There’s nothing quite like the NEC Classic Motor Show; with five halls packed full of over 2500 classic cars, clubs, traders and collectors, navigating its many pathways can almost be a little overwhelming. There’s just so much to see.

On our travels at the event, we took note of a small handful of cars whose value provoked an interesting conversation. Some are heading up, some are heading down, and others seem a little lower than we might otherwise expect. In no particular order, here are the cars that piqued our interest at the show:

Ford GT 

 

The then “new” Ford GT was launched with great fanfare in 2005. With styling clearly derived from the Le Mans winning original, but with a height far taller than 40″ (hence the name GT, not GT40,) its supercharged 5.4 litre V8 supplied ample power to back up those supercar looks.

Value wise, the GT hovered at around £120-150,000 for the first seven years of its life. Interestingly, prices only started to climb in late 2013, and reached fever-pitch when an 800 mile, UK delivered example sold at Bonham’s 2015 Goodwood Revival sale for £326,300 inc premium. Prices seemed to have softened slightly since then, possibly in response to the 2015 launch of the latest GT as a 2016 model, but a £277,000 sale at Amelia Island earlier this year proves that demand for the American icon still exists.

Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II

 

The Delta Integrale is the iconic rally homologation special, and in no form does it look more aggressive than in the final Evo II specification. Two words: box flares.

Online auction house The Market had this pristine 1995 Integrale Evo II on their stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show, and boy did we fall for it big time. Just look at those Recaro seats, those Speedline wheels and that rear roof spoiler. This example has recently arrived to the UK from a collection in Japan, and despite its relatively high mileage of 75,000, it is mechanically perfect and does not have a spot of rust anywhere. The doors opened and closed with a solid thunk, some of the interior trim was still covered by the factory plastic delivery protection, and the factory Momo Corse steering wheel looks untouched.

Delta Integrale’s have been responsible for more than their fair share of heart over head purchasing decisions in the past, but the data shows how that has been changing over the past few years. Finally, a statistically sound reason to buy a Delta!

 

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

 

Yes, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona is one of the prettiest cars to have ever been conceived. And yes, its Tipo 251 V12 produces one of the most magical noises ever made by man. It is, in essence, the archetypal classic car, and it is one of the few things in life to make grown men weak at the knees.

Prices skyrocketed a few years back, but are they gradually coming back to earth? It was certainly something to ponder as we wandered the halls of the NEC.

Coys took £765,000 for a UK delivered right-hand drive example in July 2015, and Bonham’s sold a 9000 mile original for £875,000 at the beginning of 2016. However, Silverstone Auctions made only £551,250 for Elton John’s UK delivered Daytona at their Silverstone Classic sale this year, and RM took £648,000 for a 1970 left-hand drive example at their Villa Erba sale in May. The days of bargain Daytona’s may be a way off yet, but it’s an interesting trend nonetheless.

Audi Quattro Coupe/Sport Quattro SWB

 

Is the Audi UR Quattro Coupe poised for a rapid surge in value? This is the thought that we couldn’t escape as we marvelled at the various treasures on display with the Quattro Owners Club in hall five.

Audi launched the Quattro in 1980, and its ingeious four-wheel drive system single handedly revolutionised the world rally scene. When supplied with the full 197bhp from the turbocharged and intercooled 2.1 litre inline five, especially in mud and on snow, the Quattro was unstoppable.

Audi unveiled the Sport Quattro SWB in 1983 as the road going counterpart of the ever crazier S1 Group B weapon. It featured a specially shortened wheelbase and a lighter version of the five cylinder motor featuring an aluminium block and a 20v cylinder head, good for 300bhp. The Sport Quattro belongs in collections alongside other Group B specials such as the Ford RS200 and Lancia 037 Stradale, and its status as a bonafide collector car is undoubted. Just 214 examples were produced, and they are currently trading well north of £230,000.

However, sitting parked alongside in the club display, the long wheelbase Quattro seems remarkably good value. True, it was produced in vastly greater quantities (11,452), and its engine is nowhere near as special. In essence, it is not a bespoke special like the Sport Quattro short wheelbase is. But, the best examples are only just beginning to breach £65,000, and slighter rougher cars can still be had for well under £20,000.

The Quattro Coupe’s place in history is assured due to that revolutionary drivetrain, it has genuine competition lineage and bears a great deal in common with a proper Group B special. Surely that is enough to ensure future collectability? You read it here first.

 

Austin Healey 3000

 

Almost everyone knows someone with an Austin Healey of some sort; they’re like the faithful old farm dogs of the classic car world. And in many respects, a good Healey is probably one of the safer bets out there.

Values have risen to the point where the right Healey’s command serious money today, but the rise has largely been in line with the industry as a whole. Obviously nothing is assured, but it struck us that the chance of Healey values suddenly crashing overnight is reasonably unlikely.

There will obviously always be outlying cars – prices of the limited run 100S went stratospheric years ago, and cars with significant race history are particularly in demand. The example in the photograph above, displayed on the Healey Club stand, is a special test car in original condition with period history at the Mille Miglia and Le Mans. It sold with Bonham’s at their 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed sale for £785,500.

However, the more garden-variety 100/4’s, 100/6’s and 3000’s have showed steady and substantial growth over the past decade. It would be surprising for this to be undone overnight.

 

Citroën SM

 

If there were an internationally accepted index for automotive coolness, the Citroën SM would be off the charts.

Unfortunately there isn’t, but the big French cruiser has wowed plenty with the results it has been bringing at auction in the past few years. With a 2.7 litre (and later, 3.0 litre) V6 providing the rare ability to comfortably sustain 200km/h for hours on end, and technical innovations such as Citroën’s famous hydro-pneumatic self-levelling suspension, headlights that swivelled with the steering, variable assist power steering, mechanical rain-sensing wipers, and brakes that self-adust their front/rear balance according to vehicle weight, the SM is a seriously interesting piece of automotive engineering.

And it seems that on New Years Day 2015, the market woke up to this all of a sudden. A little over £10,000 would have bought a clean example with Bonhams in 2013; you’d need upwards of £40,000 to take the same car home in 2017.