How many Boras currently for sale?

The bonhams car sold at $132k. Needed full resto.

 

Did anybody follow the Gooding auction yesterday? Did the Bora sell and for how much or will it cross the block today?

 

I didn't and they've posted no results as yet.
Yes this is the one to watch though the car is hardly "restored in an original manner" but it looks very nice none the less.

 

Just sold @ $264,000.

Though disappointing for a nice Bora, given its hideous US specs., strangely idiosyncratic restoration and a very weak auction where almost everything sold significantly below guide prices, not bad at all.

We are not far off from the first 500K sale for the right Bora!

Enjoy.

H.

 

Original color was Rame Metallizzato "metallized copper"

Original interior was Senape (tan)

 

For a second thought you were describing my Bora, which always was and still is exactly that!

 

What car are you talking about?

 

1973 Maserati Bora 4.9 | Gooding & Company

 

"You can Google "Merak Group" to see what these wheels look like in the gallery and/or products section on our website and soon to be seen on our YouTube channel."


There's nothing quite like blowing your own trumpet. I just love it !

 

OK then what is so hideous about it's US specifications?
This one is an easy cosmetic fix to European appearance if that's what one wants.
Any potential mechanical differences are insignificant to change.

I'll agree that it's not a 100% authentic original restoration and some of that may be a good thing. But this is a very nice looking car and I don't understand the reason for bad mouthing the car?

I wish it had done about $100K more which would finally put it on a par with Ferrari (boxer) but I think this is a significant sale.

 

Agreed.

 

Historically speaking this price is none the less quite significant.

 

As far as I can remember this price is about double what the high price was in the late 80's boom.

 

+1 !!!!!!!!

 

$1.00 in 1990 had the same buying power as $1.85 in 2014.

So yes it is up a tad but that value in 1990 was very ephemeral and quickly plummeted back to $35-40$. Will the same thing happen again? I looked at afew cars at the auctions and some stuff is very high like Italian cars while other cars such as a 38 Buick Special Phaeton which looked very nice to me but not a fresh restoration went for $60K. So not all cars are hot.

I have no F****ing idea if this lasts but my gut says that this and the stock market are going to have some sort of a correction.

How many scared hobbyists/investors will it take to cause a hasty exit?

This time around IS very different from 1990 in that the sheer volume of cars being invested in (coveted) is staggering. The entire industry has grown and matured enormously.

But ... poof and it CAN all go sour.

I hope not from a personal financial perspective but between rising insurance costs/restriction and not wanting to affect the value of your substantial investment this is also going to take most of these cars out of any significant use on the road.

Who would be willing to take their 1 mil + Miura or even a $250K Bora on an overnight road trip and park it in a small hotel along the California or New England or Southern coast?

This has all become like a very expensive country club with an enormous membership fee except if you time it right you can get your fee back or even double, triple it!

 

No need to reinvent the wheel.

The Maserati GT community will learn to deal with this EMERGING "problem" very quickly, as their brethren have managed for decades with their Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins etc. etc.

Enjoy or sell and weep!

Thanks.

 

This car would have sold for $80K to $100K just one year ago. I know as I was shopping for a Bora a year ago and had several nice ones to choose from in that price range. I would say a 160% increase in just one year is nothing to be disappointing about!

I would not be at all surprised if in the not too distant future you will be able to buy a nice Bora for $80K. Anybody that thinks this crazy market is the new "normal" is just fooling himself.

Ivan

 

1---I used the word "disappointing" in the context of European Bora prices.
Even at 264K we are still well below those numbers; although I do accept the current USD/Euro strength as a significant factor.

2---Respectfully disagree. Markets, of course, will always go up and down but an 80k very nice Bora will only be back when you can buy a lovely Daytona for 300K.

Thanks.

 

+1 (probably?)

But some cars have appreciated wildly over the last 4-5 years, 3500GT Ghibli, Bizzarrini, some Rivoltas, Miura, Countach, 350/400 ... do all of those get rolled back to where they were?

Will we see 80-100K Miuras again? Boras were 35K at that time.

Yes, skipping the new car depreciation cliff is a sound financial move. I think you really like the car too even if it was a bit naughty at first.

But I remember making that same retirement pitch to my father and older brothers about my then new Bora back in the late 1980s. They looked at me and rolled their eyes. Not too long after that everything went poof. I didn't really buy it as an investment, I was just tickled that I was up almost 400% at the time.

As we see from the inflation calculation it would be at best a lackluster inflation hedge as a long term investment and that's if I sold it RIGHT NOW! I looked at a Miura back then as well. That would have been the real investment just a horrible car for me at least and I could see that at the time.

 

There are European Boras sell for north of 264K that you can document? Please show us some examples.

Historically it's always been hard to even see very nice Boras until the last 4 or 5 years. There were the odd exceptions of course over the years. Mine looked terrific in 1991, Claus Groth's maybe 8 years after that and he sold his last year. Thise were the extreme exception though. Boras were anything but hot. I went to Monterey 2012 for the first time in over 10 years and the quality level of all Maseratis had improved enormously over that time. Boras were still not hot but Ghiblis had already taken off. It's only natural that now we see some nice ones up for sale.

 

With all due respect, I am not a government agency or a classic car dealer; thus unable to comply with your request.
Simply an attorney with his own small private collection for over 25 years.

You may wish to try your luck buying this beautiful Bora @ 282K:
Maserati Bora 4,7 ** European Version ** Excellent For Sale (1973) on Car And Classic UK [C569344]

Please note that it is currently on sale at a discount of 20%due to the USD's current strength.

Have no idea if you follow the forex markets but this entire dialogue hinges on exchange rates.

Over and out.

Thanks.

 

Interesting choice of evidence then ...

I don't think we disagree on the fact that they've become more desirable and are generally up but this last one is THE highwater mark AFAIK in today's currency. If that's a sustainable valuation then the best one in the world should be worth even more. I think they should be on a par with the Boxer and a Countach but the Miura will probably forever hold a more special place.

As for currency valuations affects - the Europeans have been fishing in the American exotics barrell for quite some time already. Khamsins for example have effectively left the building here.

I'm not not trying to be confrontational just rational in what is a market of "irrationally exuberant valuations"

I can be wrong, very, very wrong. I certainly was in 1990.