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From Our Family to Yours,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Philadelphia International Auto Show
January 30 – February 7
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 As
I write, we here at Ragtops & Roadsters are again gearing up to
support the vintage car exhibit at the Philadelphia International Auto
Show. Come see the display of over a dozen classics in the Elegance at
Hershey / AACA Exhibit in Hall D near the Broad Street entrance.
AACA membership will be offered at auto show special discount rate.
The auto show will open with a Black Tie-Gala on Friday night January
29 and will run through February 7, 2016. For more information
visit www.phillyautoshow.com. |
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AACA National Meeting
February 11 – February 13
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 The
AACA National Meeting is held in February every year at the Sheraton
Hotel on 17th Street In Philadelphia. If you have yet to attend, I
suggest you stop in as there are many seminars about our hobby including
electrolysis metal finishing, interior cleaning and stain removal, and
certification and judging of vintage race cars to name few. Check the AACA's Seminar Listing for complete offerings. We will have an exhibit set up the vendor room. Stop by and see our latest restoration projects. |
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Youngsters are introduced to the hobby by learning to scrutinize every detail at an AACA Junior Judging Seminar.
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Ragtops & Roadsters Tech Tip
Just Dew It
by: David Jago, Shop Manager
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With
customers who are relatively new to the hobby, the questions about
repair sometimes begin "Can you just...?" The intent is clearly to
minimize the financial impact of the work needed. The result of quick
fixes and patching problems is usually less than acceptable by Ragtops
& Roadsters' standards, and our answer is, "We CAN, but we WON'T."
We strive to do the job right, for the customer and the car.
Having work done correctly can preserve
both your car and your budget in the long run. Shortcuts taken will
undoubtedly surface, many at inopportune times, and will more often
leave you with greater expense or damage than making the appropriate
repairs. As an example, we recently had a client come in needing an
exhaust system. The pipes and muffler on the car were likely the
original parts. The question was asked about patching a cracked pipe to
enable the car to pass inspection. After a discussion about the value of
doing the job right, the decision was made to replace the entire
exhaust system. The expense to do the job right may have cost more
initially, but It was an investment to preserve the look of the car, and
provided proper exhaust and noise control.
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The
alternative would have been to cover up the failing part or parts to
enjoy the short-term gain. While the idea of a temporary fix is fine for
an emergency to get a car to a place of safety, our technicians
regularly encounter these "temporary fixes". Those systems have
typically sustained more wear and damage, simply masking their true
condition until a significant failure exposes the shortcut taken. Using
the exhaust example again, to have patched the muffler would have
delayed the proper repairs needed. Ultimately, the exhaust would fail,
perhaps during a nice evening drive, during which the car would either
lose part of the exhaust or, worse yet, drag it flopping under the car
for a while. The potential for damage is fairly obvious. "Can you
just patch it?" You CAN, but we WON'T.
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British Car Calendar of Events
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| 1/2 |
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Morgan Club of Philadelphia Holiday Party, Ambler, PA |
| 1/17 |
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DVJC Annual Holiday Party & Awards Luncheon, Ambler, PA |
| 1/16 |
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Delaware Valley Chapter MG T Register Movie Night, Collegeville, PA |
| 1/18 |
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AHSTC Philly Region Meeting, North Whales, PA |
| 1/23–1/31 |
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Barrett Jackson Auction, Scottsdale, AZ |
| 1/24 |
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Delaware Valley Triumphs Winter Party, Lansdale, Pa |
| 1/30 |
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Lehigh Valley British Car Club Holiday Banquet, Bath, PA |
| 1/30–2/7 |
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Philadelphia Auto Show, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1/31 |
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LOTUS PALS Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Karting Event, Allentown, PA |
| 2/11–2/13 |
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AACA Annual Meeting Philadelphia, PA |
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Check our upcoming newsletters for a complete 2016 calendar!
You agree to check the host/organizer website to confirm dates and times of events.
We agree to do our best to keep this calendar updated to reflect the most current information.
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In the Shop Now
The Great Race 2016
by: Dave Hutchison, Operations Manager
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  Our
technician, Ryan, carefully disassembles the original 3.4 Liter
power-plant for this 1952 Jaguar Mark VII that will compete in the Great
American Race in the spring of 2016. This motorcar will have thorough
mechanical freshening from the radiator to the exhaust system so it can
be ready to run this cross-country event from San Rafael CA on the
old Lincoln Highway ending Moline, IL. 
This cross-
country time speed distance rally first ran with pre-war cars in 1983
and has had a wonderful history over the years. Since the early
days few things have changed in terms of the rules and how the
event is run, but it’s still a classic car event with the same
basic idea from years past. You’ll enjoy plenty of time behind the
wheel of your classic car, and embrace the challenge of meeting specific
timelines to try for a perfect score! Sometimes it’s tricky to get the
timing just right, but one thing is for certain—you’ll have a great
time, and meet up with many like-minded car nuts on your journey.
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Before We Put 'em Away Run
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&  Our
annual tradition of the "Before We Put 'em Away Run" was again a
fantastic success! On Sunday morning, November 22 a beautiful day helped
turn out nearly 50 cars at Ragtops & Roadsters. This year we
presented a check for the funds raised ($23,807) by the 2015 America's
British Reliability Run benefiting St. Christopher's Hospital. Some
of the entrants from the 32 teams that competed in the ABRR joined in
the presentation. After a shop tour, coffee, tea and scones we
started the run that consisted of about 40 cars. A rather spirited drive
on the twisty roads of Bucks and Montgomery County left some
participants smiling when we arrived at our sister shop Pollock Auto
Restoration just before noon. There, everyone was treated to a buffet
lunch and a tour of the projects at Pollock Auto Restoration.
We hope to see you again in 2016! |
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Auction Report "Rolling Sculpture" & "Driven by Disruption"
by: Dave Hutchison, Operations Manager
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"Rolling
Sculpture" was the first Keno Brothers Classic Car Auction held
in New York on Nov 19th. Their presentation was top shelf, museum
quality, as all of the cars were displayed on pedestals and lit to show
every beautiful line and curve. Their sale price estimates were strong
but the way the market has been moving; who knew? The mood was good
and but crowd was a little less than expected. I was later told
that many potential overseas buyers did not attend just days after the
Paris terrorist attacks. Once underway, the room was quiet and the
auctioneer was not enthusiastic, to say the least. That's where it
all went into slo-mo. Every lot was stretched out far beyond what time
needed to engage bidders and soon the 'no sales' climbed higher and
higher. One might ask, "Is the bubble popping?" When the dust settled
only 50 % of the lots that crossed the block sold for a total of $8.3M.
Many cars sold below the estimated ranges, however, a stand out lot was a
superb 1968 Bizzarrini Strada 5300 that brought $1,010,000. As we
headed out into the rain and I wondered if now is the time to sell?
 Less
than a month later, another New York auction aptly named "Driven by
Disruption" by RM Sotheby's was held on December 10th. It still did not
answer that question. Although I did not attend this auction, the total
of $76.1 again fell far short of expectations and the sell thru was
a disappointing as 10 of the 31 vehicles offered went home with
their sellers. One car that did far exceed RM's expectations, that
has been seen by the pubic for the last 20 years at the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, was the 1964 Porsche once owned by Janis
Joplin. RM estimated this celebrity car to sell between $400K and $600K.
This  treasure
had seven bidders chasing and it finally hammered at a whopping $1.76M!
Can the new owner sing' "Oh Lord, Won't you buy me a Mercedes
Benz?" Long live Rock & Roll!
In terms of beauty, and one
of my favorite shapes, was the 1962 Aston Martin DB4/GT, whose body was
designed and built by the famed coach builder, Zagato. This
British/Italian hybrid sold for $14.3 million (est. $15-17 million). It
was the 14th of 19 iterations built and had been restored to
the nines. Photos by Andy Reid.
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Most
of the cars at both of these auctions were extremely rare,
the best of the best with significant provenance, and many
have broken the price ceiling due to that fact. Most common
vintage sports cars have appreciated well since the recession, and
the leader of that pack is still held the Jaguar E-Type, as Lot # 114
sold for $380K. Still a respectable number! Although some say this
iconic car's value has now flattened out, it still remains strong
compared to their pricing only three years ago. The high end
auctions do indicate market confidence, but for me, I will continue to
hold, not for financial concerns, but for the reward vintage
car owners receive in two ways, pride in ownership and smiles
per mile! Let's see what happens at Scottsdale and it’s still too
early to judge whether the once booming classic car market has toned
down a couple of notches. Most of the US sales take place on the West
Coast and these New York sales venues are relatively new to the market
so the question still remains.
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Simeone Spirit of Competition Honoring David Hobbs
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,  This
annual fundraiser has always been a special night at the Simeone
Foundation Museum. This year Dr. Simeone hosted David Hobbs as the
evening's honoree. Introduced by Bill Warner, of the Amelia Island
Concours, Mr Hobbs spoke at length about his long, sometimes less than
successful, racing 30-year history of international driving experience
at all levels of motor sports, including sports cars, Indy cars,
IMSA, Can-Am and Formula 1.
Hobbs raced at LeMans for twenty years and won First in Class for
both Lotus and Porsche. He raced in many of the greatest sports cars
ever built, including the Jaguar E-Type, Lotus Elite, Lola T70, Ferrari
250 LM, Ford GT40, Porsche 917K, Ferrari 512M, McLaren M8D, McLaren M20,
Ferrari 365 Daytona, BMW M1, Porsche 935, Porsche 956 and Porsche
962! Mr. Hobbs was very appreciative of all that came his way over
the years and as alway his talk was very entertaining. His talk was
complimented with slide show of many of the cars and people he raced
with over the years. The sit down dinner was the best we have ever had
at this event and the music very good by the Gin Canaries. I recommend
you visit www.simeonemuseum.org to subscrible to their newsletter. If
you haven't, I suggest you attend the Spirit of Competition in
November 2016! |
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Ragtops
& Roadsters is here to help out over the winter and
spring seasons. Maybe it's time to take care of those maintenance,
restoration, preservation, and upgrade needs on your car's
wish list? Click here to
send an e-mail to dave@ragtops.com or call us 215-257-1202 to schedule
an appointment. We are now scheduling appointments in Feb / March,
so it's not too soon to think about the upcoming spring driving
season! Click to see our Works In Progress page
on our website. Also, we have recently listed more of our
client's British cars looking for new homes, see current
listings on our For Sale page.
Happy Motoring!
Dave & the Staff at Ragtops & Roadsters.
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