Sorry to hear about your loss. Not to discourage you, but I'm not sure anything you write will affect the outcome. Insurance companies tend to be VERY black/white about following the rules for paying out claims. Surely, part of the reason is to avoid favoritism.

I have had two "losses" with my custom Corvette (though both times I had it repaired). I've also had a total loss on a Jeep in the past. (None were my fault).

With the Corvette, I spent 5 months trying to CORRECTLY resolve repairs and get my car back. It ended up falling on the repair facility for problems. AND...it's not the insurance company's desire to fix a "show car" to that level of status. It's only they "responsibility" to "go by the book". I'm saying they will treat it -- like any other car.

The value to YOU will not play a factor. To them, it's nothing more than an object/property on which they'll suffer a loss. They WILL pay the claim to avoid problems. But, they won't go out of their way to keep you a customer. What they view it's worth is what they'll pay. For people wanting MORE insurance than "book value", their are collector car policies that will cover "Agreed Value". THAT is the kind of insurance you would have needed for something with show, custom, or sentimental value.

It's probably not your fault for not realizing insurance isn't "insurance for the heart". It's insurance against a TOTAL loss. By that I mean to avoid paying everything. That's why there are deductibles (to affect premium) and book values to determine "street value". This is the type of insurance you probably have. I assume so because you didn't mention any of the key definitions normally associated with collector policies.

I doubt this will help you feel any better...and likely the opposite. My hope is...if you find another VX to replace it...and WANT insurance to cover what it means TO YOU, please look into the collector insurance market. That is how my Corvette is insured now. I have a $15k agreed value policy.

Good luck with your claim!