The Official 356Talk Forum

Did this really happen?
I was crashing around he interweb the other day and saw this.
Did this car really sell for that kind of money?
Is this the current “high market” price on a Conti coupe?
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24103/lot/373/

Nice car, but,....looks like 15” rims, wrong scripts, radio?, where are the instrument hoods? reproduction knobs, reproduction antenna, no tool kit, questionable air cleaners, bumper guards look too thin, wrong ignition switch, Reuter badge likely should have been the later one?, wrong door VIN plate screws, aluminum windshield trim closing piece too fat, etc.

Imagine if all that stuff were right?

I think I need to up my insurance. Haha

Seems like a deal to me. If it were mine I would be asking a lot more for it.

Steve Harrison wrote:...15” rims, wrong scripts, radio?, where are the instrument hoods? reproduction knobs, reproduction antenna, no tool kit, questionable air cleaners, bumper guards look too thin, wrong ignition switch, Reuter badge likely should have been the later one?, wrong door VIN plate screws, aluminum windshield trim closing piece too fat, etc.

and a pointy hood handle; tacky, tacky

interesting it has the early reutter badge , typical theses were seen on the european delivered cars in early 55. The Continental had the new badge that said made in Germany. The factor used the leftover early badges on the 1955 european delivered cars (the non Continentals).
Also the dash is also not a hoffmann color.( nore is mine by choice it just looked awful with my color combo ) wonder if it's even a Continental? lots of little minor incorrect thing but Wow still A Beautiful car continental or not .. whats up with all the super deep spot welds around the vin tag?? anyone ever seen that before ? i wont even mention the suspicious looking casting marks around the engine numbers .. tell me that hasn't been altered .

Regards
Ned
55 Cab

Hey Ned,
I did notice those “spot” welds also. Look more like plug welds.
I doubt anyone there thought to reach up in the backside of that panel. It’s nearly impossible to hide a weld job from that side by grinding down the welds. It’s just too small a space.

It would be interesting if anyone who was at the auction could chime in.
I once saw a Conti sell at auction about five years ago for $236K and there were known folks there like Vic. I always thought that was the high “stupid money” for a Conti.
I wonder if this Bonham’s sale is a legit sale,...or a pump and dump effort.

Hey Spencer,
Nice handle.
What’s on the backside of that blunt?

This is the original handle I took off the car 30 something years ago. I was having some stuff polished a couple years back, and gave them this to clean up. I haven't installed it on the car yet so I can take a full photo of the back side if you want. I took this to document the part number detail.

Steve
plug weld ? im guessing that's what they call the simulated spot weld? The weld we all use in place of the spot welds, when overlapping sheet metal. The ever so satisfying drill and pool, never knew it had a name.i always thought it was just a simulated spot weld.
The continentals are fetching some crazy numbers. my guess is #1 the rarity and #2 the story behind them. i've had more than one unsolicited very tempting offers on my car. The last one just a little north of that number . every year i'm less and less involved with the cars . i'm actually considering selling, but figured the taxes will kill me .

Regards Ned

For comparison, here`s a pic of the next version of the 356 hood handle after the blunt nose........same part number, rain channel, and pointed nose.

Hey Ned,
I thought I remember you selling one to finance a college education for your daughter?
At least I think that was you,...with a 56 European.
I remember because I thought it was wild that you owned both the Continental AND the European, which are sorta related cars in the story.

Either way,...wow. I guess it’s just the way things are nowadays.
Yea,...Taxes,...I had never thought about that really till I talked with Phil Planck when he sold his Conti. He was in a hard search mode for any and all receipts to whittle down the capital gains.
I guess it would be hard to hide the gain,... go with cash? But that’s a lotta green to have in bills, haha.
I’d get screwed,...(probably just like you) I got my car for less than the cost of the steering wheel that’s in it.

But since it seems this page I posted isn’t just a joke,...I think I will go ahead and see about increasing my insurance. I still drive mine to the parts store and events and “occasional use” as they say.

Hey Spencer,

Haha,..yes, I asked because I wanted to see those part numbers and the lack of a reinforcing rib.
My original blunt is the same. There are loads of pointies out there that have been ‘blunted’ and I think it’s a shame. To my knowledge the blunt has never been reproduced, although I talked with the Road Scholar’s parts guy several years ago and he said he was going to cast a few because he needed one for the Conti they were doing. The Conti project went well, but I have no idea if he followed through or not, or if he ended up finding an original.

Hello Bill,

Yes, I’ve seen those too. It’s funny, and maybe you can confirm this possibly,...but I heard that when Brad first wanted to do the reproductions he used one of those and that’s why the NLA repro’s didn’t have a reinforcing rib for years and years. Dario Calandra even told me once that if you looked hard, you could almost see where the bumps were for the original part number.

Years ago it was the easiest quick way to tell an original from a repro,..but now I believe the repro’s have the rib, and they’re rather well done too I’ve heard.

steve you are correct i sold my 56 european to help pay for my daughters college.
i didn't get hit to hard with taxes on the 56 seeing as i did have a lot of money into that car.
anyone know if the cost to insure the car can be taken off capital gains how about the cost to heat the garage 25 years of heating and insurance adds up.

Great to have you back, Steve !!! Looking forward to your vast Continental knowledge !! George

Blunts and Pointys without the rib were castings (see rough underbelly). -- Ones with ribs were forgings -same as current reproductions - (smooth underbelly).