How long can the classic car market sustain $200k Kombi Vans?

Those of you who follow the classic car market would have seen the recent sale of the $202,000 23 Window Kombi at the recent Shannon’s auction in Melbourne.   Somebody bid more than 50% over the guide price to secure this car.   The Kombi is iconic, but is it really worth that sort of money?   The market might say yes at the moment, but it is unlikely to be sustained.   This sort of exuberance feels like the 80s market where nice cars that are not particularly rare like the MK2 Jag were fetching silly money.    Of course, it all fell in a heap a few years later.

Frothy markets are not good for the classic car hobby.   Massively inflated prices brings in non-enthusiasts who just buy the cars for their value, and never drive them or show them.  Instead, they sit mouldering away in storage for years until that individual wants to sell it on.   Even for enthusiasts, the cars get to a point where they are no longer driven because of their perceived value.  This is a shame.

It is good for rare cars to have some level of value so they are saved and not scrapped, but boom and bust markets are no good for anyone.