We’d never recommend buying a classic car purely for investment purposes; nonetheless, these currently underappreciated modern classics chosen by five marque experts will provide stylish, relatively reliable motoring for years to come – and are likely to leave you in profit come sale-time…
Timeless British brawn – Aston Martin Vanquish
“We’ve seen the original Vanquish enjoy a steady climb in values in recent times,” says Aston Martin Works Commercial Director Paul Spires, “and I expect this is likely to continue. A good indicator is the fact that we’ve already carried out more of the manual gearbox conversions this year than we ever have in a single year, so owners are certainly prepared to put money into their Vanquishes – these conversions can also achieve a gold certification in our new Assured Provenance programme, provided they meet the requirements in other areas. We haven’t got any first-generation Vanquishes in stock at the moment, as demand is comfortably outstripping supply. We’re well into double digits in terms of sales figures already this year, and whenever one comes in, we prepare it to a very high standard and it sells relatively quickly.”
The businessman’s ’bahnstormers – AMG Mercedes of the 1990s
“Personally, I’m drawn to the early BMW M-cars, but these have already been recognised by the market,” says Nick Maingot of Image Automotive, under whose umbrella is Fast Classics andMillennium Heroes. “For future modern classics, I’d have a look at the 1990s/2000s Mercedes AMGs. Yes, Mercedes famously went through a period of dubious build-quality during this era, but that now means that even the rarer AMG models are very affordable today. The early-noughties E55 Estates are an interesting proposition: they were quite rare – especially in colours other than silver – and had 350bhp naturally aspirated V8s. The C55 Estate and SLK55 would also be worth a look, as they had the F1 safety/medical car connotations – considering Mercedes safety cars have become a long-standing tradition, those might become rather iconic as they were the first of the breed. Lastly, the E36 AMG Coupé is an obvious choice, but they’re becoming pretty scarce nowadays. Pillarless perfection with ultimate kerb appeal...”
The unloved Porsches: 928, 944 and 968
“In terms of the Porsches that haven’t increased a lot in recent years, the 928 is looking very good value,” says Mark Mullen of Porsche expert Specialist Cars of Malton. “You can still buy a GTS for £25,000 – £30,000. They’re a fantastic car, so I think they have the potential to go up. The Clubsports have already been recognised by the market in recent times; the Sports and standard coupés less so. There’s a bigger market for the manual cars, but in time I think they’ll all have ‘their day’. If you can find a nice 944 it’d be a good move, but you’d have to kiss a lot of frogs; in seven and a half years, we’ve only sold five as we haven’t been able to find many good examples. They got to a point where people bought them but couldn’t afford to maintain them properly, so if you’re going to go down that route, make sure you find a good one.”
Last chance Ferraris for £60,000
“The 348 was a giant leap forward for Ferrari, with a semi-monocoque steel chassis and longitudinally mounted V8 engine,” says Jeff Fosker of the eponymous marque-specialist dealer. “These are great cars to buy now as they offer a bona fide mid-engined V8 supercar experience. Look out for the extremely rare 348 GTB and GTS models; these are the ones to buy if you’re looking for a ‘collector’ 348. Later, the 360 became Ferrari's first production car to be constructed entirely from aluminium and, assuming it’s been well cared for, it will still drive absolutely beautifully and can hold its own against modern supercars. There are great examples on offer for well under £100,000, but they should follow the top F355 values and surpass this figure over the next year. Finally, the 456: by today’s standards it might not feel that fast, but it is an immensely luxurious and comfortable GT car. As long as you’re not expecting it to feel like a rapid sports car, you won’t be disappointed. Now is the time to take up your last chance to get a modern V12 Ferrari for less than £60,000.”
Grace in old age – Late-model Jaguar XJSs
“The XJS was in production since the mid-70s, but it’s the facelifted post-1992 cars that are more desirable, and thus more likely to appreciate in future,” says Thomas Bormann of Car Classics Cologne. “The 6.0-litre V12 was introduced as well as the 4.0-litre version of the six-cylinder, and these were much better than the earlier engines. The 6.0-litre cars have already started to rise in value a little: there are not too many on the market, and they have only just started to gain recognition as a collector’s car in the last few years. The AJ16 version of the 4.0-litre six-cylinder introduced in 1994 is also becoming more sought-after.”
