Future classics: the seven best used cars to invest in right now

First, I’m going to throw the original BMW CSL into this list. Few cars of the Seventies are better-looking – a beautiful pillar-less coupe. It has everything – great looks, great engine and great performance – and a legendary motorsport track record to go with it. These cars walked the walk in-period, and only 1,200-odd of the aluminium-bodied CSLs were made (500 in RHD) – so they’re not exactly common. You can still buy a road version for under £60,000 – think about what the other lightweight German road and track hero of the Seventies, the Porsche 911 2.7 RS, sells for. How wrong can you go with the BMW? It cuts a serious dash about town, and has the go to match the show.  

By Max Girardo, RM Sotheby's Europe

The 996 gets some bad press, and the Boxster-like front-end styling isn’t the greatest, but these cars are ridiculously undervalued. It is, after all, a 911 – and any 911 is a car worth owning. The Turbo has got the looks too – the aggressive styling of the 996 Turbo has aged well, and it really looks the part. As 930 and 993 Turbos disappear into the value stratosphere, the 996 is currently a car to buy.

The early 1600 Alfa Romeo Duettos are delightful cars – beautifully styled, a lovely twin-cam engine and delicate handling, just perfect for a bit of summer romance. They’ve hovered around the £20k–£25k mark for quite a long time, but a good, early, matching-numbers car will definitely be a car to hang onto, though they require decent and regular maintenance. A fair, not-too-expensive starter classic. 

All the supercar looks you could hope for and the right badge on the bonnet. Ghibli prices have already moved and the Bora is picking up momentum – the Merak will follow. Condition is everything, though, so buy the best you can find and look after it the best you can afford to.

‘Collectible’ is also code for ‘rare’ – the lower the numbers, the better. The E46 generation M3 was a great car, and the CSL was the lightest and best. Only 1,400 were made in 2004 – so that’s a small pool of cars. Find a low-mileage car with a FSH and it’s a sure-fire classic of the future. 

Almost any limited-production hypercar. I remember when the McLaren F1 launched – people wondered how a modern production car could possibly be worth £600,000. It was a lot of money in 1992, but we all know who’s laughing now. But the appreciation in value of many similar cars that have followed in its wake is worthy of note. Any of the ‘F’ Ferraris – F40/50/Enzo – they’re all massively in demand. The McLaren P1, Porsche 918 and LaFerrari will all surely follow suit. If you’ve got the cash and can get yourself on the cramped and exclusive waiting lists, then you probably won’t regret the purchase in the long run. 

This feature originally appeared in the Top Gear magazine Retro supplement.