Which 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.
Chevy SS hands down.
If any of us could say this or that car’s price is going to skyrocket and be correct, we’d all be rich. As far as low numbers produced, look at most early Lotus’, production numbers are ridiculously low. Some of them went up in price within the first 20 years of purchase but now most of those that did, are coming down or not moving. I think what makes the price of a car go up is buyers with money, old geezers’, that can still get in and out of the car and still be able to drive them. I think this is the reason so called collectable American cars increase in price.
I own an 40th Anniversary ZR1 as well as a 96 LT4 and a 2019 Z06. All are great cars but contrary to the opinions circulating on the internet today, the ZR1 is considerably quicker than the LT4. Of course, the Z06 outperforms the others in every way, BUT the ZR1 is my favorite and should be a more valuable classic for one simple reason…audacity!
The engine is unique in the Corvette world. Dual overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, designed by Lotus and assembled by Mercury Marine. Contrary to the internet rumors that these tasks were sent out of house because Chevy did not want to disrupt the assembly line for a new engine produced in small quantities, Corvette Chief engineer, Dave McClellan told us those companies were chosen because Chevrolet did not have the design experience to create the advanced overhead cam design the engineers wanted, and the engine assembly process at Chevrolet could not build the engine reliably to the close tolerances required). During factory reliability testing, this engine ran 24 hours straight at an average of over 170 mph! What LT4 or supercharged Z06 can make that claim! The power band is reminiscent of the old solid lifter small blocks…from 4,000 rpm on up and up it builds fast enough to make tach-watching a must.
The body was widened to accept larger rear wheels and tires, but subtly, to avoid the styling excess so popular today.
We are not likely to see a Corvette that is so unique in its advanced engineering and unapologetic in its focus on the performance buyer again. Reason enough to make it a classic.
As an owner of a ’93 ZR-1, very well said, Jeff! Heart of the Beast is a must read and to drive one is to understand!
Can you put in paragraph breaks?
Punctuation? We don’t need no stinking’ punctuation….
It’ll be whatever Hagerty execs and their buddies are looking to inflate the values on.
Lamborghini Silhouette…if anyone even knows what that is, LOL. Many first for Lamborghini with that car. Only 52 production cars made + 3 prototypes. Can’t tell you how many Lamborghini dealers I’ve stumped with that one.
Lotus X180R…only twenty of those made and you’ll only know how good it is compared to a standard Esprit if you’ve had the chance to drive one. Over 250 parts differentiated it from the production Esprit.
David, low values don’t mean much if the number produced makes them impossible to find or statistically irrelevant.
Well, that should bode well for the author’s ZR-1 choice, but it unfortunately hasn’t worked out yet.
I vote for New Edge era Mustangs. 1993-2004. Fox bodies are on the rise. While the 4.6 in the New Edge’s won’t win many drag races, it will, with proper love, run for 300,000 miles easily.
I am very surprised at the amount of attention my late fathers Hummer H3 gets each time I drive it. I have a 1997 Viper GTS that get more attention, but I am shocked how many people think the baby hummer is very cool.
I have, for the past 7 years, a 2009 Hummer H3T Alpha.
This pick up with the V8 is just right for the mountains and roads I share my driving with.
Great truck with a special look that, as you wrote, gets a lot of attention wherever it goes.
Because of the grill some who are not that car savvy think its a Jeep.
I vote for the first generation Toyota MR2 ( AW11) . Clean , unmolested, rust free examples are getting harder and harder to find
The 1969 Cougar……sure seems like these beauties are coming up in stories all the time recently. I think they should be on the list…………………….
Just bought a ’69 Cyclone CJ. I’m hoping for a good Mercury year.
Love those cars. I also think the 66-67 Chargers because they are much more affordable than the 68-70 models but they have a cool styling ie hide away headlights. fold down rear seats, 318 to 426 hemi available.
Agree. Beautiful cars. 👍🏼
Nissan 300ZX TT – 1990-1996. Got to be the 5 speed manual.
Great looks, the best of all the Z’s from 1990 until today.
Fast take off. Wonderful handling. Great brakes. Plenty of power with the 300 horses.
Reliable and affordable still, especially if you think Supras at double the price but not
double the fun and for sure a sub look to the 300ZX.
My vote goes to a base 93 C4, looks the same , handles the same, just as fast on the street within a fraction of a second for a hellofalot less cash. They made too many is the only reason C4’s are so cheap.
I’m going to step outside the norm and choose a car that is not rare or exotic. The car was cheap when new, fantastically slow, easy to work on and was and is plentiful. Even today’s aftermarket, replica parts are reasonable. They used to be everywhere. They are full of nostalgia. They are already an established icon. It is precisely for these reasons that they will appreciate, plus easy entry into the collectable market. My son-in law is a muscle car guy and mentioned to me that he thinks it would be fun fixing up a an original Type 1 VW Beetle. I agree! The only downside is that even in a 10% bull market the return will still be close to minuscule. Don’t underestimate the fun factor.
What about the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado? It was car of the year, and it’s styling is iconic. It was perhaps the ultimate expression of Oldsmobile’s brand heritage, engineering innovation, durability, class and style. Will it ever get some recognition?
Agree on the styling (I’d include 67s too). These are definitely due their time!