Reply #23: I considered that too. [View All]

[JohnnyRingo]

The builder/owner probably felt a great deal of pride in his initial achievement and factored that into his decision to preserve it when it soon became obsolete. He may just as well have cannibalized it for his next project.

I keep up with the collector market, and have to wonder as well how much is original. I'm sure it's been restored to some degree as even putting it away for 100 years will cause deterioration. While many early cars have been found secreted away over the years, only those that have a value equal or greater than the restoration costs survive. There are many "cars" found in boxes that are probably worth more for their parts than the cost of sourcing 80% of it for a rebuild.

People assume all old cars (and tractors) are valuable, but examples like Stanley Steamers have little practical use today. As such, they find limited appeal in the general market and therefore less value than one may realize at auction. Museums can't afford huge collector prices on non significant examples. This car has the romantic appeal of winning an important race.