QOTD: Are There Any Collectibles Amongst the Rubble?

Monday’s QOTD post by Matthew Guy inquiring about some of the seriously overpriced metal on today’s collector car market got me thinking. And what it got me thinking about was the present state of cars, and if there’s going to be much worthy of collecting at a later date.

We’re in some dark times, automotively speaking. Allow me to explain.

You see, I could quickly and easily make a list of several desirable and collector-worthy cars for each model year between 1990 and perhaps 2003. After that, things get a bit sketchier, and it’s harder to find collectible metal outside things designed with collectors in mind — like the heated garage-ready Chevrolet SSR, for example. And where things really get dicey is upon the convergence of two distinct and negative forces for those interested in cars, collecting cars, or cars of high quality.

The first negative force was the creation and subsequent Xeroxing of the CUV, as popularized first by the Lexus RX back in the late 1990s. This force continues today, and was compounded by the small economic issue North America experienced in 2008. The Great Recession drove home a point about taking certain risks, and the mostly unnecessary aspects of auto manufacturing like sourcing parts from America and fitting quality interiors to vehicles. I don’t think we’ve climbed out of that hole, especially where automobiles are concerned. Of course, it’s not all bad — just mostly. This brings me to today’s question.

Consider the most recent five model years, 2014 to 2018. Limiting future collectible considerations to these five years only, where do you see the shining stars? In a sea of CUV selections, or where Cadillac tried to act like BMW, BMW went after Lexus, and Lincoln and Acura had their internet shut off, where do you turn?

The headline image is an obvious choice, and I’m taking that one to make the game harder on you. Any HellCarSportHawk variations from FCA with their ridiculous 707 horsepowers are destined to be future collectibles. Eventually people will look at them like they do a Plymouth Superbird; their eyes fixated as the HellVehicle passes. “Remember when they used to make that?”

Off to you all.

[Image: Chris Tonn / TTAC]