London 9 August – Car & Classic, Europe’s biggest classic vehicle marketplace, has determined the most sought-after classic car – through a process entirely based on statistics – as the Porsche 911.
Analysing data stretching back over 15 years, the selection process studied classic cars sold, monthly searches, average sale prices, and the use of relevant hashtags on Instagram, revealing the top 10 classic cars as follows:
| Rank | Vehicle | Cars sold on C&C | Monthly searches | Average Sale Price on C&C | Hashtag uses as of May 2023 |
| 1 | Porsche 911 | 21,141 | 1,450,000 | £58,409 | 4,960,404 |
| 2 | Ford Mustang | 8,332 | 1,200,000 | £31,107 | 4,490,482 |
| 3 | Land Rover Range Rover | 7,551 | 3,240,000 | £18,745 | 5,205,454 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Corvette | 6,165 | 1,120,000 | £34,807 | 5,812,154 |
| 5 | Jaguar E-Type | 6,028 | 140,000 | £89,240 | 162,951 |
| 6 | Volkswagen Campervan | 7,052 | 104,000 | £26,545 | 1,066,256 |
| 7 | Land Rover Defender | 5,995 | 896,000 | £17,872 | 155,396 |
| 8 | BMW 3 Series | 8,107 | 362,000 | £11,055 | 887,380 |
| 9 | Ford Escort | 4,874 | 675,000 | £22,382 | 299,824 |
| 10 | Mini Cooper | 3,379 | 2,240,000 | £16,111 | 4,059,781 |
1. Porsche 911
Topping the order, the Porsche 911 is one of the best known and most recognisable sports cars in the world, and undoubtedly Porsche’s most iconic car. While it has changed in many ways since its inception, its iconic silhouette has remained instantly recognisable throughout all variants for almost 60 years.
“Whilst a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS could set you back the best part of £500,000, there are many more affordable models, which bring the average sale price of a 911 on Car & Classic to £58,000 – the third highest average selling price of any make and model on the site,” explains Dale Vinten, Head of Editorial at Car & Classic. “This first-generation 1973 Porsche 911 Lux Targa sold last year for £115,000, and would probably fetch even more now.”
2. Ford Mustang
The silver medal winner is the trendsetting Ford Mustang, one of Ford’s most successful models and its most long-standing. Hailed as the ‘ultimate American muscle car’, it too has been in continuous production since 1964. The average sale price on Car & Classic for a classic Ford Mustang is around £31,000, the seventh highest for any marque and model.
“For a classic ‘60s matching numbers example in excellent condition you could quite easily pay the best part of £250,000. However, there are many more modestly priced cars available too,” says Vinten. “This 1967 Mustang 2+2 Fastback sold for £50,500 at the end of last year, and was in excellent condition with only 7k miles on the clock.”
3. Land Rover Range Rover
The Land Rover Range Rover, in production since the ‘70s, gets the bronze. ‘Range Rover’ is also the most-searched model – totalling 3,240,000 average monthly searches online.
“You can pick up a classic second-generation Range Rover from as little as £5,000 if you’re happy to have a car that is well used or needs a bit of TLC. The average sale price of a classic Range Rover on Car & Classic is around £18,000 (13th highest average sale price),” reveals Vinten. “But if you’re looking for an early first-generation model in excellent condition, you could pay over £100,000. As always, a good example with extremely low mileage can command more than average prices, like this 1973 Range Rover sold for £27,750.”
4. Chevrolet Corvette
Like the top three models, the Chevrolet Corvette has enjoyed an ongoing production run of over 60 years. It also earns a special mention as the most ‘Instagrammed’ classic car in the list with over 5.8 million related hashtags.
“A premium classic car with average sale prices on Car & Classic of over £34,000, a pristine Chevrolet Corvette could set one back to the tune of more than £100,000. Or you can drive off in a 1988 Corvette C4 Targa for £7,600 if you don’t mind a left-hand drive car,” adds Vinten.
5. Jaguar E-Type
The immortal Jaguar E-Type could not be missing from this list, and sits at the halfway mark. The average sale price of a Jaguar E-type on carandclassic.com is over £89,000, making it the marque and model with the highest average sale price on the website.
“If you are looking for a Series 1 Roadster in excellent condition, you can expect to spend up to £250,000,” predicts Vinten. “A Series 2 or 3 will cost less, as they are not as desirable, but in decent condition you can expect to pay around £40,000-£50,000. Even a barn find 1969 E-Type Series II Roadster can set you back to the tune of £33,000.”
6. Volkswagen Campervan
The quirky and iconic VW Campervan is a poster child for the swinging Sixties and has graced movie screens for decades – including an appearance as a standout yellow camper in Little Miss Sunshine – and continues to charm today.
“The average sale price of VW campervans on carandclassic.com is just over £26,000, but prices range from as little as around £3,500 for rough examples up to well in excess of £35,000,” continues Vinten. “For middle-of-the-road split-screen models, such as this 1963 Type 2 Sundial Campervan, you’re looking at around £23,250.”
7. Land Rover Defender
The second entry for Land Rover, its off-roading variant, the Defender, is the workhorse of the British countryside, with Vinten explaining: “Some are worked harder than others, and you can expect the value of a Land Rover Defender to fluctuate depending on age, mileage, and condition. The average sale price through Car & Classic in recent years is around £17,800 – but a pickup variant such as this 1987 Defender 110 can be ‘picked up’ for less than £5k.”
8. BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 series lands itself in position eight. “The average price is a little over £11,000 on Car & Classic’s website, making the BMW 3 Series amongst the more affordable classics available,” explains Vinten. “This modern classic 1992 E30 convertible was just over £10k. But in reality, certain models – in excellent condition – such as the M version, can set you back closer to £40,000 or £50,000.”
9. Ford Escort
Earning its place as one of the top ten classics, the ubiquitous Ford Escort is as versatile now as it was when it was launched. The British icon remains popular amongst classic car collectors, thanks to readily available parts and support – it’s also one of the easiest to maintain.
“At home on the track as much as it is the road, thanks to a colourful rally history, the average selling price of a classic Ford Escort on Car & Classic is just over £22,000. But sale prices vary hugely,” says Vinten. “While you can pick one up in need of some work for a few thousand pounds, a pristine condition classic rally car could cost the best part of £90,000. For example, this 1977 Mk2 1600 Sport Rally car (LHD) fetched £44,000 at the beginning of the year.”
10. Mini Cooper
Stylish, relatively affordable, and instantly recognisable, the Mini Cooper is a design classic and brings up the rear of the top ten.
“The average sale price on Car & Classic is just over £16,000. But if you get an early Mini Cooper in pristine condition you can expect to part with over £100,000 to make it yours,” concludes Vinten. “That said, one of the last carburettor-equipped Minis, this 1991 Rover Mini Cooper, sold for £7,500 only last month.”
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