Ten historic motors that should be in your garage

One of the last ‘golden age’ Mercedes, the SL R129 was built at a time when quality, comfort and refinement were everything to the three-pointed star. Plenty were made, which has kept prices low, but values have accelerated in the last three years and could follow the R107 upwards. As you might imagine, electronics are complex so make sure everything works, such as the hood mechanism. Speaking of which, with a soft- and hard-top, this is a stylish roadster that you can drive all year round. This usability makes it difficult to find a low-mileage example, but you can still get a very good V8 SL500 – the pick of the range – for around £15,000. The best examples are pushing £20,000, while super-rare AMG versions are way above that. 

If you’ve seen The Graduate then you’ll know why Alfa Spiders are always in such high demand. The Spider is the epitome of Italian cool and a textbook classic. Built from 1966 all the way to the early 1990s, its long production run proves how hard it was to replace. Later rubber-bumper cars are good fun and can be had for £8,500, but early cars are prettier, more desirable and make better investments. A few years ago you could have bought a slightly average 1960s or 1970s left-hand drive car for £10,000, but values have started to go up a lot recently and now you’ll need £15,000-£20,000. Rust is always an issue, so get the bodywork thoroughly checked and have a good look underneath. Really nice examples will cost £25,000 – and beyond £30,000 gets an immaculate, near concours-level car. Buy now before values go any higher.

One of the best M Power BMWs ever, the E46 M3 blends supercar performance with genuine useability and practicality. You can pick up a mega-mile coupé for under £9,000 (or less) but my advice is don’t. You’ll be buying trouble. These days, low mileage, well-looked-after examples are £15,000 and upwards. If you want to invest, take a look at the limited-run special editions such as the CSL (of which only 1,400 were made), which packs a carbon-fibre roof, bigger brakes, quicker steering rack and 19in alloys, and a price tag of up to £80,000 (up from £50,000 a few years ago). If you can find one, the CS is another great investment. Built solely for the UK market, it features some of the CSL’s go-faster bits, but a manual gearbox rather than the former’s SMG semi-automatic ’box. Not quite as hardcore, but easier to live with, these are £30,000 or more – up from around £20,000 a few years ago.

Air-cooled 911s have been hot property for a long time, continually rising in value and showing little sign of slowing down. Why? They’re poster cars. For buyers of a certain age, a 911 was the bedroom-wall dream machine, now it’s becoming a garage reality. You can’t really go wrong with any air-cooled 911, but my favourite is the last of the line, the 993. It’s the ultimate incarnation of the original 1960s version: fast, engaging, brilliantly made and compact. Prices start at £35,000 for a high-mileage Tiptronic automatic, but you need £50,000-£60,000 for a really nice low mileage Carrera 2 manual, sometimes even more. Cherished Turbo examples are well over £100,000 now, RS versions are around £300,000, while the super rare GT2 – of which just 57 were ever made – is over £1m. In demand across the board, the 993 marks the end of an era and is a brilliant modern classic. I really couldn’t recommend them any more highly.

The Interceptor has always been regarded as the poor man’s Aston, and as prices of the latter have risen, the muscular Jensen has been slowly heading upwards, too. It’s certainly had a good 12 months – the very best cars have gained 10%, with exceptional coupés commanding £55,000-£65,000 (rare convertibles are £100,000 and upwards). It’s not hard to see why it’s finally coming of age: you’ve got to love the combination of a very English interior full of wood and leather, shooting-brake tailgate, and a big American V8. There’s also the image. Whereas similar vintage Astons were always for the upper classes, the Interceptor has something of the cultured hardman about it. The association with legendary boxers like Henry Cooper does it no harm at all. On the downside, Interceptors are very expensive to restore and put right (almost as costly as an Aston, in fact), which is why buying an A1 car is the only real way to go. Do that, though, and you won’t look back. 

Enzo Ferrari called the E-type the most beautiful car ever made, and with roles in films such as The Italian Job, not to mention ownership by every 1960s and 1970s A-lister from Frank Sinatra to George Best, the E-type is a proper motoring icon. The Series 1 is the car most people picture when you say ‘British classic’ and they are universally loved – as is reflected by prices. Values have rocketed in the last five years, and you’ll need to dig deep. At least £140,000 is required to buy a decent closed headlamp, fixed-head coupé, right-hand-drive car. Exceptional cars are commanding £200,000 and beyond, while Roadsters are worth even more. Rust is an issue so always buy the best otherwise you’ll spend a fortune putting it right. My pick is the 4.2-litre, which has more torque than the 3.8-litre, and a synchromesh ’box so it’s easier to drive and live with on a regular basis.

This is the classic Aston Martin to put your money into right now. Values of the brawny, brutish handbuilt V8 Vantage have been shooting up of late. Why? Well, its iconic predecessors – think DB4, DB5 and DB6 – have had a good run of growth over the last five years, but they’re levelling off now, leaving room for the younger cars to come up. Secondly, like air-cooled Porsches, the V8 Vantage is a poster car and those who always lusted after one are now making their childhood dreams come true. So, if you want to live out those Living Daylights fantasies, what should you pay? Early Vantages are at least £200,000. The more powerful X Pack versions are the most desirable ranging from £300,000 to £400,000. That’s up around 20% on a year ago and with further growth ahead.

In today’s market, there are very few Ferraris from the 1950s and 1960s that you could describe as underrated or underpriced – but the 250 GT Coupé Pininfarina does fit the bill. The limelight just hasn’t been shone on this stylish grand tourer anywhere as much as the more famous variants like the California and GTO – as a result they don’t carry the same multi-million pound price tags. That’s remarkable when you consider they share the same Columbo V12 and chassis as their more illustrious cousins. They drive brilliantly, too, and with a decent boot and rear luggage shelf are surprisingly practical. I would expect the 250 GT PF to increase in value by at least 10-20% over the next few years, a potentially brilliant return in a market that has levelled off after several years of significant growth. Buying one could prove to be the best decision that you ever made. 

Other supercars have eclipsed it for horsepower and even beaten its record-breaking 231mph top speed, but thanks to its no-compromise design and absolute purity of purpose, the McLaren F1 still remains the ultimate. Just 64 road versions were ever made, far less than even McLaren expected, making it incredibly rare and collectible. Back in the 1990s, people scoffed at the idea of a £600,000 supercar, but now F1s change hands for anything between £8m-£10m. Have values topped out or is it still a good buy with room for growth? Without doubt the latter. The F1 is more special than a Ferrari F40, F50, Enzo or LaFerrari, surprisingly useable and practical (thanks to that three-seater layout and those side luggage panels), and has excellent support from McLaren allowing owners to keep their cars on the road in prime condition. Running costs are frightening: crack the windscreen and you’ll receive a £15,000 bill, but there is a feeling that the F1 is so special it has only just started to appreciate.