race/street car insurance

last time i had obtained a classic insurance policy from state farm, they required 2 exterior pictures of the car, and all was good(on my LS swapped impala SS and my 72 chevelle).

i was speaking with my agent today about the datsun, and she sent me over the form for classic vehicle agreed value coverage. she said people had been sneaking race cars through the policy by having them look like a street car outside and having stuff hiding under the hood. i explained that a small block is a very typical engine swap in a Z car and she said that's cool, and said they now require a shot of the engine. i could get by with that by tossing some chrome valve covers on and unhooking a couple things. however, she shot over the form and they also want a shot of the seat/dash area. i'm not gonna fly there. sheet metal dash, no speedo, quick release wheel, kirkey seat, roll bar, switch panel, no carper and aluminum door panels.

so there are 2 ways i can go about things. i am not inclined to commit any type of insurance fraud. the car will only be driven on the street very minimally to shows/cruise night type things as it'll be on trailer any time i go to an autocross or other track event. the issue with standard policy that is covering it as of this morning, is they will only pay out $2200 max in the event of theft or total loss even though you can't even sniff a no rust early Z rolling shell for that kind of money unless you get stupid lucky and be in the right place at the right time with the right amount of cash in hand as i was. it's not the kind of deal that would ever come along again, and although for challenge budget purposes i only have about $2100 in it including my tires, i have a significant amount of time invested, and the true value of the car is significantly greater than the cash outlay due to the time investment.

i have already assumed the risk of putting my car on the track and knowing that i'm liable for whatever damage i do to it at an event, however i would like to be fairly covered for time on the street and time on the trailer, especially on the way to the challenge where it will be on a trailer at a hotel that isn't part of the challenge festivities 2 different times during the week.

so who do you guys use for a similar use vehicle? i would not be opposed to on track coverage as well, but this car will be limited to auto-x, drags, and land speed events so there is no wheel to wheel action planned.

ha. I read that as street race insurance.

You should be able to make an appeal on the current market value of a Z just by getting together the docs that agree with what you say its value is...if they won't hear it, might wanna start shopping around.

As far as risk mitigation goes, it doesn't matter if there is no wheel to wheel on a given track use. To an insurance company, for all practical purposes, the vehicle is going into a black hole with no rules and may not come out the other side.

Its really tough as a consumer, and I get where your coming from, but the insurance company especially on agreed value insurance, has absolutely no way even after photos of assuring what they are agreeing to insure won't be used in a manner that they will not indemnify.

also, your time is not insurable, unfortunately, no matter how valuable...

time is not insurable, but the added value to the car is undeniable. without all that time, the $15 investment in body filler is $15, but a car with all the dents worked out and new paint is worth considerably more than one in the condition it was in prior to the work, whether or not it was performed by a pro or in your driveway at night.

i've got some time this week, going to call hagerty and see what they can do for me. they have off track policies that include trailer, tool, and spare part coverage. you assume the risk for wadding it up on the track, which is how it should be and i have zero issue with that. i am not looking to cheat the system or get coverage for track use. what i do want is fair coverage for the true value of the car, or at least a dollar amount that would not make me sick in the event that someone steals my trailer from the hotel parking lot on the way to gainesville and back.

Sounds like your car IS a race car, and they do not insure race cars.

Wrong policy.

sent you a pm with a probable solution

madmallard wrote: You should be able to make an appeal on the current market value of a Z just by getting together the docs that agree with what you say its value is...if they won't hear it, might wanna start shopping around. As far as risk mitigation goes, it doesn't matter if there is no wheel to wheel on a given track use. To an insurance company, for all practical purposes, the vehicle is going into a black hole with no rules and may not come out the other side. Its really tough as a consumer, and I get where your coming from, but the insurance company especially on agreed value insurance, has absolutely no way even after photos of assuring what they are agreeing to insure won't be used in a manner that they will not indemnify. also, your time is not insurable, unfortunately, no matter how valuable...

This is exactly right. From the insurance perspective, if it looks like a race car, has race car equipment, but the owner says it's a show car only... Quite frankly, it's not your car they give two craps about, it's the potential for hurting someone with it that they don't want the risk of.

You may well be able to get Hagerty or a similar type classic policy for it, as I know they insure cars that look like vintage racers. But the policy is crystal clear that if you use the car for anything other than what is strictly specified in the policy, you're S.O.L. if you hurt someone or yourself.

Hagerty is the answer. Give them a call, and see what they say.