Grassroots Motorsports' Tim Suddard picks ten future Japanese collector cars
First generation Mazda Miata - Click above to see entire list of future Japanese Collector Cars
"Everybody wants to go to the dance, no one wants to stay and clean up." So says Robert De Niro's Sam in John Frankenheimer's spy thriller/car porno Ronin. We mention the line, because it's not only well written, but nicely sums up most people's attitudes towards classic, collector cars. Yes, we'd all love a Boss 302 Mustang or a Maserati Bora, but no one wants to pay the tens of thousands of dollars it takes to procure and maintain them. But what if in the future collector cars weren't limited to American muscle or exotic Europeans? What if relatively cheap and reliable Japanese cars came to be collectors items?
Regardless of the answer, that's the exact future that Tim Suddard, publisher of both Grassroots Motorsports and Classic Motorsports, is predicting. In fact, here's what he has to say about it:
Which, if what Suddard is saying is true, means that both demand and price should increase. Which is probably... bad. Click here to see the ten cars (with captions) that Suddard claims are going to be future classics, plus our own two cents on each selection. And of course, what do you think? Also – like what you see? If you're in the Southern California area, don't miss the 2009 Japanese Classics car show this weekendRight now Japanese cars are generally overlooked by the collector car world, but we expect that to change. A generation that grew up on Hondas, Datsuns and Mazdas is coming of age where they're after the icons of their youth. Where previous enthusiasts paid big money for the Mopars, Chevelles and GTOs that they couldn't afford when teens, we expect the same happen soon with milestone Japanese cars.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
l.i.dave 12:38PM (9/30/2009)
This is a joke right? Who would collect these pieces of garbage? Japanese cars are disposable appliances, nothing more. Its like saying your 20 year old microwave is a classic, silly.
Reply
Alex 12:43PM (9/30/2009)
you are an idiot.
Glock23 12:44PM (9/30/2009)
Ya, a NSX is garbage.
I'm sure in your world a 1995 Camaro is the pinnicle of automotive engineering.
BTW, I'm not even close to what you would consider a Japanese car fanbody. I'm just someone who can recognize vehicle's that were milestones and don't mindlessly hate for no reason.
Boss 12:48PM (9/30/2009)
Go watch UFC and wear Tap Out tshirts I.i.dave while driving your crusty escort with bling rims from Wal-Mart.
Anyway, no Supra on the list?
Mike Se7en 1:00PM (9/30/2009)
Drive a Miata, and maybe you'll realize how ignorant you are.
Xa 1:17PM (9/30/2009)
@ I.i.dave
your 1984 Chevy Nova isn't the same thing as a 1968 Chevy Nova, silly. Keep dreaming.
Chris 1:20PM (9/30/2009)
He is an idiot, but I DO have a hard time seeing some of these becoming classics - namely the CRX, the Miata, and the first-gen RX-7.
mact 1:26PM (9/30/2009)
I.i. dave: you are a moron.
Some Japanese collectors I wish for:
Datsun 240Z
MKIV Supra
R32 Skyline GT-R
Toyota 2000GT
Datsun 520
jv2k 1:28PM (9/30/2009)
Your an idiot but this list is made of fail.
I mean they have no supra but they have the corolla gts on that list?
snorkelingsarcosuchus 3:00PM (9/30/2009)
that comment defines ignorant and philistine
ghstedge 2:02PM (9/30/2009)
I'm with mact.
This list has a freaking miata, but no Supra? no 2000gt?
Mike 2:31PM (9/30/2009)
OK Boss,
The UFC comments are way out of line, it's a fast growing sport the world over and sure there's some meatheads but alot of fans are intelligent and really understand that the sport does have many technical facets and appreciate it for what it is.
As far as the actual subject at hand. the difference here between collectible muscle cars or european exotics is there are few cars on this list that people aspired to drive when they were young. NSX yes, but most of these cars came over in the early days and were not longed after by anyone in high school/college. Now if they had added the last model Supra, the last RX7, S2000, maybe even the 300ZX, it would be a list I might consider to have some merit, but anyone who wanted a Miata in the 90's bought one, most of them were female. I was in high school/college in the '90s and no guys had pictures of Miatas on their walls, they also didn't have Corollas, 240ZXs, or RX3s. It was all Italian exotics and American muscle with the odd 300ZX, 3000GT, Supra, or RX7.
The guy who does GRM is in a world of sports car enthusiasts, not general car enthusiasts and what track guys consider cool, isn't necessarily all that mainstream. Like it or not.
PJ 1:08AM (10/01/2009)
Predicting collectibility isn't rocket science--it's as simple as looking at what young people want, but can't afford, today. When today's twenty- and thirty-somethings are in their fifties and sixties, they'll be buying what they couldn't when they were young--the Supras, 300ZXs, RX-7s, Evos, STIs, and various Type-Rs of their youth.
There was nothing magic about '60s musclecars in their day. Detroit cranked them out by the hundreds of thousands, and older, professional reviewers of the day often weren't fans of the cars that are today's biggest collector's items. The 426 cid Hemi, for example, was regularly trashed in reviews for being poor-running, hard to tune, slower than the 440, etc... but kids who never drove one (or couldn't drive yet) all wanted a Hemi because it had the most horsepower, and that must make it "the best," right?
Incidentally, as with today's "tuner" cars, part of the reason muscle cars appreciated the way they did was that, once their values bottomed out and they could be bought second- and third-hand, it became difficult to find clean examples that hadn't been thrashed or questionably modified by a teenager. Same as with '90s and '00s Japanese cars today.
If you don't believe that Japanese cars will appreciate, hop on Craigslist or eBay and see how much an unmolested, low-mileage RX-7, Supra, or (yes) Corolla GTS is going for (the latter is the "Initial D car," remember). Those cars' values have already bottomed out and are slowly on the rise.
Rick C. 3:26PM (9/30/2009)
Before anyone goes apesh*t. This is Grassroots Motorsports/ Classic Motorsports Magazines. These magazines cater to the 'get your hands dirty' enthusiasts. Both magazines are not 'consumer' automotive publications. Most of the readers can take apart an engine, weld a chassis from scratch and basically fab almost any component on a car. That means BUDGET. Cars like the Toyota 2000 and others won't be on the list, because of their rarity and price. Both magazines showcase budget-minded racing and collecting. Very middle class.
click_playaz 6:33PM (9/30/2009)
You're a tard. you don't even have a car.
dinnercoat 10:38PM (9/30/2009)
Rick C.
I don't think the NSX is very "middle-class" ...
David 12:08PM (10/01/2009)
These were the cars that my generation drove (and in the case of the RX-7 and NSX lusted for) To dis them so easily shows ignorance.
Jrejre 12:39PM (9/30/2009)
I'm working on getting a 280z right now.
Reply
Jrejre 12:40PM (9/30/2009)
And for the love of god, you guys, please don't feed the above troll. Thankyou.
ChopperDave 1:29PM (9/30/2009)
Good luck! I peruse ebay motors from time to time, wishing I had a place to park a second car. About 15 years ago, I had a copper brown 280z with a pristine interior and (sorry, everyone) a slushbox. I miss it dearly.