QOTD: Which Newer Vehicles Are Destined for Collector Status?
There’s always big money in the collector car market. Auction houses like Mecum and Barrett-Jackson simply roll the shiny and tempting classic metal (like that Purp Drank Impala SS) across their blocks. The old folks (or their buying representatives) in the audience quickly and happily shill out huge sums for the privilege of adding a pretty and desirable machine of yesteryear to their collection.
Let’s see if we can’t predict the not-so-old vehicles that will appear on these illustrious auction blocks in the future.
We’re not going to impose too many rules today, just one rule and one general principle.
- Your predicted vehicle must be 15 years old or less, which leaves it 10 or more years to age into classic status at 25. This rule eliminates the mid-90s Japan metal that’s easy fodder. 2004 or newer.
- There needs to be some real reason your selection(s) might become collectible. “The Corolla S will be collectible because I like it” is not valid.
I’m sure some in the audience will feel that the desirable metal is all in the past; today’s generoboxes will never have the appeal of the good stuff from prior decades. Nonsense! The cream of any crop will attract collector attention, as the market demands a supply of fresh blood. On to the examples!
2009 Jaguar XJR
My favorite first. A last of the type is what we have here. Though the XJ featured revised (squared-off) bumpers and some gills the last couple of model years, the 2009 is still the one to have. The XJR version gets the nod for its supercharged V8 and aggressive styling. Tracing this XJ’s styling lineage back through time to the beautiful Mark X of 1961 was quite easy. The replacement XJ for 2011? Not so much.
2007 Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG
This sporty and largely forgotten van showed up randomly in the front of my mind. Available only for the 2007 model year, the R63 featured a 6.2-liter V8 engine that pumped out a whopping 503 horsepower. Zero to 62 miles an hour took 4.6 seconds. The R63 was crazy, sold poorly, and easily wins the contest for most powerful production minivan. Catnip for collectors later.
What are your selections for future car collectibles?
[Images: General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Daimler AG]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Don't know if in the US it was commercialized the 2001 VW Beetle RSi, only 250 made, VR6 engine, 225 hp, 4motion. My second choice would be the VW Passat W8 because... W8!!!
Vehicross. I am cheating because its an '01 putting it at 17 years old, but it is one of those concept darlings that got attention at shows then tanked in the real world. I think its rare status will give it a cult following (I would hunt one down if I had the extra cash to worry about repair bills).