RSS

CTM RELEASES INDEX SERIES OF BLUE CHIP CARS

Posted by David Kinney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEADING EXPERT “CARS THAT MATTER” PRICE GUIDE RELEASES THE COLLECTOR MARKET’S FIRST INDEX SERIES OF BLUE CHIP CARS
Publisher Dave Kinney releases stock market-style indexes measuring the performance of the collector car market in seven different categories

GREAT FALLS, VA (July 2008) – Dave Kinney, founder and publisher of the Cars That Matter® collector car price guide and one of the most noted experts in the collector car market, announced today the launch of his publication’s latest online venture, the Cars That Matter Indexes. Modeled similarly to a broad-base stock market index, the Cars That Matter Indexes will be the industry’s only regularly updated resource of its kind dedicated to measuring the investment performance of collector cars from post-war era in multiple market sectors.

“For years I’ve analyzed all aspects of the collector car market through my market-based writing and publishing the Cars That Matter price guide,” says Dave Kinney. “With the state of the economy and the overall increase in collectors’ knowledge and sophistication, now is the time to bring a higher level of analysis to the market. The Cars That Matter Indexes will provide collectors with the extra edge in pricing and value comparison that is required to stay on top of the collecting hobby today.”

Blue chip cars, such as the Ferrari 250 California Spyder, Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and 427 Cobra, are known to be the cars of the greatest significance and inherent worth. The Cars That Matter “Blue Chip” Index aims to expertly track and index these values in order to reflect leading collectors’ patterns during a given time period, and ultimately create a snapshot of the current state of the hobby.

“It’s a case of the rich getting richer – the real estate collapse, five dollar a gallon gas and a looming recession haven’t affected the pinnacle of the market,” says Kinney. “The ‘Blue Chip’ average has nearly doubled since the release of Cars That Matter Volume 1 in Fall 2006.”

Kinney has also released an ongoing series of more specialized Cars That Matter Indexes tracking the performance of six unique market sectors: the “Prince of Darkness” Index tracking British Cars, the “Small Cap Average” Index of Affordable Classics, the “Rosso Corsa” Index of Ferraris, the “Smokey Burnout” Index of Muscle Cars, the “Silver Arrow” Index of German Cars, and the “Atomic Jetfire” Index of 1950s American Classics. The first series of specialty Indexes launched online today with the primary Blue Chip Index; all subsequent specialty category updates will be available free of charge on a quarterly basis to subscribers of the price guide’s e-newsletter.

About Cars That Matter
Since its inception in September 2006, the Cars That Matter price guide has been widely acknowledged as the most influential collector car price guide on the market because of its unique focus on realistic valuations of cars in the condition levels most useful to collectors, tracking values in four different condition categories, #1 (A “perfect” show car) through #4 (very nice “driver quality” cars).

Founder and Publisher Dave Kinney publishes three issues every year after an extensive data collection and price evaluation process for each vehicle. Data comes from dealers, owners, appraisers, hobbyists, auctions, as well as Cars That Matter’s network of marque experts. An annual subscription (three issues for $40) and the Cars That Matter Spotlight Series PDF Downloads ($6.95 each) are available online for sale now through the website CarsThatMatter.com. Collectors may also reach Kinney or follow his ongoing travels across the country through the Cars That Matter Blog. The Volume 7 price guide will be released in September 2008.

Cars That Matter is a publication of USAppraisal, LLC, P.O. Box 477, Great Falls, VA 22066-0477. To subscribe online, visit www.carsthatmatter.com.

About Dave Kinney
A writer, an American Society of Appraisers (ASA) accredited appraiser, a publisher, and an automotive enthusiast, David H. “Dave” Kinney has been part of the collector car hobby for more than 25 years. Currently residing in Great Falls, VA with his family, Kinney actively contributes to The New York Times, AutoWeek, Automobile, and Octane magazines, and has been retained as an expert witness on collector car values in numerous civil cases.

# # #