The Lamborghini Miura is the World’s Best Classic Car
Classic and collector cars are more popular than ever. It seems that every time we check the news, another collectible automobile has broken an auction record. This is not limited to traditional classic cars like 1960s muscle cars or Art Deco-era Bugattis; semi-modern vehicles are also becoming collectible and highly sought after.
More often than not, a vehicle’s place in history and people’s emotional attachment play a significant role in how valuable a classic car becomes. Collecting cars used to be the realm of passionate enthusiasts but is now big business and seen as an investment. To try and make sense of the collector car market, UK-based Confused.com conducted a study to find the world’s best classic car.
The study revealed that the Lamborghini Miura is the greatest collector car. Here’s how they came to that conclusion.
The Lamborghini Miura is the grandfather of all modern supercars
In 1966 a small Italian sports car manufacturer introduced a car that would forever change sports and supercar design. The Lamborghini Miura combined exquisite styling by Marcello Gandini with a mid-engine, two-seat layout that would become the template for every supercar since.
The Miura is powered by a 4.0-liter V12 engine mounted transversely behind the driver. It produced 345 horsepower, could go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, and hit a top speed of 163 mph. At the time, the Miura was the fastest production car in the world and made Ferrari switch from front-engined sports cars to mid-engine cars.
Lamborghini only made 764 Miuras between 1966 and 1973, and they are some of the most sought-after cars in the world. Not just for their performance but also for their beauty.
Confused.com‘s study takes an analytical view of the classic car market
Value can be affected by many factors and largely depends on what a potential buyer is willing to pay. The amount a buyer is willing to pay is also affected by trends, emotions, personal history, and desire. With all of these factors, it can be challenging to try and make sense of the collector car market and figure out which cars will go up in value.
Confused.com, a UK-based insurance and financial product comparison site, decided to tackle classic cars. They wanted to determine the best classic car and set several criteria to find an answer. The study looked at over 200 classic cars and weighed factors such as rarity and estimated valuation against annual Google search volume and historic price increases. Combining those factors, the Lamborghini Miura emerged as the best classic car.
Here’s how they determined this: Lamborghini made 764 Miuras, so it is very rare. Annual Google searches number 1,461,000. The average value of a Miura from May of 2019 to today has increased 100%, from $925,000 to $1,850,000. When you combine all of those factors, the Miura achieved a score of 8.58 out of 10, the highest in the study.
Other collector cars on the list
The Lamborghini Miura may be the greatest classic car based on those metrics, but if you have ever talked to a car enthusiast, you’ll know that emotion and personal history is as powerful as current market value.
The study reveals the 30 greatest classic cars, and you can see the complete list here. There is only one American car to make the top-10, the legendary Plymouth Superbird. Here are the 10-best classic cars:
- Lamborghini Miura – 8.58/10
- Ferrari F40 – 8.51/10
- Ferrari 20 GTO – 7.89/10
- AC Cobra – 7.42/10
- Lamborghini Countach – 7.42/10
- Datsun 240Z – 7.20/10
- Bugatti EB110 – 7.02/10
- Lancia Stratos – 7.02/10
- Plymouth Superbird – 6.98/10
- Jaguar E-Type – 6.69/10
The debate over which classic car is best is unlikely to end with this study. Everyone has their own preference and is drawn to specific cars for different reasons. Regardless, until someone can quantify desire and emotional attachment, the Lamborghini Miura might just be the greatest classic car out there.
