what do you consider as a "Survivor" car ?

To me, it's a very vague, and very over-used term. A true survivor is nearly new in appearance despite having never been subject to anything more than the usual maintenance. That means no repaint, no new upholstery, no engine rebuild. That's why they are so rare today and so valuable.

Survivor Cars

In SAAC (Shelby american Automobile Club), and at thier conventions, survivor cars are very hard top come by, and are exciting when one surfaces. A "survivor" is a car that has survived to the present un-restored, updated, or re-anythinged. General maintenance is allowed. Originality is what is these cars are about, not if they are pretty. When survivors are shown as survivors, we immediately overlook dirt, faded or chipped paint, etc. because of what the car is.

Here are three survivors I personally know as examples:

1964 289 Cobra, faded & chipped yellow paint, shabby interior, pitted chrome, everything leaks, original black California plates with so many renewal stickers that the stack is over 1/4" thick!

1968 shelby GT-500 Convertible, 7400 actual miles, even has original tires! everything is still on it, and the original smog works! In our Regional SAAC group, hidden!

1969 Shelby GT-350 convertible, original owner was a goofy dentist in NYC, car was personalized with decals, etc., but never modified or restored. He died a few years back, his wife still has it, it just sits.

The value of those three is very hard to calculate, because while they are not as pretty as all the over-restored cars out there, thier originality makes them even more unique.

Hope this helps a bit!

"survivors" have different qualifications within different clubs... for the exterior paint, 75% original paint was the lowest # I had heard about, there are some 90% also.... I don't believe there is anything mention about whether a motor has been removed or not,, as long as it went back in..

for the most part,, a survivor car has been cleaned and maintained, but not restored..