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Rick Schmidt – Ask Rick

As October arrives, Halloween is upon us! Soon, ghosts and ghouls will venture out seeking tricks and treats. It’s a season for fun—sometimes spooky—entertainment for every taste, from charmingly cartoonish to truly frightening.

Rick’s Take on Car Shows: Are Small Show Awards Valuable for Your Car?

Almost every car show hands out awards, and everyone loves to be a winner. Some awards at high-level shows have professional judging standards, and it means something to say a vehicle won at those events. A win at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals would definitely impress buyers and raise ROI compared with the local downtown annual show that seems determined to give an award to everyone. In the case of charity shows, awards can be a detriment—the cost of trophies reduces the dollars going to the actual cause. Decide whether you want to enhance your car’s résumé with a trophy or simply go out and have fun with your family, friends, and your car.

Rick’s Take on Muscle Car Parts: Can Restoration Parts Manufacturing Returning to the U.S.?

With tariff hikes and subsequent price increases there’s growing discussion about bringing automotive parts manufacturing back to the United States. In the restoration sector, demand volumes are comparatively low. OEMs produce parts in the hundreds of thousands whereas the restoration market often needs parts solely in the hundreds. Overseas manufacturers—particularly in Taiwan—are willing to invest in tooling even with long gaps between runs. Initial batches may be only hundreds of parts, sometimes not enough to recover startup costs, but those manufacturers see potential future demand and invest anyway. This is an approach not always shared by U.S. based manufacturers. Moreover, parts from Taiwan have improved dramatically over the past decade, with many now exceeding original quality and fit.

Rick’s Take on Bob Lutz’s Thoughts: Are Electric Vehicles the Future?

Bob Lutz recently stated on the MotoMan Podcast podcast that electric cars are the future. That may be surprising coming from an industry icon with a track record of producing vehicles beloved by muscle-car and sports-car enthusiasts. Currently, some manufacturers are bringing back gasoline models after an all-EV push eased and are reducing EV offerings—not eliminating them—reflecting consumer preference for internal-combustion vehicles.

Rick’s Take – Car Deals: The Bob Lutz Edition

In another rousing edition of Rick’s Take on Car Deals, Rick reviewed multiple “Bob Lutz” cars from periods when he had major influence at GM and Chrysler. Which of these three has the best long-term ROI if widespread electrification dominates in 30 years?

Car #1: 1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR (Supercharged)
Even standing still, the Viper looks like the fastest car in the room. This example is the racing-focused ACR and it’s supercharged as well. In an all-EV future, this is likely to be highly sought after.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-dodge-viper-gts-18/

Car #2: 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP
A Solstice is a great roadster for back-road cruising, but values haven’t held up as well as the others on this list. It’s a wonderful driver now, but likely not a big hit thirty years out.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2009-pontiac-solstice-gxp-4/

Car #3: 2000 Plymouth Prowler
That Plymouth had the guts to build this at all is amazing. The looks are incredible, but the powerplant is anemic. If you want to convert people to gasoline in an all-electric future, this probably doesn’t have the horsepower to do it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2000-plymouth-prowler-87/

The Investment Hedge Round

Which one of these cars has already peaked in its investment potential—and why? Which one can still grow?

Car #1: 1987 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
A solid investment in a still-growing market. These are great-looking cars and respond well to horsepower upgrades—which is half the fun of muscle cars. The GTA is a head-turner and keeps delivering smiles per mile on the street.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-pontiac-firebird-trans-am-16/

Car #2: 2006 Ford GT
A terrific “buy and drive” car. At the time of release, many GTs quickly traded for more than double MSRP. They’re iconic and may still have room to grow in value—there will always be a buyer looking for one.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-ford-gt-193/

Car #3: 1987 Buick GNX
A stellar Grand National variant, but GNX prices appear largely topped out with limited room for further appreciation.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-buick-gnx-62/

Why Rick’s Take Matters

The fun here isn’t just picking the coolest Saturday ride—it’s learning how to play the ROI game. Rick shows that the best move isn’t always the flashiest or most nostalgic. Sometimes it’s the car you can get into, enjoy, and sell to your buddy for a profit while already scouting the next deal.

So which would you pick? More importantly—which would Rick flip the fastest? That’s why we tune in: Rick doesn’t just see cars; he sees markets on wheels.

This interview is sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot—your premier source for muscle-car restoration parts!