The Most Dominant Era of Collector Cars: We Crunch the Numbers
Even if your tastes tend toward other eras, it’s hard to dispute that the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s produced some of the most memorable machinery in the history of our hobby. That time period had just about anything an enthusiast could ask for: Design, innovation, experimentation, and, of course, variety.
British sports cars, ’50s fins, muscle cars, the dawn of Porsche’s 911, a heyday of passionate Italian models, the birth of the SUV, the characterful beginnings of Japanese cars … the list could go on nearly indefinitely. That array largely explains just how dominant that era is when it comes to what people choose to spend their money on.
Tallying up the sales from the last five years of online and live auctions, we find that 14 of the top 20 highest-grossing model years were within the 1955-1975 window. Vehicles made in 1967 and 1969 led the way, with each of those model years raking in more than $500M.
Breaking down the raw numbers, this 20-year period represents 16 percent of the model years considered but accounts for more than 39 percent of the $15B+ spent on collector cars from 2019 to now.
This era is also home to the greatest density of the most valuable cars. Twenty-two of the top 30 most expensive cars ever sold at auction were produced within this timeframe. Couple these high fliers with the sheer quantity of more attainable classics from this period that remain incredibly popular, and there’s yet another reason why this era’s momentum makes sense.
(Note: We always appreciate the thoughtful commentary provided by our readers. In response to a comment below, we’ve added this subsequent description and chart.—EE)
With consideration to the fact that some recent sales of truly expensive machinery may have outsize influence on overall sales numbers in the above chart, and to get more into the meat of the curve of each year’s numbers, we lopped the top and bottom 10 percent of sales from each year’s total. The outcome is very similar—peak years shift slightly, but the thrust remains the same—this twenty-year period is the strongest in the hobby. (As an aside, our analysts did not seek out the mean sale price for each year—another suggestion from our commenter—as that begins to get into a discussion of values as opposed to where people are spending their money. Your author tends to agree with the commenter that ’80s and newer models would factor more strongly in that equation, but we digress).
One of the most frequently discussed questions in the industry is whether enthusiasm for these cars will flag as generational preferences evolve. While it is possible for once-illustrious models to lose their stature and become more affordable, values are likely to taper more dramatically for models on the fringe of collector status: For instance, enthusiasts younger than baby boomers don’t value the Pontiac LeMans the way their predecessors did, but the GTO is still a blue-chip car. More broadly, however, mature market segments tend to stabilize and become less volatile over time. (We’ve observed this phenomenon with prewar cars.) Also consider that because the 1950s–70s has stood as a megalith in the hobby for so long, its staying power will protect it from quickly fading.
If anything, other segments may come up to similar heights. McLaren F1s continue to be talked about as the next Ferrari 250 GTO, and as demonstrated in the above chart by healthy sales of cars from the ’90s to today, the rise of one era does not necessarily have to come at the expense of another.
So, just like the local classic rock station that occasionally sprinkles a Soundgarden or Nirvana song in the mix of Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Who, there might be a few new additions, but you can rest easy—the originals aren’t going anywhere.
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Classic car values are really curious. Porsche 911 values are through the roof, while (“the most beautiful car I have ever seen”, per Enzo Ferrari) Jaguar E-Type values seem mostly flat. Reminds me of the bubble of 1999 in which “dot com” stocks went through the roof while long-established, profitable companies were ignored.
I would like to see the graphs with the independent variable being year and the dependent variable being not money but number of cars. The hobby will be kept alive by many people having a collector car rather than a few people having very expensive cars.
Agree with the overall results/era. Bigger message is to avoid auctions for lower prices, although quality is also likely a significant factor in auction prices.
It’s funny how cars that we loved in high school in the 70’s were mainly affordable 60-70’s muscle cars that we couldn’t wait to modify by throwing away all the stock parts and replacing them with high performance equipment to gain as much horsepower as we could. But now as a boomer, I’m always looking for the cleanest all STOCK unmodified car to collect.
Whiie growing up in the 1950’s, I always admired the Model A Ford that drove by our home with a little old
lady at the wheel. The car and the lady were immaculate. The 1930;s cars were real antiques to me, while
my fathers fun car, a Black 1948 Cadillac Convertible, was just an old car. There was a kid down the road
with a Model A Coupe that he would take me and anybody else for rides in the woods with the unrestored A.
Cars of the early 60’s were if no interest and mid to late 60’s were spent overseas in the U. S. Military with no time to be interested in the new cars of the time. By the 70’s I was a civilian with a couple of new degrees, and I found and bought a 1934 Ford V8 to restore, which began my 50 + year love affair with the 1934 Fords
.
I am a 1950s high school graduate and an automotive engineer.
My collection of seven vehicles ranges from a 1966 to a 2013. Each was chosen for what I considered a mix of style, unique engineering, and the driving experience. In general, colors were also carefully selected from those that were available, some being more desirable or more rare than others. When selecting a vehicle of a specific model, I tend to try to find what I term “The best of the breed”, ie the one with the best engine option or the best model within the range, and then look for desirable options. Another criteria that I have is to select the best body I can find as rust repair and other body work is quite time consuming and expensive. Three of the cars came from dry parts of California and have very little surface rust and no structural rust.
None of the cars are what would be termed “Garage Or Show Queens” – all are driven and enjoyed and seldom, if ever, are shown at formal shows. A Cars & Coffeee or the local car breakfast meet are OK now and then.
There were some great cars in the 80s like the Toyata MR2 (both supercharged and NA), the RX7, BMW 325, SAAB 900 Turbo, Taurus SHO, VW GTi, turbo Mitsubishi products, as well as the Mustangs and Camaro from the end of the decade. But these cars are to drive not necessarily to look at. For me it’s all about the drive, I don’t care too much about styling or if anyone is looking at me.
Interesting comments all. But I was in high school in 1939-1943.(just before I got drafted) I had a ’37 Ford with the “BIG” 85 HP. I also had 3 Model T Ford’s. $15 to $25. I hauled a two horse trailer w/ 2 horses with the Ford.
My Dad had a 1941 Mercury convertible. He always bought a new one every two years. Not this one. He drove it thru the war. My Mom had a 1942 Lincoln. She let me drive it on a special date with a girl whom I married after the war. We got t-boned in the middle of Woodward Ave by a street car. Bummer! Only because my Dad had some friends in Ford management was he able to get parts.
When I hit my 2nd childhood I got into Model T’s again. Still have one. Still work on it. Still drive it. The girl and I have been married 76 years and I am older than my 1926 Model T fordor
I recently had a storm that took out our internet. (Modem & router were fried.)
The 24 year old tech fixed/replaced the hardware in the house & we went out to check the wifi in the garage. My “collection” is all over the place and includes: 55 MG TF1500/ 63 Corvette /73 Opel GT/79 Triumph TR7/96 Mitsubishi 3000 GT Spyder SL/97 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. (Of those the 96 Spyder is the rarest being one of only 62 made.) I own nothing from the 80’s. Josh was interested in the cars & asked questions about them. (Even gave him a demonstration of the retractable hard top on the Spyder as it was something he had never heard of.)
Yes, it was only one 22 year olds “taste” but it surprised me that his favorite of the bunch was the old 55 MG. He’s coming back for a ride in it when the weather warms up and asked if he could bring his 3 year old son. Of course I said yes as 3 was the age I first fell in love with the TF my father had. We will see!
I graduated high school in 77. Worked my first job at a Chevy dealer. Found my 67 Mustang Fastback GT there. Paid $1,500.00 for it. Drove it a handful of years, and then it sat. It’s taken the last 7 years to get it to where I’m ready to start showing it. So many of my friends comment when they see that I still own it. Most have sold their’s, or went out and purchased something already restored. Muscle cars were part of our culture.
I am blessed that my long suffering 8th grade girlfriend who has now been my wife over 47 years prevented me from selling my high school 69 GTO Judge that I’ll be driving to a local car show today. Sale value isn’t really an issue when we plan to keep enjoying it until we can’t. She constantly mentions all the folks who talk to us about the car they had…key word had. I’m not a collector, just a guy who was blessed to buy a real Judge for $1400 during the 1974 gas crises and we love talking to people about the good old days as we continue enjoying those good old days. Oh, another blessing: if you see the 69 Judge Tin at Hobby Lobby, that is our car. I don’t mind people cloning them, as long as they don’t lie about it, which unfortunately does eventually happen a few buyers down the line. Buying one without PHS Documentation (I’ve seen many offered at Barrett) is not a good choice IMHO.
It’s great reading about fellow enthusiasts’ recollections and dreams. As a boomer that loved both muscle cars and 50-60’s sports cars, I enjoy watching the auctions and building my fantasy garage. I’ve owned MGB’s, 71 Camaro, 63 E Type, etc. My fantasy car was always a 67-68 Shelby GT500 because when I was in high school there was a white one parked in the driveway of a house a couple of blocks from ours. Completely out of reach now, but I did buy a 2008 Shelby Mustang GT convertible for a very reasonable price. V-8, 5 speed, scoops and stripes: 90% of the experience at 10% of the price. Whatever floats your boat–Get out there and drive!
Buy what you can and build what you want, just DRIVE it for fun and others enjoyment.
I do distain the people that “flip” cars for the money, that cheapens the hobby.
My first car was a ’51 Studebaker convertible that I bought out of our alley from a guy that was going to junk it for $12.50. Next a ’47 Ford panel truck for $50 that my friends pushed, I popped the clutch and the whole truck load got into the Drive in for 5 bucks! Next a ’57 ford 2 door bright yellow wagon that I jacked up with wood blocks in the rear leaf springs and we bounced all the way to the beach to surf. Now those were the days!
I still have my ’67 Corvette convertible, 350 4 speed I bought new and consider it a member of the family. But if you do the math, the time is rapidly approaching when I will have to sell her which is something I sincerely do not know how I will do it. It’s still just a machine, but the connection, the bond I have forged on so many fund times at home with my wife and across the country with this car is real. How do you sell a true and loyal friend that hasn’t failed me, ever! My wife refuses to talk about!
But I have to stop now as the page is blurred. I can’t see to type any longer.