Help With Value of a FHC Sprint - Stateside

[trw99]

For those of you in the States, I would be interested in your thoughts on approximate value for a 1972 FHC Sprint. I have been approached confidentially by someone who may sell but has little idea of value. I also appreciate that it is worth what someone is willing to pay!

The Federal FHC Sprint was the rarest variant, only 25 having been produced. This one is a one family owner car in original condition, less than 50,000 miles and never restored; it is still running. For me it has a wonderful patina of use and age and I would be tempted to do very little to it if it fell into my hands. For others, they will see bodywork that needs a full strip down and respray, an engine still fully Federalised with Strombergs and crossover pipes that needs a Weber head and carbs and so forth. So it is not quite in barn find condition, just well used and well driven. The original dealer tag is still on the rear fender even.

My advice to the owner may be to either sell this Sprint to an enthusiast who will cherish the car or to put it into a classic auction if making the most profit is important. However, I would welcome opinions as to what you think such a car is worth in your market place at this time.

By the way, I will not post photos or put you in touch with the owner. Only when he is good and ready to sell will I be able to do that.

Tim

[m750rider]

Difficult to assign a value without seeing it.

[elangtv2000]

Not sure why you refuse to post photos. Is the car that bad in condition? You might get better results at an auction where people are allowed to see it, of course only when the owner is good and ready...

[trw99]

I was contacted in confidence and I feel that showing a photo would go some way to breaking that confidence, since someone may, just may, recognise the car.

Look, the bodywork is totally original. How do you think it might look? Worn, tired, dusty, cracked, scratched - yep, correct on all counts! All the right bits are there. Otherwise all you will see is a red over white FHC Elan to Federal Sprint spec, including the correct steering wheel. A car is original only once, like this one.

If you want a concours car, this ain't it. If you want a racer with gizmos, this ain't it. If you want an original car in knackered but running condition, this is it. So what sort of money would you think of putting towards it? It can be a bracket, it does not have to be exact, just an idea. Area of $5k? More like $10k? $15k? None of the above?

Tim

[elangtv2000]

Well, still rather vague, Tim.
All I can offer is that I haven't seen many Sprints on the market here on the West Coast in past few years, nor many on eBay. Since the cost of restoration can be relatively high in this country due to high price parts and shipping costs, as well as limited numbers of good restorers (why I do all my own work, as well as somework for others), there may be a smaller pool of buyers, but there are definitely those who prefer unrestored cars.
Prices have been climbing for all Elans here, even some that need a complete sorting to be anywhere near the performer an Elan was meant to be, so I don't see why a theoretical car in the generalized condition you allude to would go for as low as $5k, and would expect it would do better. Perhaps with the right buyer it would fetch double or triple that, but of course, this is all moot, since the owner isn't selling and we don't have details on just what work the car really needs (chassis, brakes, engine, driveline, etc.).
Also, you can never tell with auctions, either online or in person. Sometimes cars fetch higher prices than a localized or club-advertised sale, sometimes not. A car that is known from a seller who is known to club members can result in higher prices and faster sales in many cases, and the car will end up with an enthusiast.
Last factor would be whether the car is in the West or East Coast, or in between, both for condition concerns, as well as availability and shipping costs.
Greg

[elanfan1]

Tim - how long is that piece of string?

For my twopenneth;

a car like that in the UK would probably go for between ?8/10K but add to the fact it is totally original and rareity value it might push up to ?12K - multiply by 1.5 for dollars = $18000 but then subtract 25% for the USA market = $13,500.

Anyone's guess is probably the true answer!

[collins_dan]

I don't think the car as described would do well on ebay. (Not much is doing well on ebay lately.) The ebay buyer will not appreciate the limited number produced, the single family ownership... all they will see is a tatty old car that if is was a convertible might be cool. I would say that they are better off putting it in www.Hemmings.com, where the audience will have more of an appreciation for its uniqueness and ability to see past its surface flaws. As to pricing, start high ($18-20k) and see what happens. You can always go lower, unless they are in a rush. One other important thing to note: Where it has lived in the US has a significant impact on pricing. Some areas of the country, cars rust out, other places, they do not. Dan

[garyeanderson]

There ae two kind of Elan's!

1) those that need restoration

2) those that have just been restored Stock or mod)

Getting to a value is hard without info and there is little to give any opinion other than it will sell for the right price. There are plenty of cars that need work, not all that many that you can get in and drive. Knowing who is the owner and where/who they bought it is more important than what it looks like in many cases as the work to re-paint is already planed into the price.

somewhere on other forums they have a smiley face icon thing that states

"this topic is useless without pictures"

and it is.

p-a

[elancoupe]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Lot ... 3a68bca61e

Is this the car in question?

[Mazzini]

The car that Tim has found is red over white with less than 50k on the clock, the car on eBay is mono white and ultra low mileage... Federal Elan Sprints are like buses, none for ages and then they all come at once.

[trw99]

Right ho! I have asked permission of the owner to show some photos and he has agreed. Unfortunately the quality of the photos is not great. You will see that it is not in the same condition as the wonderful looking white FHC currently on eBay - what a wonderful car that is too.

Tim

[garyeanderson]

I guess the first picture says the most with the sun roof. I have never been a big fan of them. They detract from the overall value (in my opinion) and limits your pool of potential buyers. I didn't expand any of the photos so I can't comment much on the rest but it looks pretty much like it just left the factory.

p-a

[Jolly Jumper]

Looks original and unmessed with.

But, to be honest, from what you can see on those pice, this Elan still needs careful restoration. Probably a total repaint, which would give you the opportunity to attend the hole in the roof.

Mechanicals may need some attention too. Strombergs are not universally loved.

So basically a nice restoration project, all parts there and not much needs to be done to the interior. LHD may make it interesting for European buyers.

As for "one of 25" - well, arguably a UK Spec Sprint without the fabric sunroof and with Webers or Dell'Ortos is more desirable anyway, so what it comes down to is that's a Federal Spec Sprint needing some restoration.

[pharriso]

Hi Tim, I'm thinking $15-18k. A good looking car would be $25-30k but I'm sure this car needs a restoration.

I've been looking for a car (either Sprint or Type 14) for over a year & monitoring prices. The owner of the white car that did not sell on eBay is looking for $50K.

I'd be interested in seeing this car myself if it comes to market. You can contact me privately pph<at>lionheartsolutions.com

Regards
Phil Harrison

[m750rider]

I think more like 10-15K but you never know how badly someone wants one. A running original is a great place to start.

Bob

1969 S4 SE