Odds-on future classics | Six of the Best
The new car landscape will soon change drastically - which of the current crop might be coveted come 2034?
Porsche 911 Carrera T, 2023, 1,982 miles, £109,950
Not many of us could have predicted what’s happened to classic car values over the past decade or so. We’d be a lot wealthier if we had. In the days of £5k S2000s, £2k 306 GTI-6s and four-figure M5s, it was assumed they’d just sort of stay that way. Then it sort of didn’t, and as the combustion engine moves towards its end, the situation doesn’t look likely to be reversed anytime soon. Pity. And while these six aren’t exactly bargain basement buys (we’ll save that for another time), they all look like both tremendous cars right now and collectible - let’s not obsess over values just yet - in the not-too-distant future as well. A Carrera T kicks us off, because the fondness for Rubystone 911s with manual gearboxes, light glass and cloth seats shows no sign of going anywhere. Not the most exciting 992 yet made (a Carrera S with more power is available for less) but a very fine modern sports car nonetheless. And just think - this’ll be the old-school, tech-light, compact one come 2040…
Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD, 2023, 500 miles, £119,850
One to tell the grandkids about, or even just the children when they listen to you in a couple of years: Audi once made a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, 8,500rpm V10 supercar, and it was fantastic. Soon the R8 will be gone from the configurator, gone from adverts and gone from comparison tests, not to be replaced. Or at least not with anything like the car we know, Audi launching headfirst into its EV revamp. Still, nobody expected much of a four-ringed 911 rival in 2007, and the original R8 was a 21st-century great, so you never know what might happen. The second-gen ably mixed it with junior supercars, too: fast, usable, desirable and exciting. It’ll be sorely missed in all its guises, that glorious 5.2-litre V10 and superb DCT truly a powertrain for the ages. A box-fresh RWD Performance on modest wheels sounds just about perfect, for 2023 and a long time beyond as well.
Ford Focus ST Edition, 2021, 13k, £27,995
The demise of V10 supercars is disappointing, yes, but hardly likely to impact many. No more fast Fords, however, feels really big for everybody. No doubt there will be additional STs like the (admittedly very decent) Puma, but a Blue Oval pocket rocket - be it Fiesta or Focus - has been part of the fast car firmament for decades. To be without both is going to be a real wrench, especially as the latest generation has been fantastic. An ST doesn’t have the cachet of an RS, sure, and an Edition like this is unlikely to retain its value quite as doggedly as the fastest Focuses, but it’s blue like all the best ones are - and fantastic to drive. One of these with the KW suspension and flow-formed wheels (also found in the later Track Pack) are hidden gems, a proper hot hatch hero to sign this Focus off with. This 13,000-miler is £27,995.
Lexus LC500 Convertible, 2021, 1,153 miles, £82,000
The finest rolling anachronism around, and one that will be drawing admiring glances for decades to come. The Lexus LC500, despite being launched half a decade ago, still looks like it could roll onto a motor show stand as the future of EV grand touring - and the interest would come flooding in. Yet it's powered by a great hunk of V8, the 5.0-litre ripsnorter that’s made various F-badged Lexuses into extremely likeable fast cars over the past 15 years or so. Yes, the 10 gears are too long and, no, it won’t handle as dextrously as a 911, but let’s not miss the point here. The LC500 looks a million dollars, makes a fantastic sound, and is beautifully built. It won’t be a bad day if it starts in a drop-top ‘500. This one is a couple of years but just a thousand miles old, so still actually has a couple of months warranty on it. And more than £30k off new…
Renault Sport Megane 300 Trophy, 2022, 6k, £32,899
Is this a contentious one? Perhaps. It’s true that the most recent Renault Sport Meganes were’t quite as adored by the die-hards as earlier iterations, but looking into the future it’s impossible to avoid the fact that these 300s were the final cars with that fabled R.S. badge on them, and that’s surely got to count for something. Especially when the body those badges are affixed to is such a stylish one: in a world of boring Golfs and OTT Civics, the Megane struck the balance perfectly. And they were so exciting to drive; not ideal for the more mature vibe, but fast and flighty and focused like the best French hot hatches. Shame the 4WS wasn’t great. This 2022 car will be one of the last, looks fab in Liquid Yellow and has just 6k miles - the DCT will be perfect for playing the tarmac rally driver, too.
Alpina B5 Touring, 2023, 4,500 miles, £99,980
A dead cert to finish. While Alpina has dabbled in all sorts over the decades, from manual roadsters to GT3 rivals to hotted-up diesels, it’s going to be the uber saloons and wagons that’ll be most revered when the company is finally absorbed into BMW. This B5 isn’t a last-of-the-line GT (the final Alpina 5 Series that’ll ever be made), though it’s hardly like the standard car lacks in any department. What more car does anyone ever need than a 205mph 5 Series Touring, sympathetically overhauled by a company that knows them better than any other? Exactly. This B5 is a real stunner as well, the Alpina hallmarks - the wheels, the deco set - very nicely integrated into a blue over cream colourway. With £20k off its new price, this is now M3 Touring money for a much rarer, more powerful car - we all know which one is most special already, let alone in 20 years.
On that basis all of these cars could be incredibly expensive or legislatively challenging to run just as they might start to be considered a classic. We all moan about cats meant to be driven that aren't, these might all become just that and it's quite a big risk still IMO
I think I'd agree that none of those really look like future classics, particularly a not-that-hot Ford. If you've been smart enough to buy a late Focus RS or Fiesta ST and stick it in a climate-controlled garage you might be onto a big payday in 20 years but otherwise I just don't see it being thought of very highly. The problem with most of them is as suggested in the Porsche and Renault write-ups - they're too big, too tech-heavy, and stuff like the Renault, Ford, Porsche, and Audi all have predecessors that are simply cooler or better thought-of.
Short of being the star car of a movie or videogame (think A80 Supra or R34 GT-R) I don't see the Lexus becoming a classic, though I have no doubt that if it's properly rust-proofed (because Japanese) it will outlive any modern AMG/M/RS car, and it's rare enough to be well looked after.
The Alpina will do as all Alpinas do and quietly hold its value and coolness much better than the equivalent BMW. Nobody thinks of them as a classic, they just never really seem to drop in value because they attract just enough connoisseur enthusiasts.
no doubt I'll go on to regret those words 
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