There’s no avoiding it – automotive tastes evolve over time. As the generational transition among enthusiasts and collectors continues, so, too, does the march of certain cars into and out of the spotlight.
For many, this headline likely comes as no surprise, but the data do help turn anecdotes into something more concrete. Hagerty took a look at the rolling 12-month average of the share of insurance quotes sought from buyers under 40 year old, for 21 popular collector cars. Here’s what we found.
You may have heard the popular refrain that “MX-5 is always the answer”, and while the first-generation MX-5 is a sought-after ride, when it comes to popularity among young collectors, it’s the Nissan Skyline GT-R that is almost always the answer. For every modern generation of the Nissan Skyline, the share of buyers under 40 healthily exceeds their 27 percent share of the overall collector market. Unsurprisingly, the Mk IV Toyota Supra also occupies a top spot on this list.
German hardware is similarly en vogue. Two generations of BMW M3, the once-ubiquitous 1995-99 E36 (49 percent) and the 2007-13 E9X (61 percent) rate as favourites, while Porsche’s 944 also sneaks in at ten percentage points above the under-40’s 27 percent market share.
Despite being near-certainties as future classics, two generations of Porsche 911 – the 993 and 997 – haven’t attracted quite the same interest as the 944, much less the vaunted Skylines. In these instances, these data can serve as a flag to examine the causes (although the 2000–06 Jaguar XKR might not be in the same league as the above 911s, the delta in interest is cause for analysis).
There’s another side of this coin, but the fact that some collector cars haven’t garnered the attention of the under-40 crowd isn’t a death knell for values or enthusiasm by any stretch. You’d be hard-pressed, for example, to find anyone who thinks the MGB or Mini nameplates will fade into obscurity.
While it’s well known that enthusiasts gravitate toward the cars of their youth, this quick glimpse illustrates that there are surprising exceptions to that rule. Price, performance, usability and mystique all shape the choices people make when looking for their next car to buy.
