As 2009 rolls in I'm going to do something I've never done before: make predictions. Dire ones for the most part, but concluding with a cheerful prediction just to keep you smiling.
Because of the economic crisis the automotive world has been especially hard hit, affecting everything from manufacturers to motorsport, with bike insurance quotes also feeling the impact and there is no reason to believe the collector car hobby won't be similarly affected. Therefore I predict that while auctions will still be popular there'll be more sellers than buyers, especially at the lower end of the market where folks are struggling to survive loss of jobs, investments, and homes (when times get tough it's the toys that go first). Concours and major car shows that depend on sponsor support will also take a hit and become less flamboyant. Classic car media will be affected by advertising cutbacks. Museum presentations, vintage races and rallies, will be forced to reduce their budgets.
If all the above sounds like the apocalypse arriving, relax. I also predict that it will be for the common good. Collector car prices have risen to absurd levels over the past decade, particularly among the muscle car class or, even worse, any finned and V-8 powered rust-bucket from the 50's and 60's. Bargain hunters can enjoy a bonanza as old cars will again be priced according to realistic values rather than emotional images of a past that never actually existed, except in our imaginations. The collector car hobby will become affordable again in 2009. And that, my friends, is the silver lining in a cloudy new year.
[Image: Russo and Steeles 2009 Scottsdale Auction, 1959 BMW]