Most car nuts have an aspirational car – one they dream of owning if they win the lottery or hit the big time on Wall Street. When I was teenager my aspirational car was a Jaguar E-Type Roadster. I managed to buy a 1966 E-Type for $3,000 in 1976 and drove it for eight years before restoring it at a cost of about $22,000. I then sold it for $28,000, less $3,000 commission, ten years after I’d bought it. According to Hagerty Insurance, the world’s leader in classic car insurance my old E-Type could be worth north of $100,000 today.
Hagerty says the value of classic cars has been rising recently despite the recession. A few days ago it came up with an intriguing list of affordable alternatives to a selection of aspirational cars that have become too expensive for most of us. Take a look at the list and see if you agree with the alternative choices for their Top Five Attainable Dream Cars.
Vehicle values are from the Hagerty Price Guide for cars in #2 condition, which is just below concours, (www.hagertypriceguide.com). Do you agree with their choices, and descriptions, of alternatives?
Aspirational: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 L71 Convertible ($155,000)
Attainable: 1973 Chevrolet Corvette 454/275 LS4 Convertible ($38,600)
The ‘67 big-block C2 Corvette is (after the million-dollar L88) the Corvette to own for most fans of America’s sports car. Televised auctions and demand have pushed it well out of reach for most enthusiasts. A lot more of us can write the check for the most overlooked big-block C3 Corvette. The horsepower difference isn’t as big as it looks since the ‘73 is rated in net rather than gross horsepower and the C3’s looks get better and better every year.
Aspirational: 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Fastback Coupe ($135,000)
Attainable: 1964 Ford Falcon Futura Sprint Coupe ($21,300)
These two cars have a lot more in common than most people realize. The Mustang is based on the Falcon’s chassis and both cars share brilliant small-block Ford V8 power. And while it may lack the looks of the Mustang fastback and the Shelby connection, the Falcon Sprint is a very special car in its own right and happens to cost about what the sales tax on the Shelby would set you back.
Aspirational: 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda Hemi Coupe ($211,000)
Attainable: 1970 Dodge Challenger 440/390 Coupe ($73,200)
Stylistically, these two Mopar muscle cars look similar. Both were based on the famous E-body that was the inspiration for the new Dodge Challenger. Hemi is a magic word in muscle car circles and you pay dearly for it. But Chrysler’s conventional 440 Interceptor V8 was no slouch in the power department and you get a very similar car for about one third the price.
Aspirational: 1967 Jaguar E-Type Coupe ($61,700)
Attainable: 1967 Triumph GT6 Fastback Coupe ($9,750)
The E-type is about as iconic as icons get. No less a car guy than Enzo Ferrari wept and called it the most beautiful car he’d ever seen when the car was introduced in Geneva in 1961. The little Triumph GT6 looks like a 2/3 scale model of the E-type right down to the wire wheels, forward-hinged bonnet and smooth straight six. For a fraction of the cost of an E, you can get much of the style and glamour. It helps if you aren’t taller than 5′ 9,” though.
Aspirational: 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Coupe ($134,900)
Attainable: 1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo Coupe ($18,800)
A Countach poster was standard equipment on every dorm room wall circa 1979. They were ungodly expensive new and remain that way today. While not gracing as many dorm room walls, no less than 007 picked an Esprit when he needed a vehicle that doubled as a getaway car and a ballistic missile submarine. While the Lotus turbo four might not have the cachet of the Lambo V12, the acquisition cost is a fraction of the Lambo and it won’t cost the GDP of an island nation to maintain.
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