Thoughts on our 10 most popular stories of 2023
It’s that time of year when we all look back on our work, hopefully to gain knowledge and admire our accomplishments. While nobody here at Hagerty Media is sore from patting themselves on the backs, we do enjoy seeing what performed well. That benefits our group’s collective interests.
So here are the ten articles that earned their right to some fanfare, as determined by number of page views in 2023. We thought you might also like to see them again—or see them for the first time? Either way, have a look at what “you” liked most from us this year.
9 old tools almost nobody uses anymore
As a lover of old cars and motorcycles, there’s no doubt Kyle Smith understands the value of old tools more than most folks. That’s why we are thrilled to see him nab the top spot for 2023 here at Hagerty Media, as this article was both a walk down memory lane and a thoughtful placement of all of these tools in a modern context.
Some are still the right tool for the job, others have been outclassed by newer replacements, but the comments alone make this article worth a read. Or a re-read!
More than 70 years ago, Louie Mattar drove 6320 miles non-stop in his fantastic perpetual-motion machine
The subject of our second-place story for 2023 did not put the Laws of Thermodynamics to shame but instead bore witness to one man’s dedication and impressive engineering skills. Perhaps a more accurate name is The Cadillac That Never Needed to Stop, but the work of Louie Mattar should not be understated. His accomplishment was beyond impressive, and it shows just how far technology has progressed since 1952. Many folks today achieve similar feats with the benefit of (mostly) maintenance-free engines, but we all loved reading about a pioneer.
Tina Turner wasn’t just a rock legend, she was a car lover
There’s no doubt that Tina Turner overcame serious obstacles to accomplish so much, but many of us didn’t know she was also a car enthusiast. She specifically loved Jaguar XJs and E-Types: “One of my favorite escapes, and a secret pleasure, was driving my Jaguar. I loved it because it was something I could do by myself, one of the few times I could be alone and free.”
Considering her fame and all the cameras following her, there’s no doubt that a car would provide her the freedom and privacy she couldn’t get anywhere else. Well, at least on the ground, and a Jaguar is definitely a fun way to enjoy moments of freedom.
2024 Corvette E-Ray First Ride: A Vette like no other
Our fourth most popular story of 2023 was one of either progress or blasphemy, depending on who you ask. The Corvette E-Ray is a mid-engine hybrid, but it was never meant to impress someone who was shopping for a Prius. The forward thrust of a C8, accomplished by an electric motor on the front axle paired with a familiar V-8 in back, is akin to that of a Bugatti Chiron or Ferrari SF90.
However, those imports are rather expensive—millions, in the case of the Bugatti, or half a million, for the Ferrari. With a starting price of just over $100K, the E-Ray has an asking price right in line with other high-performance variants of the mid-engine Corvette. Add the fact that the extra hardware up front is negated by brilliant weight-saving measures elsewhere? Well, there’s a darn good reason why this story got everyone clicking.
A few things to know before stealing my 914
Norman Garrett’s homage to the unlucky soul who attempted to steal his Porsche 914 is truly a gift that keeps on giving. Not for would-be thieves, but for us here at Hagerty Media: This article was actually published in 2022, and got a second wind thanks to the automotive community across the internet.
That’s right, thanks to places like Reddit and Ferrari Chat (and many, many more) this article continues to entertain enthusiasts across the board, from places across this big, round globe we live on. So why not give it another read?
Thought these 5 classics would go up forever? Think again
What goes up must come down. When we reflected on updates made to the Hagerty Price Guide in the last quarter of 2022, we noticed that some perennially popular classics had taken a significant tumble. Readers of this story, published in January 2023, packed the comments to agree or disagree with our observations and shared plenty of entertaining anecdotes along the way. Perhaps Greg Ingold sums it up best in the last paragraph:
Most established classics likely won’t change much in price, no matter prevailing conditions, because the people buying them know precisely what they want and how much it should cost.
5 collectible vehicles losing steam in 2023
I dunno about you, but I’m totally sensing a trend here. The deflation in prices for the five selected vehicles in this article also resonated with readers. While it may not seem like it sometimes, we cover both the highs and lows of the collector-car market. Perhaps this article (and the one above it) suggests we should cover examples of depreciation more frequently?
Jerry Seinfeld bought the $1.3M Porsche Classic Club Coupe
More frequently, but perhaps not too frequently. The sheer volume of traffic coming to this story suggests readers will always want to see high-end collector cars being sold to famous people. And Jerry Seinfeld paying over a million bucks for a 996-chassis Porsche 911 is certainly something to stand up and talk about. It certainly has provenance from the Porsche factory, and, now, celebrity ownership. It also paves the way for (entirely hypothetical) mashups of throwback automotive creations purchased by various celebrities:
- A Buick Roadmaster Wagon with a special order Callaway Twin Turbo upgrade, bought by Dax Shepard for $834,000?
- A 1993 Ford F-150 Lightning with a full Saleen S7 powertrain swap, snapped up by Lady Gaga?
- A rough Jaguar XJS with a Jaguar Specialties Chevy 350 swap, bought at a local Mecum auction by a certain Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll back in 2008?
Understand how absurd F1 is by looking at wheel nuts
Some ideas prove themselves so successful in racing that they wind up in production vehicles. (Carbon fiber is one innovation that comes to mind.) But when it comes to lug nuts, some ideas are better left at the race track. Lightness and speed in everything from lap times to pit stops are paramount in motorsports. This little aluminum center-lock wheel nut is one such example of brilliant engineering, and Kyle Smith went into detail as to why this technology is fantastic—and not really intended for the general public.
8 lost classics of the ’80s, all under $18,000
It wasn’t that long ago that just about everything from the 1980s was downright dirt cheap, especially when valued in #3, or Good, condition. Maybe even dirt-cheap in #2, or Excellent, condition? Not so anymore, as that list whittled down significantly in modern times. Steven Cole Smith found these eight lost classics, ones that “could have made a major impact but, for one reason or another, did not.” Sure, you can still get a C4 Corvette for under $18,000, but how much enlightenment is there in that tidbit? The cars presented here got you clicking, reading, and commenting.
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You had a number of better stories vs these.
Sometimes “better” and “popular” don’t fully line up for everyone, no?
Huh. Well I admit that I’ve only read two of the ten, so I’m in no position to judge how good the other eight were. The conclusion I HAVE come to, however, is that I’m not very good at picking the most popular stories to read! 😜
Therefore, my #1 resolution for 2024 is to at least double my percentage of picks from 20% to 40+%…
Just do us a favor and click everything! LOL!!!
That makes little sense – one vote for every option equals NO votes for ANY option, right?
In the world of SEO (search engine optimization), the more incoming traffic and read time from a user that a website gets, the more likely Google is to serve up relevant stories to others when they enter the appropriate search query. Read time probably isn’t as relevant to our particular discussion, but this is still like a rising tide lifting all boats. And some boats might go to the moon if Google deems it worthy.
Now I feel like I am begging for clicks, and that was not my intention. SEO is a tough mistress, lemme tell ya!
Anyone who thinks ANY mistress is easy hasn’t had one. Jus’ sayin’…
But if you put the word “mistress” in the titles of all of your articles, the clicks WILL go up. 😜
This will be a smart move.
Re the story about “Stealing My 914”: Any car thief coming to our house would take one look at our old rides and say to himself “These people have it bad enough now; besides, nearly any other car in the neighborhood would be newer and worth more.” Guess a 17-year-old F150 and a 16-year-old and battered Taurus X are worth something in that regard.
😂 Kind of a worry-free existence, eh?
In my area, there have been some break-ins this year where thieves shatter glass back doors – so I’ve taken to leaving the back door unlocked to save the glass!
Three of the exterior doors on my house have a fair amount of glass. I installed deadbolts that require keys on both the inside and outside. Works pretty well except that my wife insists on keeping the key in the lock of one of them.
Sajeev; what’s refreshing is how many of these are about history, and not just value fluctuations.
Happy New Year!
I (try to) tell people all the time Hagerty Media isn’t just about valuation data, YouTube, and Magazines, and these articles prove it. Not that there’s anything wrong with those three, just that we cover a lot of bases and put a lot of effort into doing that.
The Louie Mattar Perpetual-Motion-caddy story was my favorite of this bunch.