Geralds57

I really feel sorry for this guy. I hope he has good insurance. http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2011/...ars/#more-7498

Procrastination Racing

While it is a shame, it probably isn't a big loss.

It is probably a '64 for the C2, a '68 for the C3, and an '84 for the C4.


At first, I was wondering if this was the guy Adam Boca had in a video for the NCM Insurance, but it isn't.

Railroadman

The C-2 looks like it may have been a BB '67 coupe...

Does make you wonder why they were not moved somewhere else. Or, with that much value in the barn, some sort of fire suppression system pumping water to the roof peak or something like that.

Mike Terry

No matter what the years of the cars weather a 63 SWC or a 64 Coupe or a 67 original BB Coupe, my heart goes out to this guy. How would you feel if it had been your cars? So don't say (probably isn't a big loss a 64 or 68 or 84). They are important to him that is why he had them. Hope nothing like this ever happens to any of us. To me that is pretty cold hearted of Procrastination Racing. to say that about a guy who lost all of his car collection, no matter what the cars were.

vettsplit 63

When the wildfires start, according to where your place is in relation to the fire, sometimes there is only minutes to escape..... with the extremely dry conditions we have had for the last few years, the fires can travel at up to 20 mph..... how fast can you run? And when the fire front is 3 or 4 miles wide there is no escape if something is in its path. The fires are so hot that they will ignite flammable material- ie, buildings, trees, etc., when they get to within about 30 or 40 yards. Doesn't matter how many sprinkler systems you would have in a building, its going down. How do I know? Been there, fought those. I ain't afraid of nothin, but those scare the sh** out of me.

John McGraw

You obviously have never been around a widlfire. It isn't like these people had a lot of warning. I have several friends who lost everything they owned to the Bastrop fire, and most of them were just glad they got out of there with their lives! One of my friends stopped to try and gather up some papers, and almost did not make it out!

I can guarantee, that if fire ever threatens my house, I will not be trying to save anything! I will just get in my car and drive away as fast as possible. There is nothing that I own that is worth dying for, that is what insurance is for.

The fire gobbled up several thousand acres in a heartbeat. The tinder dry brush and the wind was just a disaster waiting to happen. The wind is predicted to pick up again today, so we are all just holding our breath. We have lost over 1000 homes in the area in the last 3 days.


Regards, John McGraw

John McGraw

Mike,

You clearly missed the sarcastic tone to his post. He was poking fun at the assertion held by many that all the some cars were less desirable than other years. There has been a thread recently that was about this.
There are those that hold that 54, 64, 68, 74, and 84 cars are much less desirable than other years. If you can not see that he was trying to inject a little humor into an otherwise terrible loss, them you really need to lighten up! Life is way too serious as is, so you just need to laugh whenever you can.


Regards, John McGraw

Plasticman

John,

While I understand his attempt at humor, it was very poorly done (especially for members who have not read all of the "trivial posts" concerning "value", and in a post showing devastation such as this).

Good luck holding off the fires, and hope there is a change in the weather (bring on the rain!).

John (plasticman)

Mike Terry

I agree with Plasticman, very poorly done, to make fun of a 64 or the person who lost his collection of cars and who knows what else in that fire.

Railroadman

Damn! Think if I had a collection like that I'd have to build a garage about 10 feet underground! And maybe the house too!

AZDoug

I have a friend that lives along Alum Creek Road where the fire went through just NE of Smithville.

Last year, he decided to rent a large cat and push the tress back a minimum of 100 feet from his house and shop. He basically cleared an acre on his 5 acre place except for 4-5 larger trees here and there.

House and shop both escaped unharmed, though from what i hear, the landscape is torched.

Doug

jimh_1962

My inlaws did the same thing in 98. There a fire moved 10 miles in three hours destroying everything in its path. The only houses saved were the homes where the brush and trees were cleared away. Everything else was destroyed. The fire started by someone mowing tall dry grass on a northern wind day. It was not a pleasant experience since for them since their neighbors' homes were destroyed. The fire took all of their landcape and anything left in the back field.

boxster99t

I agree. And as for the thoughts of having some sort of "fire suppression system"--that would likely be as effective as a garden hose. Wild fires whether in Texas, California or elsewhere aren't easily controlled, once they get rolling. If you and your loved ones are unhurt, everything else doesn't matter, and is what insurance is for.

oldsarge

Yea but a total of 175 cars, at least a dozen vettes and a Shelby Cobra. Has to hurt, no matter what years were involved.

vettsplit 63

Here is a picture of what we're talking about. My friend who lives in Longview said that officials had a printed list of block after block of houses, that said "If your house is on this list-- It's gone.

Railroadman

Man, that looks like the atom bomb! While eastern part of NY state gets washed away with rain, y'all are burning to the ground!

ditchdigger650

Yes it's terrible he lost his cars, no matter what years he had, they can be replaced, but loss of life is another thing, be thankful for that, were all here on a prayer.

StingU2

... very well said.

Mark_Milner

The one who is the cold hearted one is you, Mike. You need to grab a cold one, sit back and relax awhile.


I don't see anyone making fun of any '64. I do see someone making fun of those who somehow think certain cars are of no or little value.

You were even in the thread on the Bashing '64s so you know there is this crazy notion that runs around that the '54, '64, '68, '74, and '84 are somehow not worth much.

If you are so opposed, you should have avoided the thread.


In fact, anyone who claims this is not a known thing has not been around Corvettes much. This misconception has been around since the '70s at least. I remember guys talking about a barn '54 at auction once that the only good it was is that you could convert it to a '53 easily so it would be worth something. That was 35 years ago. About that same time, a friend with a '64 went out and bought a '69 to go with it so that everyone wasn't looking down on him.

Threads on '64s are worthless, '68s are poor quality, '74s are the least desirable, and '84s are worthless surface every month or two. That is a far too frequent occurrence for anyone to say they are unaware of such sentiments by many in the public.


Or maybe you have a bit too much sensitivity due to selling your '67 recently. I'm sure you had more than one make some comment about how yours wasn't worth that much since it wasn't a big block or too bad you didn't have a real '67 (meaning big block again) to sell. That kind of thing gets to you after awhile, even if you know they are stupid.


Even the guy who owns the cars doesn't think we should all sit around and cry about it. If anyone should cry, it is about the Cobra if it is a real one and some of the other 175 cars as you know several have to be irreplaceable, simply because many of those old metal cars didn't survive in quantity like Corvettes did. They rusted away, were sold for scrap metal, and so on. Corvettes, while driven harder and put up wet more often, tend to still exist today because people knew they were special and put the effort into tucking them away or keep rebuilding them to last.


It is terrible anyone loses anything, but the important thing is that he didn't lose any family and he can keep his head up and go on.

MiguelsC2

My hearts go out to my neighbors in Central Texas.


And the tributaries are running dry,no grass for any animals. Natures way of clearing animal populations.

Once the drought is over,other plagues will follow soon after. (Mosquitos and flies etc..)

Not to mention how much beef is going to cost.

Everybody cleared their herds months, even yrs ago.

Happens every 50 yrs or so. '57 was the last one.