by Duncan Blaxter

Created on: January 30, 2009

To understand what cars will become classics in the future we need to look at the past. Current collectible cars all share some common characteristics: those being exclusivity, innovativeness and quality as well as some cars which have attained collectability through cult status such as the original Volkswagen Beetle. Cars like the Porsche 356, Mercedes Benz SL300 Gullwing, and original Ford Mustang each have at least one of these four features and are each now worth a great deal of money and are very collectible. With that said, we must now take a look at the cars of today.

Most modern cars are mass-produced and lack originality. For every one sports car or limousine, there are a thousand boring hatchbacks and saloons. This in itself is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, the low volume of the more interesting cars will increase their collectability, but on the other the lack of such cars means there will be less future classics to choose from and they could sink into obscurity. Who has heard the names Venturi or Alpine? Both great French supercar manufacturers that disappeared due to low production volumes and lack of brand recognition. The result of that is that the cars such as the Alpine A610 and it's Venturi equivalent have dropped a long way in value compared to the Porsches and Lotus of that era, simply because everyone knows Porsche, but few would recognise Venturi. This particular scenario began in the nineties, and there is no reason to doubt it will happen again to the niche cars of today. This is why the cars made by today's low volume sports car manufacturers will suffer the same fate. In twenty years time the name TVR could be met with blank looks - they are gone and their cars may well die with them.

So that leaves a small selection of sports cars offered by mainstream manufacturers. There is no point in considering supercars for collectability status either. In fifty years time, the Enzo, Veyron and McLaren F1 will still cost as much as they did new if not more - they have earned immortality through fame.

The first car I would like to mention is the Honda S2000. Remarkably advanced for it's size and cost and with an engine that revs to nine thousand revolutions per minute, as well as having perfect weight distribution and handling, it is well set up to be a classic in fifty years time. There were enough made to ensure they will not die out, but not so many that it can be considered mass market. It fits three out of my four criteria and that is more than enough to earn it a place in the collectors garage of the future.

The current generation Ford Mustang could also easily become a classic. It is respected by many as the second best Mustang ever behind the original version and is a worthy car to bear the name. Whenever you mention a Mustang, most will understand you immediately and so long as the market doesn't get too flooded with the cars, they will remain relatively rare yet universally known. Definitely a future classic.

The first-generation Lotus Elise, which is now out of production, was more extreme than the current Mk2 version, having better hanndling but less outright speed and less comfort. It was also much lower-voulme than the current Elise and in that way manages to fulfil at least two of the criteria for being a future classic.

Finally, you have cars like the BMW M3 and M5, and Porsche 911. These cars will depreciate initially but have such a strong heritage behind them that in fifty years time they will undoubtedly be considered a worthy collectors car. It is easy to figure out whether a car is going to be a future classic: just remember: exclusivity, innovativity, quality and heritage.

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