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Egg Shen

Lifer
Nov 26, 2021
1,169
3,905
Pennsylvania
When you get into the stratosphere of prices the usual psychology does not apply. The use related to dollar value isn't at stake. It is the rarity and inaccessibility of the item or service that determines its appeal. It's as much the fact that few can afford it that make it valuable.

Just in terms of sheet metal work, I like my little commuter car better than most of the high-end BMW's, Jaguars, Mercedes, etc., some of which I find rather bloated or nervous in their visual presentation. But because a fraction of one percent of the population can afford such items, they are a hundred thousand dollars more expensive than my little bucket.
To clarify I agree with your 1st paragraph, the 2nd has me wondering if you‘ve ever actually been inside of or driven a lux performance vehicle. Regardless, I must give you a pass since you are the CBA (chief burley advocate) of this site 🤭
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,610
Egg, you've got a point. I've ridden with several real drivers. I'm just a graduate of driver's ed, and avoiding accidents is my only intention, if not always my skill.

So yes, the glories of a built to order high performance machine is one thing. However, a lot of these machines end up chewing around the same mediocre roads and parking lots where i drive. Hey it's my territory, not a Formula One track.

So I'll stick with my assessment that some of that design aint' too pretty for a few hundred thousand. How they perform on the Autobahn is a different question.

And yes, my heart does throb for classic race cars with all of the running gear hand made so it fits like the internal organs of a snake, to flow with the aerodynamics.
 

Egg Shen

Lifer
Nov 26, 2021
1,169
3,905
Pennsylvania
Egg, you've got a point. I've ridden with several real drivers. I'm just a graduate of driver's ed, and avoiding accidents is my only intention, if not always my skill.

So yes, the glories of a built to order high performance machine is one thing. However, a lot of these machines end up chewing around the same mediocre roads and parking lots where i drive. Hey it's my territory, not a Formula One track.

So I'll stick with my assessment that some of that design aint' too pretty for a few hundred thousand. How they perform on the Autobahn is a different question.

And yes, my heart does throb for classic race cars with all of the running gear hand made so it fits like the internal organs of a snake, to flow with the aerodynamics.
Haha you make a good point. A parallel that I often note is the people with heavily modified Jeeps and other SUVs. They are still stuck in traffic behInd all the people in low-profile sports cars and bald tires when there is snow and ice on the roads.
 

macaroni

Lifer
Oct 28, 2020
1,015
3,196
Texas
". . . if you look at it as an adventure in the pipe world (pipe porn?) it has some appeal. So next time you have a spare half hour, get busy nibbling at the edges of this vast territory. You'll be surprised what you will find and learn. . . ."
@mso489 you never cease to amaze me with your keen observations. Thank you. Ditto to everything you said.

And to all the posts above, you delighted me with your thinking and observations in all these posts. I was stimulated, amused, and just plain happy as I read and puffed through this thread. What fun!
kindly
mike
 

Lucashly

Can't Leave
Jun 21, 2023
382
338
California
Still waiting for a Bo Nordh Nautilus to add to my virtual collection.
I agree. I know that Bo Nordh would be more expensive if you could purchase in this stratosphere, but I would purchase up for the heritage and beauty of Nordh (if you could source one of his pipes) and pay the difference.
 
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Seeleybc1

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 29, 2022
180
1,018
Palmer AK
I guess the artisan on that eight thousand dollar calabash knows what some people will pay, so I'll trust his judgement. Asked to guess a price on that piece, I think I'd be more in the $700 to $800 range, but I'm not a high-end pipe guy.

I learn something every time I wander through the pipe pages.
That’s what does it for me. Learn something new every time