Who needs Bruce Weiner with ebay items like these.

[mharrell]

Well excuuuse me for not being a rocket scientist...

I am a rocket scientist:



For what it's worth, I forgive you.

...and having the nerve to want to look at a microcar even though I wasn't born in jolly old England.

It depends on the circumstances.  The only microcar I've removed from England was a wayward voiture sans permis that even the Bubblecar Museum didn't want.  I believe the general British response was one of quiet gratitude for my efforts.

[richard]

jim - i obviously stand corrected - i apologise on that . he seems to be more in the same boat as the rest of us than i thought .

anyone taking sans permis from england is ok by me 

[steven mandell]

Well excuuuse me for not being a rocket scientist...

I am a rocket scientist!

For what it's worth, I forgive you.

Sorry that i did not turn out to be one, as the inclusion of my responce in shaded background erroneously implicating the following as a qoute could imply- but..

Come to think of it I have had a similar problem with clubs before.  When I was in 8th grade I wrote a paper for my English class expousing that the man I most admired was Robert H. Goddard- inventor of the liquid fuel rocket.  I have often thought how wonderfull it would have been to have been born with the opportunity to develop same.  That was also the year that I successfully defeated a motion to ban me from my local Model Rocket Club, where they all used Estes, and sometimes the bigger Centuar solid fuel engines to propel our model rockets.  My favorite was the long burn 7.5 lb thrust  Centuar as about half of these would just barely clear the pad before disintegrating in a huge explosion.
The reason for my intended impeachment was that I preferred making my own engines.  I think it was the one that I topped off one with the conical metal tip from a ski pole packed with my own blended explosive and included shrapnel that got them the most upset, as I deliberately left out the parachute and sent everbody ducking for cover before it exploded on impact as designed, and the shrapnel could be heard wistling through the nearby forest.
I do feel better now.   Funny that a cathartic effect can be felt after a 40 year interlude.
Also interesting that I ended up moving 3000 miles to find myself living in the very city that Mr. Goddard lived in and had the High School named in his honor.

[Bob Purton]

jim - i obviously stand corrected - i apologise on that . he seems to be more in the same boat as the rest of us than i thought .

anyone taking sans permis from england is ok by me  

The main difference being that we mortals have to restore them our selves rather than throwing money at it. If I had the money I would do the same thing!

[Big Al]

Well excuuuse me for not being a rocket scientist, and having the nerve to want to look at a microcar even though I wasn't born in jolly old England.
All I was doing was politely pointing out an error in the post that prevented the readers from being able to realize the benefit of the intended communication.
May I be allowed to humbly  point put that several of the ensuing rants make the illogical, unsupportable and prejudicial assumption that anyone that lives off shore from your continent that is expressing an interest in viewing cars on EBay cannot be a true enthusiast, and is only in it for the money?  Can they not want it for themselves?
I am a true enthusiast of only average means, who is guilty of the cardinal sin of not being born on your shores.  I have never sold a single microcar, but value my interest highly enough to have taken 4 days out of my life and travelled 3000  miles last week to be part of Microcar history in the making.  Where were your country's true blue, dyed in the wool, holier than thou, and more deserving enthusiasts then?
Now I see myself referred to as a "chum" after pre paying more than $1000 for services in good faith,  providing instant live photos, pictures, telephone calls, and even follow up detective work on who the buyers were for 3 of your non US members when micros that they had a previous interest in crossed the block.  All done out of pure enthusiasm, whilst not being enabled to buy anything due to the high prices at Bruce's auction.
 
If you must have a scapegoat that badly- why not make it Bruce, who has introduced interest in microcars to more people, and saved more of them than anyone else on the planet, or Jim who spent the whole time devoted to getting the live feed working.  After all, they are foreigners that have bought microcars that originated from outside of their country also.
With the relatively high value of the GBP to USD, you have less to complain about than we do in the states, yet we don't crucify the English investors that are so enabled to "steal" our rust free California cars to resell at a profit back on your shores.  Ditto the French for your fellow citizens taking of similar advantage in their country.
 

Fundamentally my argument. This is a world interest now. Once the cars escape from Dorksville, Carrotshire. they are open to a world market. That market creates a price exclusive of national clubs etc and a value gradient based on shipping costs. You do not want to pay the access price then your not in the game unless you go to Dorksville to find further unknown cars that might be under-priced.
I am not sure I can quite go for Bruce 'rescuing' any cars, but what do I know. Perhaps it depends what you mean by rescue. I mean stuff that was due to be scrapped unless someone acted. He certainly made some machines accessible. What he has done is concentrated a world wide resource into one place. He looks to have reaped a reward for his ability to do that allied to his clear abilities to cut the crap in business and successfully publicize an event. Quite a few folk made good dosh from acting between Dorksville and Bruce's need to go there in the build up of this collection. Many of them used to have a hobby but decided to realign themselves to be more conscious of the values than be true to minimalist pursuits. Is that Bruce's fault? His auction was a natural product of predators trading on cash value as someone has to be top dog. Bruce invested more money than anyone else, I think, irrespective of his motives for doing so. So presumably part of the Auction was to establish who is the new top dog, with the same proviso? Indeed if the new main buyers are indeed enthusiasts then Carrotshire's enthusiasts just got priced out of the game, which is why eBay is not working for them. You have to get out and physically search for the stuff again. Incredibly it still seems to be out there.

I believe the Messerschmitt Owners Club dropped the no export ban rule some decade ago. It was unenforceable not least since some of the worst offenders were the Clubs own officials! This was even printed as a quote and investment tip in one serious National paper's investments section! But of course the MOC has been a Limited liability corporation rather than a club for about the same period. Innocence was sold in the deal, as it very often is.

[Bob Purton]

Thats news to me Al, it was certainly talked about as still being law when I was a member which was less than a decade ago, may be the moral U turn was not broadcast so that the officals could sin in secret?   It never really made sense in my view as the cars came from Germany. I can understand more the BOC ruling.

[richard]

This raises a point bob. Hope you don't buy a lottery ticket or suchlike. If you won 6 million you would have to give up your hobby. I think it's possible to be wealthy and restore a car - in fact it might be rather nice  for a change . After all how many of us do all our own restorations without professional assistance- chroming, upholstery , powder coating etc.

[Garybond]

I think if we were fortunate enough to win the lottery you would buy cars but let someone else do the hard work you may even end up like a British Bruce

[steven mandell]

The only modification that I suggest to Al's commentary above is that the rewards that Bruce reaped from all of his obviouly successful publicity campaign were donated to a children's hospital.  9.1 million dollars is a great gift from a great man.
The above consideration gives greater meaning to the look of elation that I saw on Bruce's face just after the last car sold.  It was the stray mut of the auction-a very derelict Larmar that had Big Al's name written all over it.  It was the only one that I could afford to bid on, but alas at the sold price of $4, 600 even it was too expensive by my book.

[richard]

And I believe he actually made a loss on the larmar !I have never heard any mention previously of the charitable cause - is this common knowledge ?


i just googled bruce weiner charity auction thinking that those words would come up with something - they didn't so i tried bruce weiner childrens hospital and that came up with nothing either - odd though considering your recent information steve . he must be keeping it all quiet then 

[Bob Purton]

If thats true that would make me a happy man, not that I dont believe Steven but would be nice to see it in print somewhere.

[Stuart Cyphus]

. he must be keeping it all quiet then 

 Is that not the way it should be? Maybe he did it for the good of the cause and not for the good of any ego that those quick to condem the sale may think he has....

[richard]

Just unusual in the modern age not much is hidden from the www .  But has managed to be . I wondered if steven had been asked to say nothing or had read it or what ?

[Bob Purton]

That is most definitely the way it should be, the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing. I despise charity amidst fanfair as it casts doubt on motive. I would still like confirmation though as rumours of all sort are rife and this could be just another one of them.

I wonder if Jim can confirm this, I notice he has gone very quite all of a sudden.

[Big Al]

The only modification that I suggest to Al's commentary above is that the rewards that Bruce reaped from all of his obviouly successful publicity campaign were donated to a children's hospital.  9.1 million dollars is a great gift from a great man.
The above consideration gives greater meaning to the look of elation that I saw on Bruce's face just after the last car sold.  It was the stray mut of the auction-a very derelict Larmar that had Big Al's name written all over it.  It was the only one that I could afford to bid on, but alas at the sold price of $4, 600 even it was too expensive by my book.

As I have told, this Larmar was converted from an I.C. to a car version like I have. I suspect this did for it as much as as anything and I suspect why Bruce did nothing with it. Be interesting to know. I do know some while back he was most resistant to the idea of I.C. He was not hugely into GRP cars either at that time. So there were favourites.
Not heard about a donation either. Certainly he is a person who can make a difference and I am not talking about just his cash.

For Richard's view that is true, most have to restore their cars as best they can. However for the skilled, there opens the opportunity to take in restoration of those cars bought by wealthier owners. Years of acquired skills can be made to return and who better than they who know the cars intermatly to put them back together.  It does not reduce the impact of a gradual rise in prices but it feeds money back down the chain. The other bonus of higher prices should be better spares availability. It has happened, but sadly not as much within the club structures as it should, so we are left with a fractured spares resource rather than mutually club based availability at perhaps less cost that a free market. You cannot blame the monied for that, more those who seek money and the ineffective management of certain clubs - so that would be our failure then. A despite, not as well as, situation for the cars to claim popularity. I continue to believe that the British scene has dropped the ball rather spectacularly here.