It's fun to sit down with friends and try to predict which cars will eventually go for huge sums at auction when we are old. There are plenty of American cars that have skyrocketed in value like the Cuda, Cobra and the GT40. Even several versions of the Mustang, Camaro and Corvette have gone for over $1 million. Here are five bold predictions for American cars that we think will be worth big money in the future. We only picked modern cars that were built after the year 2000. Tell us what you think will go up in value in the comments.
Our first pick isn't exactly a bold one. The Ford GT has been skyrocketing in value recently, but there was a time when Ford was having trouble getting these cars off dealer lots and they could be purchased for far less than their original price. It is not uncommon for these cars to sell for over $250,000, but we think they have a lot further to climb. We are going to go bold here by saying that the GT should hit the $1 million mark in the next decade. If the newest GT is any indication, supercars like the first generation GT are a relic of the past, and wealthy owners will flock to this awesome, mid-engine homage to the past.
It may seem impossible to think that a "boring" sedan could ever be worth a ton of money at auction. Yet, the Chevy SS has quite a bit of history that could help its value climb. This is the final swan song of the Australian auto industry at its finest. We bet that a few collectors have stashed away an SS with the highly coveted six-speed manual transmission. The Pontiac G8 GXP is still a very difficult car to find with a manual transmission, by the way. The SS certainly won't hit the million dollar mark any time soon, but if the E39 M5 is any indication, an old four-door sedan can be worth big money if it's special enough.
The Dodge Viper has been criticized for being a bit too extreme, especially the track-focused ACR version. Once the Viper is old enough, its drivability will fade into insignificance. We think that the hardcore nature of this car will be appreciated more as cars become more computer assisted and filled with technology. The Viper ACR is blisteringly fast, despite not having a fancy transmission, AWD, hybrid assist or a million dollar price tag. The ACR just has sticky tires and some extreme aero. New supercars simply can't provide the same mechanical performance that will shake the driver to the core.
The Cadillac CTS-V is an impressive sport sedan, but check the value of used ones and it's easy to tell that it probably won't be a future collectible. Unless, you look at the prices of the CTS-V Wagon. Cadillac introduced the CTS-V Sport Wagon in 2011 and was sold until 2014. The wagon model was extremely rare and is now worth a lot more than its sedan and coupe counterparts. We think that the manual CTS-V wagons will eventually be worth a ton of money, especially if some old guy stashed one away and barely put any miles on it. What other wagon has 556 hp and a clutch pedal? This was truly one badass wagon.
The final car on our list is a bit of an odd ball. Everyone knows about the famous Shelby Cobra, but few people remember the only car that Carroll Shelby built from the ground up. The car is called the Shelby Series One, and it is a completely original design from Shelby. The car is powered by an Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0-liter V8 with 320 hp and weighed about 2,600 pounds. Less than 250 were ever built, a few of which came with a supercharged engine with 600 hp. This car is rare and has plenty of pedigree. It should easily be a collectible in the future, but they are currently available for less than $100,000.