market.  I even have a letter Keith wrote to the PO, to whom he sold the car, with a few words about his ownership experience.  So I guess I can prove my car's claim to fame, should it come to it.

However, I am inclined to agree with others that such prominent Alfa figures as Keith, Pat, Joe, Don, and so forth are unlikely to add much to the value of the car through their ownership.  To start with, only Alfa nuts like us really know who they are, for the most part, although Keith is presumably known in a wider car collector circle.  And with all due respect to these esteemed gentlemen, they do not hold the same status in the public eye as, say, Clark Gable or Lyndon Johnson.  Proof of previous ownership by a prominent (or notorious) politician, celebrity or captain of industry might qualify for a price increase.  So might an appearance in a movie (such as "Contempt", in the case of the 2600 model, although that car was apparently destroyed in the final scene).

However, that is not to say that conosseurs of Alfas would not attach a certain cachet to a car owned by one of the Alfa greats.  I purchased my 2600 Sprint knowing that Keith had owned it, but that fact made no difference to me other than that I thought it "cool".  I certainly did not conciously pay more for the car because of this knowledge, rather I assessed the car's condition and paid what I felt was a fair price for it.  If or when I get it into show condition, I may choose to display the letter as a curiosity and as evidence of the car's ownership history, but I wouldn't expect to get extra points for doing so.

Having said that, I was thinking about the Sprint on ebay and vauguely contemplating purchasing it as a parts car, and I will admit that the thought of stripping and junking a car once owned by Pat did give me some misgivings.  But then again, so did the process of junking my rusted out GTV6, a car with no notable ownership history whatsoever and infinitely more common than the 2600 in the US, so I think I just get guilt feelings every time I comtemplate sending an Alfa to the junkheap in the sky.

Dave J.
Island Lake, IL.
1964 2600 Sprint (celebrity owned - really!)
1987 Milano Verde (I bought it from Paul Spruell, does that count?)

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