wag1232, i get where you are coming from. but if i was to be very objective.. many of the reasons you list will actually eventually force the price up.
Once anything becomes "valuable" in a financial context the object, in our case car.. lineage becomes important.. is it what it claims to be? This is just as relevant in Cobra, vintage Bentley, Ferrari circles.. and a good comparison with our Tigers (a car based on another production model) would be Lotus Cortinas, mini Cooper 'S" models and GT350 Mustangs, all of which have certain modifications that differentiate them from their siblings.. but increase their value.
the fact that our cars can be expensive to restore will mean 1 of 2 things..
1. If restoration is not economically viable, only those who actually have an attachment to the particular car will perform the resto.. others will either be scrapped or bodged.. which means survivors become rarer, and ultimately more valuable. If more are scrapped.. car is now a lower number survivor.. and the cars that have survived are generally of a higher quality and hence more valuable.
2. Value increases, new people come into the market and will restore them as they see the opportunity to recover costs.. cars become more desirable as an investment.. more people will spend more on them.. pushes prices up in general.
So in many ways.. I think the TAC program does help in assuring people of what they have. and if they then proceed with a full resto or scrap the car.. or can understand the choice of rebodying..
On the modified topic.. I thin many of the cars modified in the late 60's to 80's did devalue the cars.. they were often crude mods on what were then cheap cars.. i think the mods available now are different. They are generally highly engineered, reversible and often not obvious. I see our cars in a similar light to the DeTomaso.. a car that with the right mods attracts strong interest as they resolve many shortcomings of the original product without detracting from the appearance and character.
All the above sai.. the best value cars will always be those unrestored originals and those with prominent history.. cars are only original once. Anyone with money can pay to have one restored to a high standard.. you cant make a car that has lived a sheltered life.
We should all enjoy them for what they are.. GREAT CARS
