Million-dollar muscle on display at Rosemont car show

Nov. 20--Last year, a Plymouth built when Nixon was president sold for $3.5 million.

The 1971 Hemi Cuda convertible set a hammer-breaking record for the highest auction price for an American muscle car, demonstrating just how popular the segment has grown in collector car circuits.

The high-end muscle car market is up 47 percent in the past two years, exceeding even 2007 peaks, according to Hagerty's, a classic car insurer.

"From an investment standpoint, (muscle cars) are something you can share with other people, put your hands on it, and there's a lot of nostalgia," said Bob Ashton of the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals car show that parks for the weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. "Everyone has a GTO story or a Corvette story."

The show will have 27 Hemi Cuda convertibles on display. Only 42 were made from 1970 to 1971 and only two of the rarer 1971 models with the four-speed manual transmission were sold in the U.S.

The record-breaking Barracuda is an outlier as much as a standard bearer for the red hot muscle car collector circuit, which Hagerty's said makes up about 10 percent of the collector car market.

"There's never been more than five Cudas at a time in one place," Ashton said. "The lowest value on these cars starts at $2 million."

As appreciation of American muscle cars grows, supply remains fixed, driving prices up. Baby boomers are gassing the growth.

"Muscle cars were such a big part of so many boomers' youths that they remain popular among those same buyers," said Tabetha Hammer, spokeswoman for Hagerty's.

The show's mostly stock Cudas, Chevrolet Corvettes and Dodge Challengers will be among the nearly 600 muscle cars spread over 400,000 square feet, making for an automotive era on display without the pressure -- or temptation -- of the auction block. By comparison, the 2015 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place showed nearly 1,000 cars over 1 million square feet.

Tickets are $25. Kids 12 and under get in free with a paying adult.

In addition to a display of old Schwinn Stingray bicycles, the show will have Revell model kits, Hot Wheels racing areas, a scavenger hunt and live music Saturday and Sunday.

"The show draws passionate memories," Ashton said, "reliving those days when things were easier, when you could pop the hood and get your hands dirty."

Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals

mcacn.com

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

5555 N River Road, Rosemont

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets: $25. Free for kids 12 and under with a paying adult

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