New from NC : what drives valuation of SSP vehicles ?

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Bert, welcome to the forum. Let me give you one man's take on your questions.

Generally speaking, a multi-colored marked unit from a state agency with a manual transmission will be the most desirable SSP. There are exceptions of course.

Any SSP with agency documentation will be more desirable than an undocumented car. In-service photos can assist with finishing a correct restoration, plus it is great to see how a car looked while being used.

In terms of usage, the CHP, FHP, TxDPS, and SCHP ordered the most SSPs, but they are also the most popular among collectors (generally speaking) because those are the cars that most folks recall from their youth. Some smaller agencies will appeal to people because of a personal connection they have to that agency.

SSPs with the 5-spd transmission are preferred by many over the automatic, but that won't stop somebody who wants a Georgia State Patrol SSP (only the '83s were manuals). Personally, I figure the transmission is irrelevant on a show car because it is only being driven on & off a trailer. A 5-spd is obviously more fun on a driver-SSP, but as collectors age they may prefer the auto.

Currently, I think it is near impossible to restore a SSP and be able to sell it at a profit. The costs are too high to restore a car, so buying one already restored is the best opportunity for anyone who is concerned about a return on their investment dollars. Thankfully, most restorers out there are in the hobby because the get a great deal of satisfaction from these unique collector cars.