Expert Panel Walkthrough: Analyzing Classic Cars with AI Vision

This is a complete real-world example of using the Expert Panel strategy with Vision capabilities. We'll tackle a challenge that requires specialized expertise: Identifying and analyzing a classic US sports car from a single photo.

You'll see how four AI experts (Automotive Historian, Valuation Expert, Restoration Specialist, Mechanical Engineer) analyze the same image—and surprisingly disagree on the year (1963 vs 1966), revealing richer insights.

New to Expert Panel? This strategy assigns each AI model a specific expert role, allowing them to provide specialized analysis. A moderator then synthesizes all expert opinions into a comprehensive assessment.

⏱️ Actual execution time: 11.5 minutes 💰 Actual cost: $0.44 (for 3 rounds with 4 vision models + arbiter) 📊 Total tokens processed: 113,163

** Key Finding:** When experts disagree, it reveals nuances that competitive strategies might miss!

Here's how it works.

The Scenario

You found an old photo of a stunning blue Corvette in a garage. You know it's a "Sting Ray," but you don't know the exact year, engine specs, or how much it might be worth today.

You need to know:

  1. What is the exact year and model?
  2. Is it a rare variation?
  3. What is the estimated market value?
  4. What are the mechanical "quirks" to look out for?

Step 1: Access the Dashboard

  1. Navigate to the AI Crucible Dashboard
  2. Click the prompt input area
  3. Select Expert Panel (👥) from the strategy dropdown
  4. Upload the image of the classic car

Classic Corvette Sting Ray

Step 2: Write Your Prompt

The actual prompt used for this analysis was:

Analyze this photo of a classic Corvette.
I need a deep dive into what exactly this car is and its significance.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS:
- Exact Model Year identification (look for specific cues)
- Rarity and Production numbers
- Current Market Value estimation
- Mechanical characteristics and things to check

DELIVERABLES:
1. Confirm the Year/Make/Model
2. Explain *how* you identified it from visual cues
3. Provide a valuation range
4. List top mechanical checks for a buyer

Step 3: Select Your AI Models

For this analysis, four vision-capable models were selected:

Step 4: Assign Expert Roles

This is where Expert Panel shines—each model gets a specific role that shapes their analysis:

Role Assignments:

GPT-5.1 → Automotive Historian
Role: Identify the exact year based on trim, windows, and vents.
Provide the history of this model.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 → Valuation Expert
Role: Estimate the current auction value for a car in this condition
(Hagerty/BaT trends). Discuss rarity.

Gemini 3 Pro → Restoration Specialist
Role: Look at the condition in the photo. Is it restomod or original?
What identifying parts are visible?

Mistral Large 3 → Mechanical Engineer
Role: Detail the engine options available for this year,
suspension setup, and known mechanical failures.

Arbiter Model: Gemini 3 Flash - Synthesizes expert opinions after each round

Step 5: Configure Rounds

Rounds Configured: 3 rounds

Ready to go

Step 6: Watch Round 1 - Expert Panel Analysis

As each expert analyzes the image from their specialized role, fascinating insights—and disagreements—emerge.

Automotive Historian (GPT-5.1) - 9,329 chars, 73.0s

Year / Make / Model

This is a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe (C2) – the very first year of the second-generation Corvette and the only year with the famous split rear window.

Identification Method:

Historical Context:

Valuation: $160,000-$260,000 for matching-numbers restoration

Cost: $0.0246 | Tokens: 3,186

Valuation Expert (Claude Sonnet 4.5) - 6,303 chars, 44.2s

1963-1964 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (C2) Coupe

Most likely a 1963 model based on visual evidence, though could be early 1964.

Market Analysis:

Condition Value Range
#4 (Fair/Driver) $65,000 - $85,000
#3 (Good) $95,000 - $130,000
#2 (Excellent) $145,000 - $185,000
#1 (Concours) $200,000 - $250,000+

Recent BaT Comparables (2023-2024):

This Example: $110,000-$155,000 (#2-#3 condition, base 300hp engine assumed)

Investment Outlook: 8-12% annual growth over past decade

Cost: $0.0331 | Tokens: 3,497

Restoration Specialist (Gemini 3 Pro) - 5,034 chars, 13.5s

The Identification: 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe

Year: 1966 Trim/Engine Indication: 427 Big Block (Turbo-Jet)

⚠️ WAIT—THE EXPERT DISAGREES!

Gemini's restoration specialist identified this as 1966, not 1963! Here's the forensic reasoning:

Visual Cues for 1966:

Valuation (if 1966 with 427):

Significance: 1966 was when Corvette "went nuclear" with the 427, moving from 396 to the legendary big block.

Cost: $0.0438 | Tokens: 2,662

Mechanical Engineer (Mistral Large 3) - 14,015 chars, 71.3s

Mistral provided the most comprehensive technical breakdown, covering the entire C2 generation (1963-1967) to address the uncertainty:

Engine Options Across C2 Generation:

1963-1964 (327 ci Small Block):

1965 (Transition Year):

1966-1967 (Big Block Era):

Critical Mechanical Checks:

Cost: $0.0063 (cheapest!) | Tokens: 5,263

The Disagreement: 1963 vs 1966?

After Round 1, we have a split decision:

Expert Year Identified Key Evidence
Automotive Historian 1963 Split rear window
Valuation Expert 1963 (likely) Split window design
Restoration Specialist 1966 Vertical vents, smooth B-pillar, big block hood
Mechanical Engineer 1963-1967 C2 Covered all possibilities

Why the disagreement?

This is exactly when you want an arbiter to synthesize conflicting expert opinions...

Rounds 2 & 3: Expert Refinement

In expert panel mode, each expert sees the other experts' opinions and refines their own analysis. Let's see how the experts evolved their positions:

Response Evolution Across Rounds

Expert Role R1 Length R2 Length R3 Length Total Cost
Automotive Historian 9,329 10,122 9,890 $0.0818
Valuation Expert 6,303 5,887 6,043 $0.0916
Restoration Specialist 5,034 4,998 4,892 $0.1282
Mechanical Engineer 14,015 13,727 13,456 $0.0202

Key Observations:

  1. Historian (GPT-5.1) expanded slightly in R2, incorporating more historical context after seeing the valuation expert's market data

  2. Valuation Expert (Claude) refined and tightened analysis, focusing on the most relevant comparables

  3. Restoration Specialist (Gemini) maintained conviction in 1966 identification despite other experts saying 1963

  4. Mechanical Engineer (Mistral) provided comprehensive coverage of all C2 years, allowing for either interpretation

The Disagreement Persists!

Even through 3 rounds, the core disagreement remained:

This persistent disagreement highlights a key advantage of Expert Panel: when the evidence is ambiguous, having specialized perspectives reveals what information is missing or unclear.

Total Session Cost: $0.44 Total Execution Time: 11.5 minutes Total Tokens: 113,163

What Expert Panel Accomplished

Through three rounds of specialized expert analysis, the panel collectively produced:

The Power of Expert Disagreement

The year disagreement (1963 vs 1966) wasn't a failure—it was a valuable finding:

What the photo DOESN'T clearly show:

Action items this revealed:

This is Expert Panel's strength: When evidence is ambiguous, specialized perspectives expose what information you're missing, rather than forcing premature consensus.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Expert Role Performance Analysis

After three rounds, here's how each expert role performed:

Performance Analysis

Best for Historical Accuracy: Automotive Historian (GPT-5.1)

Best for Market Intelligence: Valuation Expert (Claude Sonnet 4.5)

Best for Alternative Perspective: Restoration Specialist (Gemini 3 Pro)

Best for Technical Depth: Mechanical Engineer (Mistral Large 3)

Key Learnings: When to Use Expert Panel

Expert Panel excels when:

  1. Subject requires multiple disciplines - automotive analysis needs history, valuation, restoration, and engineering expertise
  2. Ambiguity exists - the 1963 vs 1966 disagreement revealed missing information
  3. You want role-specific depth - each expert dives deep into their specialty
  4. Cost efficiency matters - $0.44 vs $0.60 for competitive refinement
  5. Speed is important - 11.5 min vs 18.9 min for competitive refinement

The disagreement was valuable because:

Try It Yourself

This exact Expert Panel analysis is publicly shared:

Public chat

Run Your Own Expert Panel Analysis

Go to Dashboard and try Expert Panel with vision models on:

Expert Panel Setup Tips:

  1. Assign clear, non-overlapping roles:

    • Good: "Historian", "Valuation Expert", "Technical Specialist"
    • Bad: "Expert 1", "Expert 2" (too generic)

  2. Include deliverables in role descriptions:

    • "Valuation Expert: Provide current market range with recent comparables"
    • Not just: "Valuation Expert"

  3. Choose an appropriate arbiter:

    • Fast models (Gemini Flash, GPT-4o-mini) work well
    • Arbiter synthesizes expert opinions

  4. Use 2-3 rounds for most tasks:

    • Round 1: Independent expert analysis
    • Round 2-3: Experts refine after seeing each other's perspectives

Cost Expectations for Expert Panel:

Pro tip: Expert Panel is typically 20-30% cheaper and 30-40% faster than Competitive Refinement for the same depth of analysis!