A supercar collection doesn’t just have to be a labor of love.
Car collecting is a passion and a hobby for many car enthusiasts. Getting to live the dream of owning and driving the greatest cars in the world, whether they be our childhood dreams or the best and brightest in today’s automotive world. However, a supercar collection can also be a way to invest, with many cars becoming modern classics and accruing serious value if maintained properly. What’s more is that once you’re ready to add to your collection, you can sell these valuable cars and turn a profit. So why not turn your passion and hobby into an investment as well? If you aren’t sure what cars make a great investment to collect, we’ve made a list of the best investment supercars below so you can hit the ground running.
1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
Designed at the time by a young Horacio Pagani, the 25th-anniversary edition Countach was a revisited design of the iconic Marcello Gandini while working for Bertone. This rendition of the Countach is one of the most successful Lamborghini’s made. Intended to be sold in limited numbers, it turned out to be the best selling Countach ever made reaching a total of 667 units before it was replaced by the long-awaited Diablo.
1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
The end of the era of Porsche 911s built with air-cooled engines was a bittersweet moment for enthusiasts. While the water-cooled engine is more powerful, efficient, and durable, the air-cooled engine had a purist appeal, which it still retains to this day. Ever since, the air-cooled 911 has had an increasing value on the second-hand 911 market, and well-kept examples can sell for quite impressive numbers. With 1998 being the very last year that the air-cooled 911 was made, it’s one of the most sought-after 911 cohorts of all time.
1967 Shelby Cobra 427
Even people who have no clue what car this is will praise its status as the epitome of classic sports cars and a hallmark of the golden age of driving and cars. It’s a beautiful car with a 427-cubic inch V8 engine that delivers performance that is timelessly exciting and invigorating, and it’s one of the most important pieces of American sports car history that money can buy. A Shelby Cobra 427 in beautiful condition is a car with no reason to do anything besides gain value.
1997 Porsche 911 Turbo
The air-cooled Porsche 911 has long been a great investment due to a love among Porsche purists all over the world for the classic, traditional air-cooled engine over the more modern and sophisticated water-cooled counterparts. After the air-cooled model was discontinued in 1998, the value of well-kept air-cooled 911s started to increase, and over two decades later, they show no signs of slowing down. The air-cooled 911 will forever be a classic among Porsche fans and car lovers en masse, and combined with the fact that the Turbo was the fastest 911 spec you could get, with the ability to reach 200 miles per hour, you have one of the smartest automotive investments you can make on your hands.
1989 Porsche 911 Speedster
Rare and coveted, the Porsche 911 Speedster is an homage to the Porsche Speedsters of the 1950s, with their open tops, sleek bodies, and dedication to driving pleasure. Porsche’s long and storied history means that even an homage to a classic has become a classic in itself, and the 911 Speedster of the 1980s, with only two seats, and a lower windshield, has become even more highly sought after in the over 30 years since its release than when it was new, in part thanks to only 2,104 examples ever being made.
2002 BMW Z8
From the outset, BMW knew that the Z8 was going to be a classic. It has the perfect formula: styling based on an existing classic roadster, the 507, a manual transmission, a beautifully powerful engine shared with the M5 of the time, and an interior with minimal interruptions and center-mounted gauges for uninterrupted visibility. The Z8 was BMW’s best foot forward when it came to making a drivers’ car, and it’s just as beautiful and desirable now as it was then, and certainly more valuable.
2006 BMW M3
The E46 M3 is arguably one of the most iconic M3 generations ever. It was the last generation of the M3 to feature the naturally aspirated straight-six engine, and for some time, the last M3 to have a straight-six at all. As the M3 generation that was the hero car of two Need for Speed games, and a model of the M3 loved the world over in general, the car’s handsome looks, competent luxury, and exciting performance hold up to this day, and the car’s value holds up even better.
1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione Martini 5
This quirky Italian rally-ready hot hatch was a group A hero, with this “Martini 5” edition being released after an incredible 5 victories in the championship. Only 400 Martini 5 Deltas were made, and by itself, the Delta, like most Lancias, is a car that comes out of left field delivering wild ideas that created beautiful cars and iconic moments in the car and motorsport world. A beautifully kept example of one of these is a win-win situation: a dream to own, and a smart investment.
1984 Lancia 037 Stradale
Lancia’s penchant for making cars with beautiful design and mechanics and concepts that are nothing if not off the wall has created some amazing and iconic cult classics. One of them is the 037 Stradale, a racing legend. This rear-mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, rally-derived car is one of 200 that were built for the car to be qualified to race in Group B, its Group B counterpart being the very last rear-wheel-drive car to win the WRC. A car like this one is an incredible investment and statement piece in a serious collection.
2012 Porsche Cayman R
The Porsche Cayman’s older brother, the Boxster, made big waves when it arrived to Porsche in the late 1990s. With a water-cooled, mid-mounted engine, the Boxster was part of a very new and different era for Porsche as it had unprecedented weight distribution, a lower center of gravity than Porsche was used to before, and incredibly well-behaved handling. The Cayman adds a fixed roof to the Boxster, making it even more rigid and sturdy, and what the Cayman R added to the Cayman had game-changing potential. With weight savings to the tune of 121 pounds less than a Cayman S, and engine upgrades for as little as a 4.4 second 0-60 time, the Cayman R was out to dethrone the 911 years before the GT4 had its shot at doing the same. And that’s a very valuable story to own a piece of.
1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II
Believe it or not, there was a point in time when the love for iconic JDM performance cars like the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was relatively niche among the car community. Due to the United States’ 25 Year Rule, until 3 years ago, we were only able to see this car by watching a movie or an anime, looking at pictures online, or just going to Japan. Now, the JDM fever has hit us enthusiasts hard, and well-kept examples of this right-hand-drive icon are getting more and more valuable as time goes on.
2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale
The Ferrari 458 is an undoubtedly gorgeous car, with looks that stand the test of time, and have since informed the styling of Ferrari’s lineup to this day. With a 4.5-liter mid-mounted V8 and rear-wheel drive, the 458 delivers great performance and pure driving pleasure the right way. The Speciale edition was Ferrari’s way of giving the 458 a proper finale, by giving it nearly 600 horsepower and a 3-second 0-60 time. The 458 Speciale is a Ferrari that looks and performs like it hasn’t aged a day, so there’s no wonder why it retains great value.
2015 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT
The SLS AMG was a classic from the moment it was released. Building on the looks and concept of the legendary classic SL, the SLS is one of the most beautiful and capable grand tourers that Mercedes-Benz has ever made. The Roadster edition added an open-top experience to what was already an incredible car, and being a car with the beauty and performance to impress for decades on end, the SLS is an incredible investment and a dream car to own for any enthusiast or collector.
