Top 5: Future Collectible Cars

by Driveway on Friday, April 24th, 2015

by Grant Stoecker

“These five cars never made it to these shores while in production but they can be imported now under recent relaxation of import regulations…”

2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic (photo courtesy of Valder137)

Nissan Skyline GTS-R (photo courtesy of Morio)

Aston Martin DB7 Zagato (photo courtesy of Brian Snelson)

1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

1983 Ferrari 512BB

 

 

Bringing in this selection of cars from overseas can be a major hassle but as future collectibles, they just might be worth the paperwork.

These five cars never made it to these shores while in production but they can be imported now under recent relaxation of import regulations.

1986-87 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Ford lacked the ability to create a truly credible performance car in the U.S. for the duration of the 1980s, yet it seemed to produce a slew of turbocharged, high-performance offspring from its European operations. The crown jewel of the formerly forbidden fruit is the Sierra RS Cosworth. Built to fulfill homologation for Group A rallying, the RS packed a mean punch, banging out 224 horsepower from a Cosworth turbocharged 4-cylinder. The first generation three-door model only saw the production of 5,542 cars. At more than 25 years old, the RS is a prime target for importation.

1973-84 Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer (365 GT4 BB, BB 512)

The Ferrari Testarossa was a favourite here in the late 1980s, but its predecessors, the 365 GT4 BB and BB 512, remained forbidden fruit. Providing the silhouette for the future Testarossa, the Berlinetta Boxers provide connoisseurs of the prancing horse a unique alternative to the car that adorned the walls of every child from 1984 to 1996. With a production run of under 4,000 cars, the Berlinetta Boxer is a guaranteed classic from the hills of Maranello.

1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R

The R32 Nissan GT-R saw the revival of the legendary GT-R, a nameplate that had not been used by Nissan in nearly two decades. Attaining its cult classic status as “Godzilla” was not hard for the GT-R, as the car’s twin turbo 6-cylinder was good for a stock 330 horsepower and tuning houses can easily bring that up to 600 — impressive even by today’s standards. With power going to all four wheels, the GT-R was one of the first super cars to utilize all-wheel drive. Thanks in large part to its starring role in a slew of street-racing movies in the 1990s and 2000s, the GT-R will likely maintain its cult status for years to come.

2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic

The 997 generation of the Porsche 911 had a smattering of limited edition variants — the Turbo S, the GT3 RS 4.0, the Speedster and the GT2 RS — but none of them is nearly as rare as the Sport Classic. Created to be a limited run of only 250 cars, the Sport Classic is a throwback to the 1970s 911 Carrera RS. The Sport Classic features some of the most beloved options of the original 911s, including a ducktail spoiler, black Fuchs rims, a double-bubble roof and painted racing stripes.

2002-03 Aston Martin DB7 Zagato

Aston Martin revived its DB series in 1994 with the DB7. They perfected it in 2002 with the introduction of the Zagato model at the Paris Auto Show, where it immediately sold out. A fitting homage to the 1960s DB4GT Zagato, the DB7 Zagato rode on a shortened chassis, and was powered by Aston Martin’s new 5.9-liter V-12. The bodywork was a classic Zagato design, and features a double-bubble roof, raised hood and enlarged front grille, an interpretation emulating the beauty of the original masterpiece. Just 99 Zagatos were originally produced, and were only allocated for sale in Europe, Asia, and Britain. The Zagato body DB7 is bound to be a future collectible.

Grant Stoecker writes for Hagerty Insurance. Hagerty is the world’s leading specialist provider of classic car and boat insurance. Learn more at hagerty.ca.

Matt Lewis writes for Hagerty Insurance. Hagerty is the world’s leading specialist provider of classic car and boat insurance. Learn more at hagerty.ca.

Bad Things Happen to Good Cars… in the Movies

by Rob Sass on Thursday, September 11th, 2014

“Sadly, Bond’s Aston is strafed into Swiss cheese.  Happily, the car was actually a prop made to look like a real DB5.”

They crash and smash many cars in Hollywood.

A few months ago we looked at five dramatic destructions here are some more to make you weep.

1964 Aston DB5 Martin (Skyfall)

In the rebooted James Bond world of Daniel Craig, Bond is seen to have won the DB5 in a card game in the movie Casino Royale. The film’s villain, played by Javier Bardem, puts its nose-mounted machine guns to good use in an attempt to repel an assault.

Sadly, Bond’s Aston is strafed into Swiss cheese. Happily, the car was actually a prop made to look like a real DB5.

1985 Corvette (The Big Lebowski)

A 14-year-old kid named Larry Sellers has likely stolen Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski’s (Jeff Bridges’)  battered Ford Torino, possibly containing a large sum in ransom money.  The Dude and his extremely anger management-challenged bowling buddy Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) head for little Larry’s house. On the way in, they’re dismayed to find a red 1985 Corvette parked in front of the house and they figure the kid has already started to blow the money. When standard interrogation techniques prove fruitless, Walter takes a crowbar to the Corvette’s glass. The Corvette turns out to be the neighbour’s car.

1941 Lincoln Continental (The Godfather)

You could always count on the hot temper of Sonny Corleone. The Barzini Family certainly did. They also knew that when Carlo, the abusive lowlife husband of Sonny’s sister Connie, would hit her, Sonny would respond by unleashing the Hiroshima of beatings on Carlo. The most direct route from Sonny’s fist to the jawbone of Carlo would take him through the tollbooth at the Jones Beach Causeway on Long Island, where the Barzini’s hit men were waiting with Thompson sub-machine guns.  The result was not pretty for either Sonny or the Lincoln.

1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 (Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

The Camaro was owned by intimidating high school football prospect Charles Jefferson (played by the great Forrest Whitaker in one of his earliest roles). Jefferson’s little brother and surfer/stoner Jeff Spiccolli (Sean Penn) take the car cruising one night in the San Fernando Valley and wreck it. Spiccolli pops the classic line, “My old man is a TV repairman, and he has an awesome set of tools. I can fix it.” Ultimately, no repairs are undertaken. Rather, the damage is blamed on car thieves from a rival high school whom Ridgemont is playing in a big football game. An incensed rhino-like Jefferson is seen later delivering paralytic revenge hits in the subsequent game.

1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE convertible (The Hangover)

Future father -in-law entrusts his non-Car Guy future son-in-law with his treasured Mercedes convertible for a pre-wedding jaunt with friends. Granted, they were supposed to be heading to sedate California wine country, but they go to Vegas instead. The extreme body damage that the handsome Benz suffers is predictable for anyone who has seen Animal House. The damage done to the interior by Mike Tyson’s pet tiger? That’s novel.

*Rob Sass is the vice-president of content for Hagerty Insurance. Hagerty is the world’s leading specialist provider of classic car and boat insurance. Learn more at hagerty.ca and you can email rsass [at] hagerty [dot] com

The Top 6 Coolest Car Names Ever

by Rob Sass on Sunday, February 16th, 2014

As venomous snakes go, Cobras are wicked cool… (more…)