It can be most useful to have access to upwardly mobile investment trends, states Iain Robertson, especially as they are not online scams and involve personal modes of transport showing signs of gilt-edged and mostly accessible quality.Â
As a reader, perhaps even a subscriber to this webzine, I am pretty sure that you are an adventurer. The odds are on that you enjoy travelling around the world, let alone your own country. As an adventurer, the chances are that you are also a speculator, such are the changeable conditions at many foreign destinations, and you are probably open to suggestions for the future. It is thus equally fair to suggest that your online experiences will often lead you to those ‘unbeatable opportunities’, to which you will never have enjoyed access before. Okay, now is the time to start showing concern. Investment opportunities show their ugly sides rather too frequently in an online world and scams proliferate that can leave you penniless before you realise it.
In case you have not heard, the classic car scene is a successful one for many investors but you do not have to pursue Italian exotica to be sure of getting a useful profit on return, although high-price Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis are usually solid gold. More fascinating to those of us without Premier Cru and caviar tastes are the modern classics and it is most useful that a company called Hagerty operates a number of inside line services, such as monitoring auction valuations (noted in brackets), that provide its market with practical information.
Citroen BX
Naturally, there are caveats. The Top Five could be:
- Try to buy the best, clean and rot-free example you can afford from a reputable source
- Always check the vehicle’s history, service documents and so on
- Read other people’s experiences with particular models, if you are unfamiliar with them, perhaps even joining a marque club
- Be patient and do not buy the first one you see, as others will follow in due course
- If your knowledge is insufficient, check with a brand expert.
Inevitably, the originally costlier models do feature in Hagerty’s list for the future best bets, such as the aforementioned Lamborghini Diablo of the 1990s. A rival to some Ferraris and Porsches, its thunderously potent V12 engine is never going to provide affordable transport but good-to-concours examples are changing hands for between £106,000 to £229,000 and showing signs of upward escalation. Somewhat more affordable is the Mercedes-Benz SL500 (£7,800 to £32,100), a model renowned for its superb build quality and handy performance statistics. However, there is a decent mix of unassuming but charming models that may have significant appeal, as long as you do not mind getting your fingers dirty at evenings and weekends.
Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire is a sweet, inoffensive and very accessible British two-seater showing good signs of rising values (£2,800 to £28,100) and a fairly easy entry-point for clean and usable examples. Known for their frugality, while a 1962 1247cc Mk 1 may be risky, a better 1970 1296cc Mk 2/3, or 1980 1.5-litre Mk 4 could make an excellent car in which to drive the challenging North Coast 500 route around Scotland. On the other hand, a Saab 99 Turbo (from 1978 to 1980; £4,100 to £21,700) relies on sound Swedish engineering and good spares availability for a truly pioneering car of its era. The two-door saloon is already commanding high-ish prices but the 5-door hatchback was made in greater numbers and good examples do exist in the used car scene.
News of the Ford Fiesta’s demise is making speculators’ ears prick up (from 1977 to 1983; £1,400 to £19,100). The surprisingly ordinary but actually very good Spanish-built hatchback needs careful evaluation at the newer, sportier end of what is available (RS and ST variants) but the cooking and S versions are immense fun to drive and, in Ghia trim, surprisingly luxurious. A more specific consideration is the Audi TT Quattro Sport Mk 1 (from 2005 to 2006; £5,100 to £14,800). Although plentiful examples of other Audi TTs exist, only 800 were made of the Q Sport and they are superb to drive and very durable. Other variants will follow suit on the collectability front but seeking the rarer models will prove to be rewarding.
Another fascinating car is the Bentley Turbo R (1985 to 1997; £7,700 to £23,400). This largely hand-built, speedy and luxurious saloon would make a great wedding car but they can be demanding on the maintenance front, despite tantalising auction prices that are rising steadily. Alternatively, the Citroen BX (1982 to 1994; £800 to £8,100) is remarkable value for money in almost any guise, petrol, or diesel, with the top 16v model commanding stronger money but providing a broad range of dynamic and dependable attractions.
Finally, the Lotus Elise S2 (2000 to 2010; £11,900 to £30,400) is a hand-built, British sportscar gem made especially so because of its 1.8-litre 187bhp Toyota engine. Very reliable and possessing the sweetest of on-road manners, rising values have been slower in the UK than in other countries but the tiny Lotus is definitely on the way up.
Saab 99 Turbo
Conclusion: Buying into the modern classic car scene is not as much of a nightmare as you might think and well-maintained examples of each of the noted models are available, if you keep your eyes peeled and check the used car advertisements. Buy carefully into this sector and you could see a doubling of your investment in fairly short order and that is an adventure worth undertaking.
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