Are cars that few people want more interesting because of their lack of popularity? ‘Tis true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but considering Mustangs and Camaros are near the top of the heap, we know there’s a lot more to fondness than scarcity.
Two of the below AutoHunter Picks are currently not popular as collectibles (Mercury) or even future collectibles (Jaguar), while another (Pontiac) was part of a group of cars that no one wanted until most enthusiasts desired them. The fourth (Chevrolet) has been a collectible since new, part of a wave that seems to have started with the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. Funny, this collectible car world!
1994 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
Did you come of age during the 1980s, but you hate how slow the cars were then? Then this 1994 Corvette ZR-1 is the solution to your quandary. You get classic 1980s looks, Bally Midway-inspired instrumentation, rarity (448 built), and a kick in the pants (thanks to the Lotus-engineered, 405-horse DOHC small-block) that rivaled the big-block greats from over 20 years before.
Add the ultra-low mileage and you’ve got yourself the perfect 1980s-by-proxy collectible.
1991 Mercury Sable LS Sedan
I have long felt that the Ford Taurus was the most significant American car of the 1980s, but I always preferred its Mercury Sable sister. I actually did a double-take as I figured it was redesigned by 1991, but that ended up being the final year of the first generation.
Powerplants were never this car’s forte (aside from the Taurus SHO), but if you don’t mind going slow, this is a neat car—and Canadian too, so the speedo is in kilometers.
2018 Jaguar XE 25T Prestige AWD Sedan
Jaguar is experiencing several speed bumps in its current state, with the XE being a casualty of sorts. This was Jaguar’s BMW 3 Series competitor, but for Americans, the choice to entertain this model wouldn’t last beyond 2020. In case you’re not in the know, the 25T came with a 247-horse 1,997cc “Ingenium” turbo-four, while “Prestige” is the third of four “Luxury” trim levels.
With AWD, this Jaguar would make a nice year-round daily driver, and it’s rare too—3,551 XEs of all types sold in the U.S. for calendar year 2018.
1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible
This was the second-best-selling GTO of the era, preceded by the ’66. It’s not difficult to understand why it was such a great vehicle in the marketplace considering its fuselage-before-Chrysler-went-Fuselage shape, Endura bumper, fine engines, and most of all, an image as strong as any.
With a Hurst Dual-Gate automatic, this one is fine for those who just wanna cruise.
