What Classics Will Be on the 2025 Hagerty Bull Market List?
When it comes to Hagerty’s Bull Market List, our annual selection of vehicles most likely to appreciate in the near future, we set aside feelings and choose based on fact. Indeed, many of us here at Hagerty love sifting through spreadsheets to uncover a few choice candidates. Imagine yourself sitting with us in the dim light of all those computer screens. Which cars would you expect the data to favor?
I expect our Bull Market picks would be pretty close to those of the Hagerty Community. You can read some of your picks when we asked the same question last year, but we really want to know what classic, antique, or special interest vehicles you think are primed to make a splash in the market for 2025?
Here’s my choice:
For the record, I already know our Bull Market 2025 winners. And sadly, the 1990–95 Corvette ZR-1 is absolutely not on this list. I am choosing this car for our little thought experiment for a few reasons:
- I want the ZR-1 to appreciate in value and become the classic American icon it so deserves to be. All the “math homework” Hagerty could give me will never change my opinion on this matter.
- They seem to be slowly, gently appreciating in certain colors, model years, and conditions.
- One shockingly clean example wound up at a local you-pull-you-pay junkyard to me this year. Owned by LKQ, the corporate mothership quickly realized the local yard’s mistake, yanked it from inventory, and likely sold the parts off that goldmine elsewhere in their empire.
None of these reasons are valid, and my colleagues would laugh me out of a conference room/Zoom call for proposing that the C4 Corvette ZR-1 join the Hagerty Bull Market for 2025. But this isn’t a company meeting. This is my fireside chat with the Hagerty Community: I shall propose whatever I like, for whatever reasons I choose!
And so should you. The ball is now in your court, folks. Please tell me, esteemed members of the Hagerty Community, what you’d like to see on the Hagerty Bull Market for 2025. Maybe tell us why, as well; your stories are always insightful and enlightening.
Well knowing what I know on the ZR1 and people that even own then it will continue to remain stagnate.
The ZR1 is an exciting car but it was star crossed from birth.
It made a jump in performance but the trouble is the LT4 and the coming LS eclipses its power. GM even delayed the LT4 to not insult the ZR buyers that paid nearly twice the price for their car.
The next issue is there is just too many of them. They are not as rare as people thing. Many were bought and parked. They still sit with low miles and hidden away hoping they can make money on a car worth much less than it was new.
Then there is the parts issues. Since many parts were discontinued you are not going to go to the Chevy dealer and find them. When you do find them you will pay a vey dear price.
Then the C5 Z06 cam with the same 405 HP in a much better chassis and lighter chassie. These are the pick to continue to appreciater. Same for the much over looked C6 GS. These are two of the best Corvettes ever built.
They are more performance focused with just the right amount of power. These cars can be driven to their limits much easier vs the over powered Z06 and later ZR1. The Corvette team said the best track car they ever did was the C6 GS.
The early ZR1 here is an interesting car and a good car to add to a collection if you collect Corvettes. These are the buyers I see and they get them cheap. Much like the 928 an interesting car but expensive to fix and just overshadowed by the Air Cooled cars.
Think of the ZR1 as like the 1978 Pace Car. It too was expected to be a instant collectable. Many bought them and parked them. You can still buy a new one today. But they never got the prices they expected. A decent price but not the big prices they were predicted to bring. Why Too many were made and parked.
Generally to make a instant collectable you need very low numbers like less than 500, Youi also need big demand. Many monster collectables come out of no where and you can’t plan on them.
The Corvette to really buy if you can is any Lingenfelter twin turbo C5 and Look for the C6RS Pratt and Miller Street car. 7 were made and they were dipping below $80K. They will for sure increase with low numbers. The C6R body on a street car and a 8.2 Katech built engine in it. It may not be this year but for sure it will be a Shelby like car built by the Corvette Race team.
Till then the Z06 C5 is growing fast if in unmodified condition in good shape. It is already $5K-$12 more than the roadsters. It is increasing every year. They were few in number and many got used up.
FYI on the web and even on this site there has been a push on the 928 and ZR1 by auction houses. Beware there are a number of owners of these cars that have been sitting on and they want to move them at the auctions,. .
I at times feel this is false promotion to bring them to auction to try to make a buck. But demand is just not there vs the volume sitting around. .
Watch these auction houses as they try to promote and generate interest in cars that are just now showing value and people want to move.