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CARS
Dodge

10 new cars likely to become collector's classics

Mark Phelan
Detroit Free Press
The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

DETROIT — The new cars most likely to become valued collectibles in the future include high-powered sports cars like the Chevrolet ZO6 and Dodge Challenger Hellcat and limited editions like the Mazda MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary model, according to the experts at Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in collectible cars and boats.

"Over time, these are the cars collectors are likely to focus on," said McKeel Hagerty. CEO of the Traverse City, Mich., insurance company. "They all have some characteristics that are shared by the great collectible cars."

Hagerty Insurance's list includes only vehicles that are being built this year and cost less than $100,000, on the assumption that Ferraris and other six-digit exotics should become collectible.

The top 10 in alphabetical order, according to the company's experts:

• Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition ($69,685) — "It oozes Italianness from every single carbon fiber, making it perhaps the hottest car" on the annual hot list.

• BMW M4 Convertible ($73,450) — "It's the only M-car, other than the pricey M6, that can be had as a convertible."

• Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 ($75,000) — "The ultimate road-course-ready Camaro. Chevrolet let the engineers out to play and they created a monster. ... We're living in a new golden age of automotive performance."

• Chevrolet Corvette Z06 ($78,995) — "Bang for your buck is an understatement for the supercharged Z06, which may well be the all-time performance for the dollar champion."

• Dodge Challenger Hellcat ($58,295) — "Limited production and 707 horsepower means that the Hellcat earns its moniker. Clearly the Challenger Hellcat is here to turn fuel into noise and rubber into dust."

2015 Ford Mustang GT.

• Ford Mustang GT Performance Package ($37,125) — "Although the 50th anniversary edition will be produced in far less numbers, we at Hagerty think the GT performance package is the true driver's car."

• Mazda MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary Edition ($33,000) — "The popularity of Japanese collector cars is on the rise, and the Miata has established itself as the quintessential modern roadster." The anniversary edition "is already sealed as a collectible with only 100 models making the trip to North America."

• MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop ($24,950) — "The most powerful MINI ever produced. ... What will have collectors drooling in the future is the attention paid to the MINI's design concept."

• Subaru WRX STI Launch Edition ($38,190) — "The STI is quite literally a factory-built rally car that you can drive off the showroom floor. The very limited release Launch Edition will be loved by collectors and rally fans for years to come."

Volkswagen Golf R

• Volkswagen Golf R ($36,595) — "All-wheel drive, 292 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. ... It's the Golf that GTI fan boys and girls have been begging VW to build."

There's no guarantee any car will gain value over time. Buying any car purely as an investment is a bad idea.

"Sometimes, cars that were business failures become collectible, because they didn't make many. There are so many factors in what becomes collectible," said Ken Gross, an automotive writer and historian who advises museums on their collections.

"All the cars on Hagerty's list are fun and desirable. It will take a long time for any of them to be worth a lot of money though.

"What a terrible shame it would be to buy a Dodge Hellcat and put it in storage as an investment. My advice is buy it, drive it, and take care of it."

That way, if your car does become a collectible classic, you've won twice.

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