A CAR expert has picked out five modern classic motors that are set to soar in value – and has urged petrolheads to buy now while they’re still reasonably priced.
YouTube star Jonny Brighton of Cars With JB has taken to his channel to show viewers cars you “might be too late” to buy as they’re set to become much-sought after collectibles in the next few years.
That includes a rare BMW convertible and two super iconic sports cars loved by rally fans of the 1990s and 2000s.
While incredibly hard to come by, the BMW Z1 is a certified future classic released by the German marque in 1989 until 1991 – with just 8,000 models produced.
In fact, according to Jonny, only 29 are registered on the roads in the UK.
He added: “For that reason, getting into one might be quite tough and low mileage collected models have already been listed for almost £100,000.
One of the lesser known BMW roadsters, the Z1 was the first of BMW’s long list of Z roadsters.
Despite being ober 30 years old, the Z1 had some pretty modern and unique features, notably vertically opening and closing doors which allow for better safety.
The Z1 also had a specifically designed rear suspension with a multi-link design – which has become the basis for multiple BMW group vehicles throughout the 1990s.
Jonny says these can be found for as low as £40,000, but mostly sit at around the 60k mark and are widely considered a classic already with a premium price to match.
The sporty Renault Clio V6 is a product of the “golden era of turbos”, according to Jonny.
Sadly, prices of this ultra hot hatch have already gone above and beyond £90,000 – with many topping £130,000.
Jonny added: “It’s also a bit of a race car for the road, considering the phase one [model] was literally built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing – originally built as race cars for the Cleo V6 trophy series which actually took Cleo road cars and built them into race cars.”
The car expert also reveals that many examples are currently being kept in storage.
He added: “Clearly collectors have been garaging them, expecting higher future prices.”
However, Jonny is able to find a few examples for sale online, including a £50,000 example from 2002 with just 30,000 miles on the clock.
The Subaru Impreza was once the blue-collar sports car loved by boy racers and admired by kids tuning into the World Rally Championship in the late 1990s.
Heroes like Colin McRae and Richard Burns suddenly made Subaru cool – decades after the brand established itself as merely a maker of humble vehicles loved by farmers.
The Impreza is still a staple of British roads, but certain models carry a lot of weight – and heavy price tags.
You’d need the luck of a millionaire to be able to pick up a 22b edition – with examples known to sell for over £150,000.
And according to Jonny, the Impreza P1 is also going up in value for quite some time due to its rarity.
It’s also a great-looking model, being a two-door saloon with incredibly attractive looks coupled with its ProDrive inspired performance that’s quickly gaining modern classic status in the UK.
Jonny says just £40,000 is enough to secure an Impreza P1, with the car expert adding: “That’s genuinely crazy when you consider they were available for under £20,000 in around 2016.”
With an “absolutely mesmerising carbon fibre tub and striking looks”, the Alfa Romeo 4C is an incredibly fun to drive sports car with eye-catching good looks.
Jonny said: “I bet in time more enthusiasts will bump the prices of these up, further helped with the car’s rarity.
While it might be “entirely impractical with its tiny boot that gets super heated by the engine”, the 4C, Jonny says there are “very few cars I’ve ever driven that make me as happy as this does.”
Just over 9,000 models were built, but despite their rarity they can currently be bought just as low as £37,000 – with £50,000 enough for a 2018 example.
Few cars get rally fans more excited than the special edition Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI TME – built to celebrate the brand’s rallying hero Tommi Makinen who won four WRC titles with them in the late 1990s. .
It comes with a front bumper a badge and a sticker kit – which adds a huge amount of value to the motor.
Jonny explained: “In the case of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI – it’s about triple the money of a non-sticker example.
“The best examples of the Tommi Makinen Edition Evo VI are selling consistently for around £65,000 to £80,000 region, with some well-kept examples being listed for over £100,000.
“Already that’s some serious money for a car that really didn’t have too many differences between itself and the standard Evo VI models.”
However, they did have some slight changes to the handling, with a strut brace, tarmac-focus lowered suspension and a high response titanium turbocharger to give it better low and mid-range torque.
Produced between 1999 and 2001, the lowest you’ll surely find them priced is £35,000 to £50,000 for an imported model.
