10 Cars You Can Bet Will Be Classics
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By Chuck Squatriglia
- November 30, 2010 |
- 9:00 am |
- Categories: Cool Cars
![Chevrolet Camaro convertible Chevrolet Camaro convertible](https://webharvest.gov/congress111th/20101229192059im_/http://www.wired.com/autopia/wp-content/gallery/10-future-collectible-cars/2011-Chevrolet-Camaro.jpg)
It's hard to know what cars will be future classics. Oh sure, some of them are obvious — damn near any exotic will certainly go up in value eventually, and it's hard to go wrong with a limited-edition ride like the Porsche 911 Sport Classic.
But what about the cars that aren't so obvious? What models sitting in showrooms might be the next 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350? The guys at Hagerty Insurance Agency think they know. Each year the company, which bills itself as "the world leader in collector car insurance," takes a look at everything in showrooms and compiles its "hot list" of 10 future collector cars you can buy now for less than $100,000.
"We have fun each year looking at which new vehicles embody the characteristics of collector cars, to help predict which ones might have classic appeal in 15 to 20 years," CEO McKeel Hagerty said in a statement. "The Hot List is our prediction for which cars manufactured this year will hold their value and consumer appeal long enough to one day be regarded as collectible."
Given that it's an annual list, all of the cars are 2011 models. The list is Hagerty's; the comments are ours. It's sure to spark some debate — lists always do — so feel free to spout off in the comments.
Above:
Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
The drop-top retro ride offers a 6.2-liter V-8 producing 426 horsepower. By the way, if you haven't read Dan Neil's review of the Camaro SS, do so now. It's the best car review ever. Photo: General Motors
The Challenger, and the Mustang will almost surely gain in value due to the low production numbers alone. Then figure in the Mopar, and Mustang enthusiasts will only add to the likelihood. The Porsche has a good chance as well, see the enthusiast comment above, along with what appears to be some nice body lines. It will all depend on how it performs. As for the rest? Those are definitely ones that we will have to wait for time to tell.
It’s just insane that a non “M” version BMW sports 320 HP and a 4.8 second 0-60 time.
Insane, but insanely cool… let’s hear it for “sleepers.”
I’m not sure about the Boxter being a “chick car” but the Mustang sure is. I see way more girls behind the wheel of modern Mustangs than guys.
really? why is the Mazda RX-8 R3 not in that list, there are only a few being made. The 335is really? And i doubt highly the CRZ will be a classic due to its hybrid electric nature. The mechanics of that vehicle have not completely been worked out, which means that this vehicle has the potential to fail badly (battery’s failing and electric system problems). The infinity is great and all but it is just not that unique. I really would like to say that this list is not entirely correct.
The person who wrote this clearly knows nothing about cars. The Dodge Challenger is arguably the most irresponsible car manufactured in the last 5 year. It’s the product of a car company that has proven it can’t redesign cars a la the Dodge Intrepid, Magnum, Cirrus/Stratus/Breeze, Pacifica and Neon, as well as the Chrysler 300 and PT Cruiser.
This the same car company that needed a government bailout largely because of the aforementioned. Yet, they can somehow churn out a (yet another) two-door V8 gas guzzler, nostalgia-driven muscle car. And you call this a classic?
Ford Mustang? This car keeps garnering press every generation. Again, get off the nostalgia.
The Camaro was stale before it ever reached production because the lead time between concept and development was entirely too long.
Then, you throw an Infiniti performance division sedan into the mix, but overlook the core of its performance heritage in the Nissan R35 GT-R.
What about the Ferrari 458 Italia. This latest release from Modena could very well be the most classic of modern car designs. I anticipate that 40-50 years from now that this car will be regarded as one of the most beautiful car designs ever.
Please, save your audience the nonsense and do your homework before releasing such bold content.
@ada17:”The mechanics of that vehicle have not completely been worked out…” Since when has mechanical reliablity ever been a criterion for inclusion in a list of classics? I’d wager that no limited-production automobile is produced in enough numbers to work out all the bugs. And most, if not all, of the classic British or Italian sports cars are famously unreliable! Having owned a few MG’s I can certainly attest to that!
Any list of cars containing US made cars is a failed list.
Get over it and try to catch up.
Sad to see Audi didn’t make the list. The Infiniti will go bust – just because you buy your grandpa running shoes doesn’t make him an Olympic sprinter.
@ m2digital: you do realize that the company that created this list actually insures classic cars and so, by definition, does know something about cars, correct? As we noted in the post, we didn’t create the list, we’re simply offering it here with our own thoughts for our readers to consider and debate. As for why the Ferrari 458 Italia isn’t on Hagerty’s list, it’s because the list was limited to cars costing less than $100,000 — a point we should have mentioned. I’ve updated the post to do so.
The least “classic” of the cars included is the G37. Also, it is kind of silly to include all three of the current American pony cars. The Mustang or Camaro would have been enough. 335is over the M3? I don’t think so, even though the “is” will likely have quite a following like the old E46 330i ZHP. Where are the Japanese econo rockets like the WRX STi or Lancer Evo? Where is the Volkswagen GTI?
The CR-Z is NOT the world’s first “sporty hybrid”… That honor goes to the venerable Honda Accord Hybrid. Sure, Honda couldn’t figure out how to sell these, and sure, it’s bigger and heavier than a CR-Z… But “sporty” doesn’t do this car justice… it’s a beast. Now if I could just get my wife to stop banging into things with it…
So many worthy contenders in the automobile universe and this is it? Aside from the Fiat, I can’t see how any of these would make the cut. Where are the Maseratis? The 458 Italia? Goodness, even the Kia Soul would be considered before most on this list. Like a previous commenter has posted, this is clearly the work of someone who knows nothing about cars. And dare I say, hasn’t got a passport?
It’s always amusing to hear the opinions of non-car people.
That being said, I can’t agree that the 500, Mini and the CR-Z will ever be classics, whatever that term means anyway. Some people will pay 6 figures for a mint-cond AMC AMX and that was never considered a classic.
None of them will be classics except the 302R ‘Stang and the Porsche Spyder. Both are awesome, and both are limited enough to retain some exclusivity. The Camaro is good, but it just isn’t a good enough car to call a classic. The Bimmer, while it is an awesome car, is (1) too ubiquitous–you can see on at any stop light, and (2) only the 2nd best 3-series. 2nd best cars never achieve classic status. Similarly, the CR-Z isn’t good enough–it isn’t very sporty, it isn’t particularly economical, and it certainly doesn’t make people stop in the street when they see one. You had me going there for a minute on the CTS-V until you said Lutz should be canonized. Bronzed, maybe, but only if he’s awake while it happens.
The Countryman is just flat ugly (the original “New” Mini, though, IS a classic.) The Infiniti doesn’t qualify for “classic” status just because it’s a little faster and more expensive than the base model. The Mopar looks too much like your loser brother-in-law’s six-pack (pak?) Plymouth. And come on–a Fiat???
The original 500 is a classic, and this one will be too. Or at least the Abarth version. Maybe not so loved in the supersize-me US, where the F-150 is still king and bums are wide, but in Europe and the rest of the world, it’s a hit. So much Italian flair, such a joy to drive.
I agree about the Mustang being way more of a chick car than the Porsche Boxster. I’d say the ratio of chicks to guy driving them, at least in L.A., is 5-1.
Meh on the mustang. 2011 ’stang will have a DOHC engine and IRS for the first time, making it actually competitive with real sports cars. Any competitive mustang race teams have always had to completely swap out the entire rear sub frame for IRS systems to be competitive in interbrand race series.
the 335is for sure. the twin turbo I6 in that car is easily the most drool worthy engine in any sub $70,000 car currently sold. Brings back memories of Japanese muscle from the 1990s (Supra, 300ZX, RX-7, 3000GT VR-4) BMW could easily up the boost even more, add a larger intercooler, GDI, etc and build an M3 CSL turbo that would compete with the 911 turbo or GT2. As it stands, the engine/tuning of the vehicle is more impressive than any Mitsubishi Evolution or WRX STI. all have similar power levels, but the BMW has full torque from about 1500 RPM all the way to about 5500 RPM, which none of the 4 cylinders can even approach. That basically means it is burning out immediately from Idle up until red line in all gears.
I agree about the charger, if only because it is an OE package that puts the Viper engine (how did the author miss that crucial selling point?) in a Charger.
The CTS-V has always been impressive, if only because it is an actual attempt to put “semi” comparable performance of German big boat-sized luxury muscle cars in the hands of ‘Merikans. Also its supercharged and has (As the author pointed out) tons and tons of torque. Though it WILL break extremely quickly.
I wont comment on the small cars or the Porsche…
I think the IPL car probably isnt as important as the author thinks and he is simply point it out for the sake of pointing it out.
also, Infiniti (Nissan) HAS an in house tuning company. its called Nismo.
“metric tons” are not units of torque, they are units of force. Also, mixing metric/english power/torque numbers in the same article is unhelpful.
@Chuck Squatriglia: I feel like you just punched this guy in the teeth… nice…
“@ m2digital: you do realize that the company that created this list actually insures classic cars and so, by definition, does know something about cars, correct? As we noted in the post, we didn’t create the list, we’re simply offering it here with our own thoughts for our readers to consider and debate. As for why the Ferrari 458 Italia isn’t on Hagerty’s list, it’s because the list was limited to cars costing less than $100,000 — a point we should have mentioned. I’ve updated the post to do so.”
I love how m2digital calls out the car companies he doesn’t like with an overly broad attack on the entire line, but then picks out very specific runs of the cars he wants to see on the list.
The Mustang and the Challenger listed are both special editions of the cars. The Camaro…eh not so much.
Let’s go over this again, for the noob/”journalists” … repeat after me: there are no collectible water-cooled Porsches.
“And i doubt highly the CRZ will be a classic due to its hybrid electric nature. The mechanics of that vehicle have not completely been worked out, which means that this vehicle has the potential to fail badly (battery’s failing and electric system problems).”
People will keep the batteries fresh over time.
I’m hoping that’s the only real reason you think it’s not classic applicable and not the very nature of it being a hybrid. If you can’t imagine a world where hybrid gas/electric is a relic, with battery price falling and performance rising, I don’t know what to tell you.
@ DrKnowNothing: You’re kidding, right? If not, I was being facetious in writing “four metric tons of torque.”
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@ Jo_Borras: Are you one of those guys who also argues mid-engine Porsches aren’t collectible?
The Corvette C6
The CR-Z doesn’t have a chance in hell of being a classic. Remember the sporty Accord Hybrid? Over priced, low IMA duty cycle, corners like a moving van, coasts powerlessly for up to two seconds during acceleration downshifts, and is legendary for its unrepairable misfiring and electronics glitches. It was a limited production vehicle and I don’t see anyone collecting them. Thankfully I got a refund under lemon laws.
I don’t see the VW GTI. The original VW Rabbit GTI was arguably the world’s first hot-hatch and even tho the current model (I have a 2007 Fahrenheit) lacks a bit in styling, it will more than hold its own against much more expensive and powerful cars.
Why do I have this feeling that the author simply used 1 current issue of Motor Trend for his reference?
What happened to the Honda S2000?
Normally when I see bone-headed comments I just let them go, but this time I feel like letting my thoughts out.
DV8_MKD – My troll senses are tingling on this one but since there are a lot of idiots out there who I KNOW think this way, I’ll not give you the benefit of the doubt. The days of the American brands being shamed by the imports are gone. Read the reviews on the recent offerings by the big three and you’ll see what they are putting out lately meets or very often exceeds anything coming out of Europe or Japan. Styling, performance, efficiency, quality… Throw any metric of comparison out there and you’re a fool to ignore the Ford and GM contributions. Even Chrysler is getting there if the early looks at the new 200 are any indication of the direction they are taking. Face it, your American car bashing is outdated. Find a new hobby.
m2digital – Camaro stale before it hit the market….? Try telling that to the 160,000+ people who have bought one since it came onto the market last year (myself being one of them), easily outnumbering the entries from Ford and Dodge month to month. The Camaro is a masterpiece, and if you think there is a problem with the car you are among the minority.
monglebonge – Dunno where you’re getting your info, but no IRS in the 2011 Mustang. That accounts for the huge weight difference between the 2010/2011 Camaro and equivalent Mustang (and as a result the performance difference). As of right now and at least the relatively near future the Mustang still has a solid rear axle.
As for the article predicting the new Camaro becoming a classic in the future, I can’t agree in the sense that they are referring to. If I stuff my car into a garage for 50 years it will not be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars when I go to take it out. There’s just too many of them being produced right now. However I fully believe that the styling of the car will be considered classic. When Chevy unveiled the concept some 4 years ago they realized they struck gold even before any details were known about its awesome performance (which wiped the floor with the competition at release by the way) because it was absolutely gorgeous. They could have gone the lazy route and regurgitated an early version like Ford or (especially) Dodge did, but instead they took cues from the previous versions and created a thoroughly modern looking vehicle.
I fully believe that there are two vehicles that saved General Motors. The first and probably most publicized is the Volt. Like it or not, the Volt is turning into a hit with reviewers and shows that GM can keep up with the times and produce an ultra efficient vehicle without holding anything back. The second is the Camaro. Sure, the earnings from the Camaro won’t pay back GM’s debts by a long shot, and the sales are a very, VERY small percentage of the whole, but there’s no denying the positive publicity the car has garnered for the company.
/endRant
The Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger are already “classics”. To me they show a complete lack of creativity…Hmm we can’t think of any interesting new car ideas….lets just build the same old car out of new stuff and pretend it’s our design! Stealing from the past is not the way to move into the future.
Please, not the Mini Countryman. I walked past one in a car park yesterday and laughed at it. “Mini” means small to English speakers.
The Countryman is a bloated barge that just devalues the brand. The Cooper S is good and probably will deserve its status.
The 500 is the only likely classic on the list. Every other car, apart from the Mini, is just another me-too muscle car. Today’s classics are or will be the 500, the Volt, Smart For2s cabrios, Prius, perhaps the Fiesta for you in the US, although cars of that size are normal elsewhere. These are today’s mould-breakers, like the Mustang, Fiat 500, VW Beetle and the Citroen DS were in other decades. They will get looks in 20-30 years time. Nobody will care less about a muscle-bound Infiniti then.
Why would some ugly Honda hybrid ever be a classic?
The CR-Z will be a classic in the same way that the Ford Pinto is considered a classic.
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Classic example of a car that should never have been made. Simply awful.
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Sporty! with less performance than a Ford Escort ZX-2! and at sixteen times the sticker price!
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Please. Awful vehicle.
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In any case, I too feel compelled to weigh in against the autosnobs… news flash, kids: the 458 Italia is definitely a pretty face. Beautiful automotive exercize. And gets all kinds of beatdowns from Nissan, Dodge, and Corvette where it really counts: on the track. The Viper ACR, the ZR-1 and the GT-R all make Maranello look like a tractor factory. I’ll always look at a nice Ferarri, of course – who wouldn’t? – but I’d never buy one.
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The Car of the Year is Korean, people. Time to face facts – Europe no longer holds a monopoly on good design.
@mads2k: I used many sources for the information, including our own experiences with some of these cars. As for why the Honda S2000 isn’t on the list, it’s because Hagerty’s limited the list to 2011 models (a point specifically cited in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph). Honda killed the S2000 in 2009.
This list is fairly amusing and I too am not sure about a few of the cars on the list. What’s even more amusing than this list is the full-of-themselves-experts commenting on this list. Camaro-stale? Really? Took too long to come to market? Really? I remember seeing the concept car at the 06 LA auto show and they hit the streets 3 years later in 09. That’s a pretty typical development cycle. Owning one discredits my objectivity but I will say I have never owned a car that get’s so many comments from so many ppl from so many walks of life from kids to seniors. I understand the notion that American cars are garbage I used to be there. I’ve owned nothing but Hondas, Toyotas and VWs for the last 23 years. Now if you want to bash a car builder bash VW. They. Are. Indisputable. Garbage. They drive nice when they do actaully drive but my 02 Eurovan and 03 Golf TDi both had catostophic transmission failures right after warranty expired. Any repair seems to cost at least 500.00. A new..ahem…certified rebuild tranny on the Eurovan: 8.300.00. Where’s my crack pipe? Unloaded that POS for an 08 Odyssey and my POS TDi for an 08 Acura TSX. When I was delusional and high on Veedubs my friend purchased an 05 Passat on my recommendation. I’m just grateful we’re still friends. The running joke was “the shop was letting him borrow the car for a few days.” Good thing for lemon laws-he got his money back. FTR and FTW I’ve taken my Camaro to the track 3x and have run it 27x’s total so far. Conclusion: White trash activities are a hoot, the Camaro is pretty quick and pretty freakin solid and PZero’s are expensive. The only thing I’ve taken it in for so far is to re-flash the USB port and regular oil changes, though it does seem to like oil. I’ve had it since Feb. My 08 Acura TSX 6MT is in the shop right now getting the 3rd gear synchro replaced at 30k miles. The clutch failed at 24k. Acura determined that both were defective and covered the repairs-thank heavens and the driver side map light has an intermittent short in it. Oddly or not so oddly my 08 Odyssey has the same exact map light issue as well and the tranny failed and was replaced last year under warranty at 32k miles. My 06 Scion xB 5MT has 50k and I’ve never had a problem with it. Lot’s of unwarranted American car bashing going on here. It really seems to depend more on the builders. Korean cars seem to be winning all of the quality awards these days. 10 years ago they were a joke. I can see picking the BMW 335i over the M3. IMO it’s a bit more clever than the M3 and is infinitely more friendly to the tuner market. I’m sure there’s a lot more horsepower to tap into with that motor-lot’s of similarities to the Supra 2JZ-GTE motors and Nissan’s RB-25 and 26 motors in their R-32, R-33, R-34 GT-R’s. Anyone else besides me see the R-35 as a major dissapointment? I see the Mustang easily becoming a collectible as well with such limited production #’s and a Challenger with a Viper motor is very cool. Very Yenko-esque. I think you really have to have no automotive heart to not like that one. It’s a gas guzzler? Really? Newsflash the Pope is Catholic. So is any turbo 911, M5, Ferrari model a gas guzzler. Subie’s and Evo’s arent that great ongas either even if you drive them like a grandma. The 2 door CTS-V is cool and I just love the comment that it will breakpresumably because it’s American- Haters gotta hate. Perhaps but so will other high strung cars because ppl who buy them do so to put tremedous amounts of stress on them. For whatever reason the Boxter just doesn’t click with me. It’s a remarkable car to drive but it will always kinda be what Eli is to Peyton. The Fiat 500? IDK about this one. It’s great to see FIAT come back to the states if their cars aren’t garbage this time around. Time will definitely tell on this one. I’m not too sure on the Countryman. The Mini is clever whereas this one seems a bit contradictory to the company’s image and supposed mission. The Infinity seems a bit too ordinary to make this list but who knows, maybe the sleeper aspect of it will make it special. My .02.
I’m puzzled by the inclusion of the Fiat 500. I don’t think the shape is as good a ‘re-imagining’ of the original Cinquecento shape as the BMW Mini is of the original, and the one I drove in the Canaries last month had all the excitement and pulling power of a bowl of rice pudding. If it weren’t for the $100,000 price limit, I suspect the Tesla would have been included…..but since it is, I’ll vote for the Peraves MonoTracer cabin motorcycle.
PNB
I’d have to agree with DV8_MKD above. The US made cars listed here are non-starters for such a list. The Japanese ones aren’t much better. The only ones on this list that have any chance of classic status are the European ones. And I’m not so sure about the Porsche–it will probably end up like the 928 very good no long term value.