Automotive treasure in the sun

 

One of my neighbors could be called an eccentric. That might start with his pair of St. Bernard dogs that are quite a sight when he walks them and they love to get close to us, get petted while drooling all over our legs and chests. 

In addition to these animals however, the man has quite a collection of sports cars that he loves to literally pile up inside the three garages that his house include elaborate car stackers. 

As we walked by the other morning by his house on the golf course, four of his cars were on display in front of his house, like we see laundry hung in front of Mediterranean houses. 

I snapped a picture and then asked AI to identify the vehicles and give me an estimate of their worth. I check with two (2) AI sources and I retained the most conservative estimates: 

1. The Silver Convertible (Far Left, Driveway) is a Ferrari 360 Spider, produced from 2001 to 2005 carrying an estimated market value from $80,000 to $130,000, even north of $150,000 if it’s a factory 6-speed gated manual version. 

2. The Vintage Red Targa (Middle Left, Driveway) is another Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, made from 1972 to 1974, worth between $350,000 to $550,000, the absolute crown jewel of that collection. 

3. The Metallic Silver Convertible (Right, Driveway) is also a Ferrari 458 Spider made between 2012 and 2015 that’s worth from $220,000 to $280,000. Some low-mileage, pristine examples can push up toward over $350,000. 

4. The Dark Blue Metallic Convertible (Foreground, Street) is obviously a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (997.1 or 997.2 Generation) made between 2008 and 2012, worth from $85,000 to $140,000. 

The total estimated value of that display collection amounts roughly from $735,000 to over $1,100,000, depending entirely on the respective mileage and whether the manual-transmission premiums apply to the 360 and the 991. 

This still pales in comparison to the house that would easily fetch around $4 million! From what I know, that now divorced septuagenarian who owns all that stuff used to be a divorce lawyer in Hollywood, so that might give those considering divorcing an inkling as to where a large portion of the couple’s wealth is going to vaporize...