TRR

Don't know if this has been posted before or not. In the last Corvette Quarterly, McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance Agency, selected the current Corvette Z06 as one of the top 10 future collector cars for the 2008 Hagerty's Hot List. Other picks included the XLR-V and the Solstice/SKY.

Don't have a clue what this means, just thought I'd post it up. I have never heard of the Hagerty's Hot List.


TRR

carcrazyandbroke

Don't forget the Ford Focus.

jnx911

I would guess it depends on how many survive and how long of a time period.

yanniz

yeap, and the Dodge Neon as well as the late GTOs!

walterm32

IMO we are driving the c2 427's all over again. Give it 30 years.

toxin440

Only thing I can see for the current Z06 is the fact that the next generation Z06 might be something totally different, i.e. no more huge displacement etc et due to oil, gas prices, CAFE, and all kinds of changing crap in the world.

I didn't buy a Z06 for a collector item, but if it happens to turn into one in 20 years, cool.

vdshenoy

All I know is that I'm keeping mine forever, and I'm going to DRIVE it...so if mine has to go up on an auction block in 30-40 years, it'll have a million miles on it.

Dvlray6

It means nothing. Maybe in 20-30 years it will be a collectable and only if you put it away and sealed it in a bubble. What is the point of that? You can make much faster and better money in a real investment. If you drive the car like it was meant to be driven, it won't be worth squat in 30 years even if well maintained.

I think everyone has to decide - is it a car or an investment? If the latter, contact your financial planner for advice.

American cars are rapidly depreciating assets - not investments IMO.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I don't think that many of us bought the car for collector status. But if it turns out so, then thats an added bonus.

That said, the Z06 has as good a chance as any, and a much better chance than most, recent Corvettes, of becoming a classic.

Thats not to say that it should be thought of as an "investment", clearly it is not, but it is a good feeling to have something special.

I look at the turbo Buick Grand Nationals, the 1995 Toyota Celicas, the Corvette Grand Sports, the '03 SVT Cobras..... and while neither car is worth a pile of money right now, they were very significant for their time, and would be great to own right now because of their historical significance.

I grew up during the '60s and '70s, and those cars to me are like owning one of the old muscle cars of back in the day. Certainly appreciated during their time, for what they were, but even more appreciated and desired as time went on.

The people who got rid of those old muscle cars back in the day, many regret it to this day, even though some of those old muscle cars may not necessarily be worth a fortune today, many lament having gotten rid of that old Chevelle, that '70-'71 Mustang, that 'Cuda, that Challenger, that Superbird, that Javelin, that Judge, etc. ... during the "energy crisis".....they may not necessarily be worth 6 figures, but they would still be nice to have today because they were very special cars during their time. They are a piece of Automotive Americana, as is the Z06.

I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about what collectable and desirable mean. Some think it means "investment" with the intent of watching it go through the roof in monetary value.

It doesn't not necessarily mean that. As mentioned before, a 1973 Mach 1 Mustang with a Cleveland 351, is not going to make you a fortune, but its still nice to own one for it's historical significance. It was the last of the Mustangs of that style, and you don't see them every day.

walterm32

I'm with you on every word but I'm lost on the 1995 celica. What's so significant about it that you put it in the same sentence as the Buick GN, Cobra or Corvette GS?

Duke/Earl

GM is turning out over 8000 a year. Of course the 2000 ZR1s will probably eat into that. Better buy a rare color.

OregonC6

I've dabbled in collector muscle cars over the years. Mostly 1st gen Camaros since I had one in college.

What I learned in those years of being a classic car collector is that it's all about numbers of survivors vs demand.

On that score most of the special models of muscle cars and Corvettes of the 50s and 60s were produced in much smaller numbers than the Z06. They were also produced with far more option combinations which lends further scarcity to particular cars. By comparison the Z06 is almost commonplace.

For several decades now it's been impossible to procure the grade of gasoline the old muscle cars and Corvettes require. 100+ octane leaded premium is simply not available. As a result many of these old cars cannot be driven unless the timing is changed or pistons swapped out to lower compression ( thus much decreasing power ).

They are owned largely as status possessions-works of static art. This was the reason I sold my two original '69 Z28 Camaros ( 11:1 compression ) and several '68 big block 396s ( just 10.5:1 ). Just look at the gas and the engine will do its best to tear itself to pieces with knock.

I tired of trying to get octane boosters just right or driving long distances for 'racing gas' at very high prices. I sold them all.

However, at the time all the old muscle cars and performance Corvettes were produced the correct fuel WAS widely available. It took a number of years for it to become totally unavailable and the cars thus undriveable ( at least in a spirited and demanding fashion etc ).

The Z06 on the other hand was introduced into a market in which the recommended fuel was not widely available at the time of introduction. It was inconceivable to us back in "the day" that leaded premium would so quickly become unavailable. However, it did-and almost overnight.

I expect that the future will quickly be upon us in which unleaded premium ( such as it is ) will become unavailable and only 87-90 or less will be at the pump. You see, it takes more petro feedstock to make higher octane fuel.

The result will be that the fuel the C6 and Z06 needs to run correctly at the rated hp won't be available. Yes, I know, a new generation now shares our feeling "back in the day" that it can't happen. Oh, but it can.

Try putting E85 in your Z06 or C6! Or, some years from now, try putting hydrogen fuel cell fuel into your vintage Z06. The ability to get fuel in the future might impact collector desireability. On the other hand, a Draconian left wing government might just outlaw all vehicles for use on the public roads that require almost pure gasoline. However, simple elimination of the required fuel would produce the same result.

One additional factor that I believe will influence the distant future of car collecting will be what I call the "investor factor". A comparison with baseball collector cards will illustrate the point:

Years ago , when I was just a kid, we had baseball cards with bubblegum. We traded them, they became dog eared and soiled, and we generally threw they out-or our mothers did when they became too unsightly. Very few examples were sequestered wasy in pristine condition-stored for decades in like new condition. Nobody had any idea they would someday be worth so much money as some are today.

However, noting the very high prices paid for some old collector baseball cards many investors/hoarders ( perhaps hundreds of thousands ) have been stashing brand new baseball cards away in sealed packs of thousands of cards against the day when they would be worth tremendous amounts.

And you know what the net result off this mass hoarding will be? A future in which supply will far outstrip demand. The cards could be worth next to nothing.

As with cars so it goes. With many more people today maintaining "garage queens" and some even packing away brand new automobiles and never even driving them.....the future may bring oversupply vs demand.

What does this all point to? Drive what you have today and enjoy it. Enjoy being able to find the fuel it needs easily and widely. Enjoy that the government hasn't yet made the fuel unavailable or outlawed your car. Do not maintain a garage queen whether you own a 1LT base C6 or a Z06.

My hunch is that there are too many Z06s, too many being "saved", and a future that will be too unfriendly to such cars for them to be worth the premium that we see today in the very scarce special performance surviving muscle cars and Corvettes.

ps. IF GM keeps ZR1 production numbers low I believe the surviving examples will be worth huge money two or three decades hence. It's the 427/435 of today.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Yeah.

First off Z06 production numbers are as follows:

2008 7731 units. 250 Canadian Units. 0 Mexican Units. 472 European Units/ Total Exports, Less (ie not counting) Mexico and Canada, 604 units. 854 non American units. Leaving 6681 2008 American units.

2007 8159 units. 318 Canadian Units, 0 Mexico Exports. 718 European Exports. 1036 non American units. Leaving 7123 2007 American units.

2006 6272 units. 310 Canadian Units. 362 Export units to other than Canada and Mexico. Leaving 5600 2006 American units.

There are 19,404 Z06 produced for sale in the USA. Not all of them survive.

Contrast that to 118,287 so far, NON Z06 C6 Corvettes sold in the United States of America alone, and it is easy to see that one of the definitive cars, one of the signature cars, which will mark the 6th generation of Corvette, will be the 427 cu in. Z06. Both it and the ZR1 will be "defining moments" in the 6th generation of Corvette Just as the ZR1 and the Grand Sport put their marks on the 4th Generation Corvette.

The ZR1 because it was/is the most powerful Corvette ever produced, and the first forced induction Corvette.

The Z06 because it marked the return of the 427 cu in. engine in the Corvette, among other innovative things such as it's dry sump and aluminum frame, etc.

And "naysayers" such as yourself, who have a fierce, piercing need to try and detract from the Z06, a fruitless endeavor if ever there was one, and try an harp emptily on the fact the the current 427 is not a "big block", well, thats meaningless. You need know, it is still a 427 cu inch engine which makes the most power of any normally aspirated engine ever placed inside a Corvette. And a 427 in a Corvette, means a lot.

Don't take this the wrong way, but base C6 Corvettes are a dime a dozen and can be found damn near anywhere.


The 1995 Toyota Celica Supra twin turbo, is arguably the "holy grail" of ricerdom.

If you can find one of these cars today, you are in luck.

Easily modified to make significant power this was the car which made the original "Fast and the Furious" movie popular.

http://www.cars-directory.net/history/toyota/supra/

walterm32

Wow, my computer must be running slow today or something I had no idea what you were talking about. Brain fart?

Vette5.5

Think you're on to something, here. It's doubtful there will be a next generation ZO-6 or much of an upgrade for base Corvette's any time soon. The automotive industry is soaking most of it's resources into more fuel efficient vehicle designs and plant re-tooling, leaving very little for a next generation Vette'. Figure a re-freshened base model only, in a few years. It wont take long before there are lot's of buyers for used Z's when this happens. Some buyers will be ones that missed out in the new market. More still, will be the builder/racers of these cars and will burn through them rather quickly. Survivor Z's will surely become collectables at some point, but probably wont bring huge money.

IRS-Cop

If you think a "lousy" base LS3 C6, with only the 3rd most powerful production Corvette engine (behind the LS7 and LS9), won't be a classic one day you're just as nuts.

Sure they've made a ton of C6 Corvettes. But heck, they made a ton of C2 Corvettes as well. Yet, now there are more people on planet Earth than their were in the 60's...and guess what...30 years from now there will be even more people on planet Earth. Couple that fact with the fact that a lot of folks on here will inevitably tear up their Coupe, Convertible, Z06, ZR1, rides via wrecks, blown motors, etc., and the uncertainity of how great the C7 will be, could mean all C6's become classics, just like the C2's.

OT: They were only called Supra Celicas in the 80's. By the 90's they were two seperate models.

Paul Scarpelli

Thanks. I'll be dead.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

The LS3 just might be. However whether it will or won't is not a real interest of mine because I don't own one.

Because it really has no real historical signifcance, I personally don't believe that the LS3 will be any more significant than the L98 (first tuned port) was in the 1985 C4, but just my opinion.

I form that opinion in part on the fact that there were are 19,404 LS7 based Z06 produced for sale in the USA from 2006-2008 model year. Three model years.

There were 27,579 LS3 based C6 Corvettes made in 2008 model year alone.

Nearly 50% more (actually 42% more) LS3s in that one year, than in all the years of LS7 based Z06s produced thus far.

That LS3 number will be in the neighborhood of 55,000 when model year 2009 is said and done.

I don't see that as being anything other than "common".

When I say "desirable" and "classic" I am thinking more in terms of within about a 20 year period.

The "youngest" C2 is 41 years old.

When I brought up the Grand National, the Supra Celicas (thank you for the clarification), the C4 Corvette Grand Sports, the C4 ZR1, the '03 SVT Cobras, all of these cars are around 20 years old or less. ie within most of our remaining lifetimes.

And I think that within the age span of those above cars, the Z06 will become similar in "desirability" and "collectability" to them.

Not necessarily worth a fortune, mind you, but still very desirable, nice to own, not commonplace, and significant because of what they represent along the lines of automotive history and the huge mark they made in automotive circles. Some of these cars were groundbreaking for their time....but not necessarily worth a fortune. Thats not what I mean when I say "classic" or "desirable".

I think that many of us will live to see the Z06 reach the status of those cars and others similar to them.

But if one has to wait 40 plus years, well, many of us won't be around to see that. Or too old to drive anyway.

2008corvette

I should have about 5,000 miles on my car when I put it away for it's first winter storage, if I average 5,000 miles a year the odometer will read 250,000 miles in 2058.

AtlBlkZ06

I'm looking forward to 2050 when telling people that I owned a 505HP machine when I Was only a quarter century old