List of today's cars that will be future collectibles
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Aside from the Z06, I would like to think the Mustang should be in the list. Especially since its a vast improvement from its previous models and it kickstarted the muscle car comeback. The 350Z should also be there. The Camaro will definitely be in that list since its the comeback model, aside from it being a stunner...The Hummer would be a nice collectible especially in a few decades when gas prices are sky high 
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Mitsubishi Evo's with the 4g63 engine will definatly be collectable, especially now that they've discontinued that engine. A closed deck iron block with mivec heads and one of the biggest aftermarkets guarantee its place in automotive history. I would argue that it is the #1 car in the sport compact crowd right now.
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I think a collecible car needs to have the following attributes:
1. Appearance- The car most either be attractive and/or have a unique shape that symbolizes some sort of automotive myth or nostalgic emotions.
2. Performance- This could either be performance levels that are still significantly above most current cars or the car was a top performer in the years it was produced. It doesn't always have to be the fastest since great handling as well as intrinsic 'emotional' characteristics are often just as important.
3. Love/lust- Being critically praised by experts or being loved by the masses is always a great first step. Sure the masses and even the experts can be wrong, but often they give good indication of the future.
4. Exclusivity- Being rare doesn't automatically make it appreciate in value but often (exotic) vehicles that only had annual production volume around 1200 units or less appreciate the most.
5. Serviceability- Having a collectible is great, but if the car is impossible to service and/or maintain it could limit its appeal. A good reason why older cars will always be more desirable is than newer ones is they lack electronics and computers that can fail and be impossible to find as the years progress. There's good reason why V8's and large displacement engines are sought beyond just raw HP figures is that they are more reliable over the years then maxed out small engines.
6. Growing fanbase- As the population continues to increase so does the amount of people who could become a fan of a particular car. Over a few decades not only do the people that saw the car when it was initially available try to attain it but others do as well. If a car has the attributes I listed above more and more people over the years will become fans and that increase in prospective owners will drive prices of the car up even further. Globalization even plays a role as wealthy Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and etc start to desire classic Americana and etc. and drive up the value rare American cars.
1. Appearance- The car most either be attractive and/or have a unique shape that symbolizes some sort of automotive myth or nostalgic emotions.
2. Performance- This could either be performance levels that are still significantly above most current cars or the car was a top performer in the years it was produced. It doesn't always have to be the fastest since great handling as well as intrinsic 'emotional' characteristics are often just as important.
3. Love/lust- Being critically praised by experts or being loved by the masses is always a great first step. Sure the masses and even the experts can be wrong, but often they give good indication of the future.
4. Exclusivity- Being rare doesn't automatically make it appreciate in value but often (exotic) vehicles that only had annual production volume around 1200 units or less appreciate the most.
5. Serviceability- Having a collectible is great, but if the car is impossible to service and/or maintain it could limit its appeal. A good reason why older cars will always be more desirable is than newer ones is they lack electronics and computers that can fail and be impossible to find as the years progress. There's good reason why V8's and large displacement engines are sought beyond just raw HP figures is that they are more reliable over the years then maxed out small engines.
6. Growing fanbase- As the population continues to increase so does the amount of people who could become a fan of a particular car. Over a few decades not only do the people that saw the car when it was initially available try to attain it but others do as well. If a car has the attributes I listed above more and more people over the years will become fans and that increase in prospective owners will drive prices of the car up even further. Globalization even plays a role as wealthy Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and etc start to desire classic Americana and etc. and drive up the value rare American cars.
Last edited by johnsocal; Jan 18, 2007 at 01:00 AM.
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Flashy 50's and 60's American cars still seem to be attracting the big bucks-
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/18/auto...ion=2007011914
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/18/auto...ion=2007011914
On Wednesday, a 1960 Cadillac convertible that had been bought by Pamela Anderson for then-fiancee Kid Rock, then subsequently given back to her when two broke up, sold for $155,000. The car was consigned for sale by a subsequent owner, not Anderson, according to Barrett-Jackson.
At Thursday's auction, top dollar went to another big Cadillac, a 1957 model. Also Series 62 convertible, this one, black with a red interior, sold for for $222,000.
These aren't just "used cars," of course. Cars that fetch these sorts of prices are in pristine condition, fully restored and extremely desirable to begin with. (In other words, don't think you're going to make a mint selling your father's 1975 Mercury Cougar.)
On Friday, a high-finned 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with only 2,240 miles on the odometer will be auctioned off. The car is believed to be the lowest-mileage '59 Cadillac in the world, according to Barrett-Jackson
The Eldorado's mileage is so low because on Feb. 9, 1959, when the car was still brand new, it was found on a back street in Nashua, N.H., with the owner's dead body stored in its trunk.
The car was then impounded as evidence in the murder of the owner, Maurice Gagnon, who ran a plastic molding company. Gagnon's alleged killers were sentenced to death but later paroled, according to Barrett-Jackson.
The Eldorado was found in 1981 in a warehouse, still standing on its original tires. It also has its original battery.
The car is expected to fetch a high price because of its virtually showroom-new condition, not because of its sordid past, said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson.
"If you just picked one car to represent the '50s it would be the '59 Cadillac," Davis said.
Offering what a 1959 magazine ad called "A new realm of motoring majesty," the Eldorado has air suspension, power seats, power windows, air suspension and a power-closing trunk.
Muscle still flexing
Classic muscle cars from the 1960s and early '70s are still the main attraction at these auctions, however.
A car purported to be the most valuable muscle car in the world will be crossing the auction block at a competing RM Auctions event in nearby Phoenix on Friday afternoon.
That car, a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible, is estimated to be worth as much as $5 million. It is one of just 11 Hemi 'Cuda convertibles produced that year.
The cars that end up being worth the most as collectibles generally have three things in common, said Larry Batton, president of the Auto Appraisal Group, a company that estimates automobile values.
"They would have been expensive, fast and impractical," he said.
That explains why big-engined muscle cars with convertible tops are especially valuable today, Batton said.
While seven-figure prices for classic muscle cars are rare, the Barrett-Jackson auction routinely sees six-figure prices paid for desirable and well-restored Chevrolet Camaros, Shelby Mustangs and Pontiac GTOs.
Chevrolet Corvettes from the late 1950s and '60s, while not technically "muscle cars," are also getting big bids at Barrett-Jackson.
"If you were in the market for a Corvette, you have five, six, eight or ten of them in one place," said Mike Yager, founder of Mid America MotorWorks, a company that supplies parts for classic Corvettes.
Yager paid $278,000 for a one-of-a-kind 1964 Corvette at another auction last year. He expects it to eventually be worth $750,000 to $1 million.
At Thursday's auction, top dollar went to another big Cadillac, a 1957 model. Also Series 62 convertible, this one, black with a red interior, sold for for $222,000.
These aren't just "used cars," of course. Cars that fetch these sorts of prices are in pristine condition, fully restored and extremely desirable to begin with. (In other words, don't think you're going to make a mint selling your father's 1975 Mercury Cougar.)
On Friday, a high-finned 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with only 2,240 miles on the odometer will be auctioned off. The car is believed to be the lowest-mileage '59 Cadillac in the world, according to Barrett-Jackson
The Eldorado's mileage is so low because on Feb. 9, 1959, when the car was still brand new, it was found on a back street in Nashua, N.H., with the owner's dead body stored in its trunk.
The car was then impounded as evidence in the murder of the owner, Maurice Gagnon, who ran a plastic molding company. Gagnon's alleged killers were sentenced to death but later paroled, according to Barrett-Jackson.
The Eldorado was found in 1981 in a warehouse, still standing on its original tires. It also has its original battery.
The car is expected to fetch a high price because of its virtually showroom-new condition, not because of its sordid past, said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson.
"If you just picked one car to represent the '50s it would be the '59 Cadillac," Davis said.
Offering what a 1959 magazine ad called "A new realm of motoring majesty," the Eldorado has air suspension, power seats, power windows, air suspension and a power-closing trunk.
Muscle still flexing
Classic muscle cars from the 1960s and early '70s are still the main attraction at these auctions, however.
A car purported to be the most valuable muscle car in the world will be crossing the auction block at a competing RM Auctions event in nearby Phoenix on Friday afternoon.
That car, a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible, is estimated to be worth as much as $5 million. It is one of just 11 Hemi 'Cuda convertibles produced that year.
The cars that end up being worth the most as collectibles generally have three things in common, said Larry Batton, president of the Auto Appraisal Group, a company that estimates automobile values.
"They would have been expensive, fast and impractical," he said.
That explains why big-engined muscle cars with convertible tops are especially valuable today, Batton said.
While seven-figure prices for classic muscle cars are rare, the Barrett-Jackson auction routinely sees six-figure prices paid for desirable and well-restored Chevrolet Camaros, Shelby Mustangs and Pontiac GTOs.
Chevrolet Corvettes from the late 1950s and '60s, while not technically "muscle cars," are also getting big bids at Barrett-Jackson.
"If you were in the market for a Corvette, you have five, six, eight or ten of them in one place," said Mike Yager, founder of Mid America MotorWorks, a company that supplies parts for classic Corvettes.
Yager paid $278,000 for a one-of-a-kind 1964 Corvette at another auction last year. He expects it to eventually be worth $750,000 to $1 million.
Last edited by johnsocal; Jan 19, 2007 at 03:43 PM.
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An 800-HP Shelby Cobra just sold for 5.5 million-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16745031/from/RS.2/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16745031/from/RS.2/
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - An 800-horsepower Shelby Cobra, once the personal car of the racing veteran who developed the iconic vehicle, has sold for $5.5 million at auction, a record for an American car
Last edited by johnsocal; Jan 21, 2007 at 11:34 PM.
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From: Arlington, Texas
One of the guys at Barret Jackson summed it up pretty good. He was trying to explain how the collector car market ebbs and flows. Basically, as stated before, the growth is in the cars where the folks that are coming into their prime earning power are going back and getting the cars that they thought were cool in their teens, but couldn't afford at the time. He also said the market for 40s and 50's hot rods is dying off because the guys that have been into that are getting older and moving into other things (with exceptions of course). The guys now in their 30's and 40's are starting to think about the 80's iron, and those cars mentioned above can expect to see some appreciation. I can't imagine they would ever be anywhere near what the 60's and 70's muscle is bringing, it should at least not lose anymore value at this point.
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I think it was just two days ago, I was thinking that the Blue Devil or Sting Ray or whatever is coming out will be worth a lot of money a few decades later. A limited production super vette...something like the powerhouses back in the late 60's. Maybe I should buy 2? One to drive and one to keep in the garage :-P
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As much as I love the open top Elise, I think the closed top Exige will become more valuable since it has a higher MSRP and has even lower production #'s
Not bad for $50,000
Last edited by johnsocal; Jan 22, 2007 at 10:42 PM.
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