Tag Archives: cars

Randi Glazer Discusses Risks, Rewards of Classic Car Collecting

For those with a passion for collecting, restoring or rebuilding classic cars, there is often little thought to the risks and rewards beyond the simple enjoyment associated with such a pursuit. The insurance and underwriting specialist in Randi Glazer, however, immediately focuses on the potential risks and rewards that accompany every last detail associated with classic car collecting.

According to Glazer, many classic car collectors — as well as those who are even remotely familiar with this unique and intriguing hobby — are surprised to learn that a passion for collecting, restoring and rebuilding classic cars is one of the most stable investments an individual can make, as there is always a strong market for just about any classic car ever made available.

While there is enough risk that comprehensive insurance is entirely worthwhile, classic cars tend to be immune to any shifts in the economic climate and therefore represent an investment that consistently yields a significant return or at least provides the opportunity to recover the cost of the initial investment.

Classic Cars Can Be Both a Unifying Force and an Expression of Individuality

It is not often that the thing that sets us apart can also be the thing that brings us together, but this seeming paradox is perfectly represented in the owners of classic cars. This is especially the case with classic car enthusiasts who are deeply involved with restoration and customization, as it the process of bringing a classic car back to life that allows these unique individuals to express their creative side while also identifying themselves as something of an iconoclast.

Once the restoration or customization process is complete, however, the car then becomes a beacon for other like-minded souls who want to talk shop and bond over a shared love of gear shafts and other car parts. For friends and family members who often see a tirelessly focused and solitary individual who seems to prefer to be alone with a project in the garage, it can be quite jarring to witness this same person jovially engaging a complete stranger in conversation while looking over the open hood of a classic car. To the car enthusiast, however, this contradictory personality quirk makes perfect sense.

Someone like Ken Fisher is probably quite familiar with this concept, as one of his many books discusses the different kinds of paths taken by wealthy individuals to achieve a remarkably similar level of financial success. The same is true of classic car enthusiasts, and one of the most common subjects these individuals share has to do with the many choices made during the restoration and customization of their passion project. In the end, the car does not look any different to an outsider, but it is readily apparent to those who happen to share this sacred bond.

Hugo Sebastian Hirsch Explains His Passion for Classic Car Restoration

One might expect that a professional blogger who also happens to be passionate about classic cars would be devoting at least some of his energy to writing about his restoration projects, but Hugo Sebastian Hirsch sees his love of antique automobiles as a means of escape from his online work. In fact, Hirsch has said that his best ideas often come to him while he is working on a repair project, and these ideas typically have absolutely nothing to do with classic cars or anything remotely related to the subject.

“When I am working on a car, I usually do so in a solitary fashion,” began Hirsch, explaining his rationale for not frequently writing about his car projects. “As I get more into it, I feel this sense of calm and clarity that enables me to think deeply on a variety of subjects. There used to be a lot of times when I dropped my tools to find a notebook so I could start writing immediately, but now I just keep a notebook right there in the garage so I don’t have to feel so frantic about the possibility of losing my train of thought.”

Hirsch, whose career as a blogger and consultant allows him to arrange his schedule so he has plenty of time for classic car restoration, sees his passion for writing and for cars as remarkably similar and mutually beneficial. Hirsch has said in the past that his writing would absolutely suffer without his passion for classic cars, and his restoration work would not be so detail-oriented if not for his commitment to writing.

“The art of writing and the art of automobile restoration may not seem to be all that similar, and on a superficial level, perhaps they are not all that alike,” says Hirsch. “In both pursuits, however, it is the process and not the outcome that is most rewarding for me. When the work is complete, I feel a great sense of accomplishment, but I also feel entirely ready to move on to the next project and the next challenge. It is in this way that I enjoy every triumph and failure equally, and I have never felt as though I have ever wasted any time doing either one.”

Given Hirsch’s process-oriented perspective, it is perhaps unsurprising that he rarely keeps the cars he restores. Instead, he usually resells them below market value, turning only enough of a profit so he is able to begin his next restoration project in earnest.