Chairman's Rant, July 2019

[red5]

Nice ‘rant’ Norm, forum needs a lively debate and nothing like money to get people interested.

When I placed an order for a LB, it was always the challenge of the build that interested me. Originally my thoughts were if I lost 10% when I sold it, then so be it.
It’s a hobby, much like watching football, making model trains, sailing etc whatever floats your boat!

In the two years I spent building, interest in the cars grew rapidly, even though the traditional kit car scene has declined considerably, the interest in replicas seems to have risen.
At Stoneleigh this year, barring the sevens, there were more MR2 ‘Ferrari’ replicas than anything else. Before I get flamed Im not putting Hawks or Lister Bells in the same category as the MR2s.

I think most on this forum could have a good guess at what my build costs were, when I originally thought about selling I had a figure in mind and happened to speak to Norm and Richard at Phils garage day who both convinced me I could get more.
Short story being I perhaps could have got more but I did achieve what I believe to be a good price, in a short time.
When you look at what LB sell turnkey cars for the price I got is comparable, argument being Lister Bell sell too cheap!

My personal opinion is (regarding value, not the joys of ownership) when asking 60k/70k/80k for these cars, what can you buy in comparison?
While there are people with enough interest and available cash to buy them, the rarity of a Stratos replica will always demand a premium. There are plenty of cars you can buy for upwards of £50k with the rarity factor and those cars will always retain a market value.

I wonder in 10 years’ time, when the number of available Stratos replicas has increased and the number of customers has decreased, will they still retain such residuals?