“You Want to Insure What?”
There are Uncommon…and Really Uncommon Vehicles.
WHEN YOU’RE IN the business of insuring collectible vehicles, you expect to see a number of nice looking Mustangs, sharp mid-’50s Chevys and even the occasional Hemi ’Cuda or hundred-year-old horseless carriage.
But even folks who are used to insuring products that operate outside of the mainstream market sometimes have to stop and take a second…and maybe even a third look at the latest application to cross their desk.
So the next time someone asks if it’s really hard getting coverage for a collectible vehicle, just smile and show them this article listing some of the “most unusual” vehicles ever covered by Hagerty, an agency that specializes in collector car insurance.
Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc., (hagerty.com), says that for more than a decade it has placedpolicies on “some of the greatest and most valuable cars in the world.” Even so, from time to time a request will prompt them to say: “You Want To Insure What?”
“When we first set out to provide insurance for collector vehicles, we intentionally didn’t want to discriminate and limit ourselves,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance. “But we never anticipated how broad the collector category really is or how many unique and cool vehicles there really are out there.”
To give you an idea of what he means, here are some of the “quirkiest, coolest and most unusual” vehicles they’ve covered.
• The Big Red Phone car: This one started out as a 1975 VW Beetle and was transformed into exactly what it sounds like—a big, red telephone. Complete with a keypad and receiver, this car is not easy to miss. Most likely it’s a hit in local parades, but no doubt would be difficult to maneuver in a busy downtown parking structure.
• Corvette Sport Wagon: More than one restorer has built a clone of the 1954 Chevrolet Nomad, one of the highlights of the 1954 GM Motorama Show. Although some of the original GM Motorama cars have surfaced over the years despite GM’s decision to destroy them all, it’s widely believed that the original Corvette Nomad show car went to the crusher in the mid to late ’50s. But while the doomed show car was a static display rolling model with no engine or transmission, the Nomad concept was transformed into a two door, full-size Chevy station wagon and built from 1955 through 1957.
• German Panzer Tank: You think you feel safe in your big, American SUV? This military vehicle can only hit around 25 mph on even the flattest surfaces, but you’ll never get stuck in traffic.
• Velorex Oskar 3-wheel car: This 3- wheel, Czechoslovakian, vinyl-covered mini car enjoyed quite a long production run. It was manufactured from 1953 to 1971.
• 1985 Owosso Pulse: This futuristic looking vehicle is one of just 347 Pulses built. The “Autocycle,” as it’s commonly called, appeared in the film “Back To the Future, Part II.”
