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10 cars to buy and drive now, but with Barrett-Jackson 2045 in mind

Rediscovered list from 2007 inspires an update in 2020

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Hopefully you recall that yesterday, I shared the list of 10 future classic cars I’d selected earlier this century with the thought that they were (a) currently available in new-car dealerships, (b) would be fun to own and to drive, and ( c ) could be carefully preserved with an eye on consigning them to Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction 25 years down the road.

I concluded that article by promising to come up with a new list that I’d share today, and suggested that you do the same, perhaps even to the point of sharing your lists through the Comments section below.

There was a proviso, however: Our lists cannot simply comprise 10 current supercars, nor can you submit “10 new C8 Corvettes” as your list. The focus should be on 10 cars currently available that you think would be fun to own and to drive and that might be what people would want to buy at auction around the mid-point of this century.

With that in mind, here is my new list, based on cars currently available at new-car dealerships:

Larry’s top-10 future classics 2020

10. Subaru WRX STI

Iconic in the 1990s when the original was introduced, and won world rally championships, and iconic once again, so by mid-century it will be a wonderful way to fulfill nostalgic dreams.

9. Honda Civic Type R

Civics have been the entry-level fun ride for a couple of generations and the Type R takes it to an even higher level.

8. Any Ferrari

To quote what I wrote in 2007, “Just like today, or 25 years ago or 25 years from now, any vehicle wearing the badge with the Prancing Horse will be sought by car collectors.”

7. Any McLaren

McLaren has emerged as the new Ferrari, and without the Italian complications.

The next-generation Tesla Roadster is expected to reach customers later this year | Tesla photo

6. Any Tesla

I still think the Tesla Roadster will be the prime collectible among the breakthrough electric vehicle lineup, but the original is out of production and the new one isn’t yet on the market (though reservations are being taken and last we heard the first deliveries are to take place yet this year). Regardless, this is still the brand that proved that petroleum isn’t needed for driving to be fun, and in 25 years such history will be valued.

5. Toyota Supra

Yes, the Supra has been overshadowed in performance by the mid-engine Corvette, but future collectors grew up loving this brand and eagerly awaiting the introduction of its newest sports coupe (and it won’t hurt that it was developed in cooperation with BMW).

4. Porsche Taycan

Beloved for its sports cars, Porsche’s viability as an automaker was saved by its Cayenne sport utility vehicle and now, with Taycan, it enters its future with an electrified model in the form of a slick sedan. 

3. Ford GT

Whether bidders grew up in the Fast & Furious or Ford v. Ferrari generations of movie goers, this domestic supercar figures to have a fine future in the collectible car marketplace.

2. Shelby GT500 Ford Mustang

With 760 supercharged horsepower, this is the ultimate (so far) Ford Mustang, and if the popularity of drifting has done anything to the future of car collecting, it has convinced those who grew up with front-wheel drive that rear-drive is way more fun.

1. Chevrolet Corvette C8

Zora Arkus-Duntov isn’t rolling over in his grave, he’s jumping up and down in celebration of the engine finally being put where he wanted it decades go, behind the driver. It’s redundant to say that Corvettes are collectible, and the C8 figures to perform as well on the auction block as it does on the road or track.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Dear Larry, you wrote that a Hummer H2 and a Porsche Cayman S would be highly valued by 20-40 YO drivers in 12 years. Then a Scion and any Ferrari? Never heard of the Mondial or the beautiful but slug-like 308? A 4 cyl Honda Civic will blow by and out-corner the stunning 246 (and the Mondial & 308-348). Unfortunately the 20-something collector will have no love for any of these Ferrari’s. Not even a Testarossa will stir the pot. I do appreciate your including a 2007 Shelby 500, since aside from the name showed almost no involvement from Shelby America. These are currently in the $25-30k range. I personally like the Bullit Mustangs (especially the 2019), if you remove the dopey insignias. Since I’ve owned a couple Lotuses, I appreciate your including the Elise. But you stopped short at the wonderful Accura NSX. The first gen can be had in the $50s-$60s. More than most youngsters can afford. So I guess the Honda Civic is the car checking all boxes.

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