Why 1950s cars have had their day - and what classic car investors are buying instead
Paul Jolly, a Classic Car Specialist and Search Consultant, is on the hunt for 'Sleeper' investments, cars that have dropped in value but are set to rise again, like the BMW E39 M Sport version, which he has recently sourced for a client.
Part of my job as a Classic Car Specialist and Search Consultant is to project what upcoming cars will join the list to be useful future investments. In other words, to identify ‘Sleepers’.
It is generally accepted that 50+-year-old sports cars have dropped values considerably, with E Types, TR6’s, and MGBs averaging 25 per cent down on a few years ago. The market has moved on. 1950s cars are effectively dead. There are exceptions, but mainstream cars of this era have had their day.
Today’s buyers are 40- 50-year-olds who aspired to the cars they idolised as teenagers and who now can afford to invest.
Fast Fords of the 1980s and 1990s are proving highly desirable, as are German performance cars from the 1990s and 2000s.
One such car that already has cult status is the BMW E39 M5 (1998-2003) which is essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Widely regarded as one of the finest super saloons ever built, it combines understated styling with a high-powered V8 and a manual transmission.
The M5 is the archetypal Q car, and those in the know recognise them immediately, while to others they are invisible. And that’s the point about these 400 bhp, quad exhaust pipe Superman performers with Clark Kent flair and looks. Fabulously subtle for hours on end yet up there with the best of them when required. The neighbours might never realise just what supercar aristocracy lives next door. Value today £30,000 plus, and utterly fabulous.
However, there is a lesser-known version for a quarter of the price that is now the pick of the day. The E39 M Sport version shares the same chassis platform, lowered and stiffer suspension, upgraded brakes and enhanced handling package as its more valuable M5 equivalent. It also features the same body aero kit, front and rear valance with subtle boot spoiler, larger profile wheels with wider rear tyres for increased handling stability, plus shadow line black trim. These are effectively an M5 but without the V8 engine nor the price tag.
This low mileage 3 litre diesel example came my way from its elderly owner a little while ago and is utterly fabulous.
But how do you go about finding one for yourself?
Well, maybe by contacting your Classic Car Specialist and Search Consultant for starters
Paul Jolly - Classic Car Specialist and Valuer