I absolutely agree that a Nationals winning car should command a premium, up to double the price of a functional, everyday driver that hasn't been restored but is reasonably intact.

A lot of the value is balanced by the cost of getting the car to that point. There is a significant investment in paint and body that even an extremely clean starter car will require to reach the level of Gary's car. My point is, the few select truly awesome examples and the few cars that are both desirable enough and rare enough to command premium pricing don't have much in common with the everyday cars we drive, no matter how nice they may be. Looking at my highly optioned, high performance, convertible car, knowing the imperfections that aren't immediately visible but would certainly not pass muster at Nationals, it would most likely take upwards of $10,000 to do the frame-off body and paint work that would bring the car up to National show quality. At that point, if the car was then worth $30,000, I would almost have to sell the car because I then wouldn't be as willing to go out and have fun with it. And at that point, I'd only just recoup my costs.

There are also some low-optioned, base, or too far gone cars that no matter how beautifully restored they may be may never recoup the investment. A 6 cylinder 2 speed or 326 2 speed coupe with base packages may not draw enough interest to break even, and same with a body that was at the edge of restorability, even if they are "numbers match" cars. And if they aren't numbers match, does that make them less worthy of restoration?

I feel strongly that if ordinary cars become overpriced because the prime examples are commanding high prices, then Firebirds may lose some of their appeal with entry-level buyers, or may encourage cloning of base models into more desirable versions. Cloning doesn't seem to be too big a problem yet with Firebirds, other than Trans Ams, unlike all the Camaros that turned into RS/SS after the fact, or the Lemans that morph into Judge. PHS may have some influence on that. Maybe we appreciate all our Firebird variations for what they are, instead of what they could have been. I think it's great that there are groups supporting the OHC6, you don't see Nova or Camaro owners proud to say they have a 6 under the hood!