Most of the cars I consider to be classics are from the 50's, 60's and the 70's. Cars like the D-type Jag, Ferrari 260GTO, Cobras, Porsche 917,etc. What would you suggest are the clasisics of the 80's, 90's and the 2000?

A difficult one, what to include and what to leave out, but I take issue with your earlier list of classics. The Mercedes 300SLR has to be there, also the Ferrari P4 and Ford GT40, but how can you justify the Cobra's inclusion, even the Daytona version wasn't exactly a 'classic' by most peoples' standards. and I'd also have added the Maserati T61, Alfa T33, Ferrari 312, Renault Alpine A443 and a Matra Simca, hard to know where to stop. Of more recent candidates, several Porsches, the 935, 956 & 962 I suppose, Jaguar XJR9 & 12, McLaren F1GTR and that incredible Audi R8. Can't honestly say that there's a lot else that grabs me from recent decades, but I could at least double the list of pre-70s cars.

My examples are only a short list for illustrations sake. I could list 20-30 cars from this time period that I would call classic, but that’s not the point. I am only pointing out the lack of classics from the more current time period. Would agree with you on the 956/962 and the McLaren f1 however

It's an age thing. The classics are the cars that were racing when we were young enough to enthuse say when we were 15-20.
Tody's youngsters will consider 'our' classics as interesting old things, much as we consider Bugatti 35's and Blower Bentleys. In 40-50 years' time they will rave about Audi diesels, Panoz's and things

Certainly no argument with that, and it isn't only an 'age thing'. The sheer technical excellence of Le Mans diesel racers and the like, just makes them less interesting for me, but this is TNF after all.

I'm going to suggest that at a point in the spectrum of cars, particularly racing cars, there comes a division between the ones you could actually, or in your not-too-stretched imagination, see on a road, transporting someone from one place to another; and the other kind: racing appliances, not ever in the realm of possibility, motor transport.

Daytona Cobras don't qualify as "classic"? OK; however, they are cars, not tools.

My wonderful "MG AT LE MANS" poster (Graham Bosworth) includes Old Number One and a number 33 "tool" labled "MG". I don't even remember who was responsible for the tool and its engine, but it can't be a classic in my mind.

A car, particularly a classic car, carries a plethora of meanings and myriad connections to automotive life; a tool, just one. Don't get me wrong: I like tools, but I am only interested in the ones that touch my needs. Giant mining trucks (or whatever they are called)? Very interesting. Not getting a second glance in my world.

The contemporary stuff on tracks these days, except those that are holdovers in the mold of much earlier concepts, just ain't got it, for me. They might change (they better hurry!), I might change (yeah, sure), but today? No candidates for "classic" status.

That also applies to modern racing, very little variety in design and lots of one make (or rules that are so restrictive there is very little variation, like in F1) series means there aren't so many interesting cars (or races) but there are some recent cars that will be desirable in the future.

Porsche 956/962 has always been desirable - they never really dropped below £100k unlike things like Bugattis, D-types etc which all dropped to very low values at some time.
Many other cars from the same period are desirable: Porsche 959, Ford RS200 and the other Group B rally cars (Lancias, 6R4s etc) plus mid engined Renault 5s, Audi quattro sports etc (all of which have already increased in value significantly).

BMW M1 has to be mentioned.

Things like Sierra Cosworths (plus the Escort bodied versions), Lotus Carltons will always be popular but not very interesting - plus the BMW M3s, Mercedes 2.5-16 etc.

Ferrari 333SP & Riley & Scotts were made in enough numbers they will be sought after (e.g. enough to satisfy the top collectors), like the McLaren F1.
Alright the SP/R&S aren't road cars, but GT40s had about as much in common with late 60s road cars as a space ship.

More recent cars would include the Veyron (not to mention the EB110), Porsche Carrera GT, Alfa 8C and the limited production cars that race like Moslers, Ascaris - not sure about the poseur mobiles like Zondas though.

Apart from the obvious Ferraris, the Maseratis from 3200 onwards, Aston DB7s, Jaguar XK8 etc are all worthwhile - but not in the most desirable category.
As are the better versions of more affordable modern Jap stuff like Skylines, Evos & Imprezas.

Such things are always a matter of taste and personal experience (e.g. what you desired as a kid) very few of these sound to us as interesting as the cars we dream about, but those young enough to still be around when they are 50+ years old will find them more exciting than what they see as some 'old crock'.
I know an F1 collector who isn't interested in anything prior to the 1990s 'because they are too old', and he's in his 40s - he wouldn't be excited by any 250F and he could easily afford the very best one!

Tough thread and if treated the right way it could run and run and run!!

There's a similar thread about the most attractive 60/70s racers so maybe it could be merged but before lose this one - any F1 or Sports car should be included and then you should back-date to pretty much every Special and Super Saloon of the '70s and then you've done well!!

In the North West Autotrader there is a choice of two potential classics:

A 1980 Porsche 911 Targa for £7,500 or a Porsche Boxster S for a tad under £10,000.

On the question of Audi Quattro Sports be warned there are a lot of replicas about.

The 'classics' of more recent years have been rather forced on us by their limited number production run. I'm thinking of the 288GTO and F40 Ferraris and more recently the 8C Alfa Romeo. By announcing a limited number of each will be made, they are virtually ensuring 'classic' status. But I don't consider this route as worthy as the manufactuter who makes a car, which then, through excellence, later gains it's classic status. It doesn't necessarily relate to the numbers of cars built, although invariably, the rarer they are - the more expensive they get.
eg: I don't personally think the Bugatti Royales are 'classics' per se, despite being hugely expensive.

That happens with all sorts these days - Corgi Toys are re-issued in limited editions (carefully limited to the number they can sell), there are even limited edition ipods - most of these items are bought by the gullible who see that if they'd kept their old Dinky car (or whatever) in perfect condition it would be worth a fortune now, unfortunately for them every other buyer of these "limited collectors series" is doing the same...

With the road cars it is a bit different - I doubt anyone has been suddenly tempted by the much rarer chrome Veyron - and the numbers of these modern editions are pretty large, there tend to be around three dozen off each of the most interesting cars (GTOs, D-types, 917s etc), so you can't really consider the modern ones to be truly limited it is just marketting hype.

I think there were around 300 new Alfa 8Cs (and then they double the number by making an open vesion - and if need be they will find an excuse to build more) e.g. 10 times the number for truly desirable cars.

F40s turned out to be an almost un-limited run, they produced as many as they could sell - Impreza 22Bs make F40s look extremely common - there are 1,000 more F40s!!

The McLaren F1 production run was halted prematurely (presumably because sales had died) and lots being converted to race cars means they are genuinely scarce - and possibly the only road car that will never have dropped in value.

Jag XJ220 production was scaled back, but that hasn't exactly increased their desirability (of course they will become sought after classics in the future), which is the same as you say about Bugatti Royales - I know what you mean, they are hugely impressive (I've seen 4 of them) but hard to get excited by them.

Jag XJR15s were produced in small enough numbers to be highly desirable and they are expensive now, but I can't see them ever becoming iconic.

Even the Lambo Reventon was a bit of a flop - they "carefully selected 16(?) owners who would truly appreciate such a wonderful car", and most of those "enthusiasts" immediately tried to flog them!!

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Aston 1-77, assuming company directors are less keen to buy cars that depreciate extremely quickly (it used to be preferable to buy an expensive toy that lost loads of money rather than give it to the tax man) these days, they could struggle to shift them, even if they do it will be very interesting to see what happens to their prices - my guess is they'll make investing in Icelandic banks look sensible!

I would think the Porsche 930 (911 Turbo) will become-is becoming -a classic.
Other than that I agree that most seem to be "artificial" classics--"We will only make 4000 of these so grab one fast". The Alfa 8C should be a classic but apparently it shares most of it's parts with a Maserati-no bad thing I suppose but....

Not disagreeing with that, but from the original post and the examples he gave, I understood that we were supposed to limit ourselves to classic sports racing cars, ones that have raced at Le Mans perhaps. I'd disagree with the suggestion that Bugatti Royales fail to make it as 'classics', as I think they unquestionably do, though I don't remember them doing much racing, so they wouldn't qualify for this thread in any case.

Audi Quattro
Lancia 037 Rally
Peugeot 205 T 16

Obviously I'm biased but I think several of my late Dad's cars would sell well - my ex-girlfriend paid £150 for a 1:43rd scale Droop Snoot and I se Corgi have issued GM and RAC Escorts from the '74 Tour of Britain (which I have bought - blimin annoying though, I bought the Trofeau version of RAC's car 2 years ago for £50 and the Corgi "pair" cost me the same, so now I have two RAC cars of anyone wants one!!).

Always hard trying to predict a future classic, because the real deal finds it way to the top through sustained desirability. Many now accepted "great" cars have had slumps at some stage or another - even such cars as the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, much sought after today but which filled breakers yards and were all but unsaleable in the 50s (far too old fashioned, far too thirsty, far too expensive to licence).

A number of Japanese models are already gathering a legend, including Skyline, Honda NSX, Subaru WRX, Lancer, RX7. The modern Japanese MGB (the Mazda Miata/MX5) too. I'm not sure how pre-fab classics, ones intended to be classics from the start, will last.

Surely it's very much driven by age? I'm 42 and started to take a serious interest in racing in the early 80's, so as much as I'm fascinated by and and covet 250Fs, D-Types, 250GTOs, GT40s, 917s, Matras etc, I've only ever known them as 'historic' cars, so they can't have quite the same nostalgia factor for me that they do for someone older who was there at the time.

Group C Porsches and Jaguars, Group B rallycars, BMW 635s and M3s, Sierra RS500s and TWR Rovers on the other hand, all bring the memories back for me- and would all feature highly on my shopping list if that elusive lottery win happened next weekend...

Still don't agree that age has all that much to do with it. I'm a bit older than you, but still some way short of pensionable age, so I'm too young to have seen most of your first group racing, but even though much of my contact with them has come from books and events like Goodwood, I didn't see most of them race in their heyday, they fascinate me just the same. I saw all the more recent cars you list race on many occasions, but as machines, they didn't do a lot for me at the time, and they still don't today. Real classics like the 250F, Ferrari 250GTO, even slightly more recent GT40s and 917s will maintain their status and monetary value indefinitely just because of what they represent, but I can't see anyone feeling the same about Sierras, TWR Rovers, or old rally machinery in decades to come, can you?

Do cars have a shorter life-span these days, lowering their chances of becoming classic?

I was always partial to the Ferrari 333sp, if nothing else it sounded correct. I've seen one lap the full oval at Daytona, albeit at reduced speed to keep the NASCAR crowd entertained during a rain delay for qualifying.

What makes a car a'classic'?
When it comes to race cars I'd say looks and success. The Porsche 956/962 had both: it looked great and won pretty much every race possible. On the other hand I consider the Shadow DN5B (that wasn't exactly a winner) as an classic because it has an almost iconic look for a F-1 car of the time. If you see a DN5B...that is how F-1s had to look like in the mid 70ies.
With road cars it's different. In the US is it pretty easy: you got muscle cars. No matter if they are 40 years old or brand new: instant classic. And also: the less cars of a model survive the more likely is it going to be a classic as well or if their inroduction caused a scandal (Ford Edsel for example..).
Looking at the cars that are sold in europe these days I can't really see a lot of them becoming classics at all. The current range from Audi apart from the Q5 & Q7 has some potential because they have a timeless design. Any sportscar that's build in little numbers, any car that's successfull in popular motorsports ha some kind of potential as well. Apart from that it comes down to looks and/or the number of survivors of a model.
For example the 1st generation Golf. It was build in massiv numbers. When today one of them in perfect conditions drives by and you turn your head...that's what makes a 'ordinary' car a classic.

Random thoughts on a few road & race cars, some mentioned, some not:

Porsche 959- Definitely a classic already. Way ahead of its time.

Ferrari 288 GTO- First of the modern Ferrari supercar lineage (GTO/F40/F50/Enzo), and the only one originally designed for racing (the stillborn Group B category).

Porsche 956/962- won everything for over a decade. The 962s converted into road cars by Dauer will probably be highly sought after due to rarity & their LeMans win.

The Porsche 911-GTR & Mercedes CLK-GTR homogolation specials for the GT1 category in 1996-1998 will always hold a lot of value.

The McLaren F1 is probably the most recent car I'd say is already a true classic.

The current Corvette ZR1 could be GM's last & best attempt at a supercar for a very long time given their impending bankruptcy, so that might be one to keep an eye on, esp. if production is cut short.

Cars like the current Mini Cooper, the Suburu WRX, Mitsubishi Evo, Nissan GT-R will probably become "affordable classics" in the near future, but not investments that will gain much value. A bunch of BMWs (M3s, M5s, etc) will also fall into that category.

Speaking of BMW, the M1 & Z8 will probably end up in the "classic" category. The M1 is probably already there.

I think you've hit on something interesting there- maybe there are two very distinct factors that make something a classic car for us? On one hand, as you say there's their place in history and what they represent as machines- irrespective of whether as a kid you saw Fangio in a 250F, Rodriguez or Siffert in a 917, Moss in a DBR1, or 300SLR, Clark in a Lotus 25 or not- and I totally understand the appeal of a 250F, GTO, GT40, 917 etc, and given the budget, I'd crave any one of those as much as anyone else on here.

On the other hand though, there's the nostalgia factor that comes with your early racing memories- whatever it was that sparked your interest in the sport in the first place
OK, if the cars you saw back then didn't inspire at the time, then they're hardly going to inspire 20 years later (and there's plenty of 80's cars that don't do a lot for me either), but in the same way that earlier generations of sportscar racing enthusiasts were inspired by D-Types, GT40s, 917s etc, then Group A touring cars, Group C sportscars or the 80's turbo F1 generation are what fuelled my interest in the sport 20 or so years ago, and they do have a strong nostalgic pull for me.

They're the reason I stood trackside at Donington, Silverstone and Brands in the 80's, and the root cause of why I still do it now and why I'm sitting here typing this tonight. I know if I was putting together my 'dream garage' a few of those 80's cars would have to be in there alongside the 50's/60's greats (though I'd admit, some of my choices might not be obvious ones even amongst people with an enthusiasm for 80's racing cars!)

Heaven only knows whether they'll ever reach the heights of desirability and value that the earlier cars have, but a degree of interest in them is certainly out there- and things like like Group C cars with significant racing history are already attaining pretty substantial financial values

What about the Lotus Elise S1?