What sort of cars become Classics, and give great returns ?.

It is not every car manufacturer that produces cars that become Classics, just as it is not every model that is produced by any one manufacturer that goes on to rise in value by becoming Classic. Of course it is certainly the case that a long, sleek, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing motor car is far more likely to reach Classic Car status, although that is not the only determining factor. No, it is much, much more than that. The car must also be great to drive, be reliable, and be reasonable to run, own and maintain. These are the reasons behind the tremendous growth in the values of Lotus Elan's, Jaguar E-Types, Lamborghini Muira's, Ferrari Testarossa's, Triumph TR6's, MGA's, and Aston Martin DB2's through to the lovely DB7. These cars all share the same great features - They are all long and sleek, are all very aerodynamic, and are all very aesthetically pleasing. They are also all great to drive, are all reliable, are all reasonable to run and own, and are therefore all special. None of them were produced in massive numbers by world standards.

This is also the same reason why some other Lotus models are not so valuable, and why other Jaguar's, Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, Triumph's and Aston Martin models are not rising in value so fast, if at all. For example, a Jaguar XJ6 is still worth practically nothing due to the massive volumes produced, as is the Triumph TR7 which was never liked in the way that the amazing TR6 was.

While this is all the case at this moment in time, it is also interesting to observe the apparent " dormancy " of some makes and models, until their time comes. One such example would be the Jaguar XJS, which had sunk to " Junk " status for a decade, before finally seeing a massive resurgence now, as good ones become rare. When rarity meets a car that is great to look at and drive. it suddenly becomes " rediscovered ". And then.............. Up goes the value. The trick is knowing what will rise and when, just as with Property and Shares.

Another car to suddenly be " rediscovered " is the MG Midget, as this is a very reliable and yet very inexpensive car to run and own. It also has the Classic long bonnet and reasonably sleek lines, and is of course convertible, which always adds rarity and value. Good Midgets are just rising and rising now, as they have all been rebuilt, removing all and any rust, and making everything on the car like new again. These were a car that were only worth GB£2000 ( AU$3636 ), although are now fast becoming a GB£13000          ( AU$23,600 ) motor car in Europe. In the space of 3 years, they are worth almost 6 times as much.