Young classics were the better investment
A lot has happened in the classic car world over the last five years, buyer preferences have changed and collectors interested purely in investments have tended to give way to genuine enthusiasts. But how have classic car prices developed?
We investigated this by comparing the Classic Data ratings from summer 2015 with those from summer 2020. To do this, we averaged the Condition 2 and Condition 3 prices for each vehicle type listed.
Prices across the entire fleet rose by an average of 27%, which may come as a surprise to many. In other words, they did not fall across the entire stock of over 5000 listed vehicles. The average classic car in the Classic Data inventory rose in value from EUR 24,320 to EUR 30,834.
As this was not entirely in line with our intuition, we went one step further. How did the individual model eras behave? We assigned the individual vehicle types to the decade in which they were mainly built. This showed that cars from the 1980s increased in value the most on average, namely by 69%, followed by the 1990s (56%) and the 1970s. The young classics therefore increased in value more than the older classics. However, they are also much more strongly represented in the Classic Data database, which is why they have a greater influence on the overall result.
| Decade | No. | Increase in value | PS i.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forties | 45 | 12 % | 79 |
| Fifties | 736 | 20 % | 104 |
| Sixties | 1322 | 27 % | 110 |
| Seventies | 1380 | 34 % | 121 |
| Eighties | 1546 | 69 % | 113 |
| Nineties | 529 | 56 % | 160 |
If we divide the classic cars into three price groups, namely A: 0 to 30,000 euros, B: 30,000 to 100,000 euros and C: over 100,000 euros, it becomes apparent that the value development is not homogeneously distributed across the stock. While the more expensive models of the older classics increased in value the most, the more affordable models of the younger classics tended to do so.
| Decade | WZ A (€ 0-30k) | WZ B (€ 30-100k) | WZ C (€ 100+ k) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forties | 6 % | 11 % | 55 % |
| Fifties | 19 % | 14 % | 41 % |
| Sixties | 27 % | 26 % | 18 % |
| Seventies | 36 % | 25 % | 14 % |
| Eighties | 71 % | 33 % | 20 % |
| Nineties | 57 % | 29 % | 50 % |
| Over all | 45 % | 23 % | 27 % |
Now, of course, it is also interesting to see who the big winners were between 2015 and 2020. The Opel Kadett E GSi, the Audi 100 Avant (Type 44), the VW T3 Transporter, the Ford Sierra, built between 1987 and 1988, as well as the Audi 200 Quattro and the De Tomaso Guara Spyder recorded the highest increases in value. The Bentley R-Type Continental (1952-1955) and the Maserati A6B 2000 Zagato from 1956 also attracted attention with high increases in value, although we suspect that these were more corrections in the valuation data than actual increases in value. All the models mentioned were listed with increases in value of over 340%, i.e. they have at least quadrupled in value.
Of course, one will now immediately ask about the big losers, which on average lost between 25 and 35% during the period under review. Various Alvis models (TB14, TC21/100, TA21, TA14) stand out here, but also the Lancia Aurelia B24 as an (America) Spider and as a Convertible. The list of losers also includes the various versions of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (Gullwing and Roadster) as well as the Toyota 2000 GT and some Porsche 911 models. Many of the cars mentioned enjoyed very dynamic increases in value in previous years, so the "losses" between 2015 and 2020 took place at a high level.
Of course, caution must be exercised with such evaluations, as the Classic Data valuations are also only average values and are based on continuous market observations, but can only be constantly "up to date" for models that are really widely traded. Nevertheless, the trends and tendencies are interesting and show that both the buyer base and the objects of desire are probably becoming younger.
