Walk around enough car shows, and you’ll undoubtedly hear stories of folks selling big block Camaros for $500, Hemi Cudas being sent to the scrapper, and Boss Mustangs getting thrashed into oblivion by teenage drivers.
Indeed, from muscle cars to electric guitars, the most alluring aspect of any vintage collector market is that you never really know what’s going to become the next coveted prize—but that doesn’t stop us from speculating.
…Which is why the Summit Racing social media folks posted the following question to their fans:
What Vehicle is a Future Classic?
As they always do, the reader contributions poured in, and we pored over the 200+ suggestions to get the list down to a few of our favorites. Take a look at the Top 10 List below and see if you agree with the choices…if you don’t, then give us an earful in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
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10. Ford Panther
“Ford Crown Victoria” – Michael W.
With production stretching well into the 21st century, in many ways the venerable Ford Panther platform was an automotive coelacanth. The body-on-frame architecture, rear-wheel drive, and a loafing V8 under the hood meant that Panthers of all bloodlines (Mercury, Lincoln, and Ford) had a direct lineage to the classic cars of the 1960s.
Better still, Ford wasn’t shy in making performance versions, notably the Police Interceptor models with “cop brakes” and such, along with the sinister Mercury Marauder. In fact, a handful of Panther Spec Racing classes have been established and it’s a delight to see these large sedans rip around a road course.
Thanks to their use in government, taxi, and fleet service, Panthers were once cheap and plentiful—nowadays clean versions command a premium.
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9. Plymouth Prowler
“Plymouth Prowler” – Brad M.
This one’s kind of a given, considering the Prowler was pretty much an instant collectable the minute it was released. And while it’s easy to nitpick stuff like V6 power and an automatic transmission, you’ve got to give a slow clap to the folks at Plymouth who pretty much wished this thing into existence.
Seriously, could you imagine the effort it would take to get this approved by today’s corporate bean counters?
Better still, outside of some federally-mandated concessions like the ungainly bumperettes up front, the production Prowler stayed remarkably true to the concept car that inspired it—and that’s got to count for something.
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8. Tesla Cybertruck
“Cybertruck” – Nick W.
Perhaps the most polarizing vehicle on this list, many commenters expressed umbrage with the mere mention of any electric vehicle model. Love it or not though, there’s no denying the Tesla Cybertruck is a striking design and unlike anything else on the road today.
Toss in small production numbers, and that’s a strong recipe for a future collectible.
The big question that remains is the long-term serviceability of battery-powered cars and trucks. That said, we’re optimistic that growing adoption rates mean the long-term viability of EV drivetrains will only increase.
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7. Chevy SS/Pontiac G8
“Chevy SS” – Michael S.
“Pontiac G8 GXP” – T.J. D.
Though not produced simultaneously, these cars were corporate cousins within GM and shared much with their Australian relative, the Holden Commodore. The last time we saw this platform in the United States was with the Chevy SS, and it disappeared in 2017—which is a cryin’ shame, because both cars brought the goods.
What goods? How about rear-wheel drive, an LS3 V8, and available manual six speed?
Produced in limited numbers, you can view these cars as some of the last domestic RWD sport sedans ever made and they’ve since reached cult status among GM aficionados.
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6. Ford Focus RS
“Ford Focus RS, easily” – Mike L.
After seeing success with its performance-oriented Focus ST, the folks at Ford cranked the hot hatch dial to 11 with the RS. Only made from 2016 to 2018, the RS was the brainchild of the newly-minted performance team within Ford that merged its global SVT (U.S.), TeamRS (Europe), and FPV (Australia) divisions.
The RS was way more than just a hopped-up Focus though and, instead, used a unique torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system, along with the turbocharged 2.3L EcoBoost four plucked from the Mustang—at full boil, the engine easily made over 300 horsepower.
The RS made some waves in rally racing and the WRC before being pulled from the lineup after 2018. The limited production run and race-bred performance makes this one an A-lister in our book.
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5. Dodge Challenger Hellcat & Demon
“Dodge Hellcat and Demon” – David C.
Considering Dodge has cranked out about a bazillion of ’em over a production run that pre-dates the Bronze Age, it’s no shock to see so many votes for the LC/LA Challengers here—but the ones that rose to the top were the special editions, namely the performance-focused Hellcat and Demon.
From style to performance, these cars are perennial fan favorites, with an unmistakable exhaust burble that makes us grin every time. (If it’s not already apparent, we really like late model Challengers around here.)
Best of all, their bountiful supply means we’ll be seeing the word HEMI at car shows for the next several decades.
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4. C7 Corvette Stingray
“The last front engine, manual transmission Corvette.” – Robert S.
Though the mid-engine C8 was welcomed by sports car fans the world over, many Corvette purists felt it signaled the end of an era.
That’s because a front engine, rear-wheel drive layout had been part of the original Corvette recipe since 1953. Toss in the C8’s lack of a manual transmission option, and you can start to understand where those Corvette diehards are coming from.
So despite the eye-watering performance of the 1,000+ horsepower LT7 in the new C8 ZR1, perhaps history will see it overshadowed by the C7 generation?
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3. Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
“2003-04 Terminator Cobras” – Allen W.
With a supercharged 4.6L mod motor making nearly 400 horsepower, the 2003-04 Ford SVT Cobra separates itself from its New Edge counterparts—enough so that it’s earned the “Terminator” nickname and established itself firmly in Mustang lore.
Perhaps more importantly was its short production run, being summarily halted after just two years before the Shelby GT500 took top-dog Mustang status in 2007.
While it’s easy to point to any Mustang from the Fox generation on up as future classics, the Terminator holds a special place for diehard Blue Oval fans.
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3. Jeep Wrangler TJ
“The last of the Jeep Wranglers with the 4.0 inline 6.” – James Y.
This one surprised us—but we mean that in a good way, because we’re happy to see the TJ enjoy some renewed attention. These once ubiquitous off-roaders are now an ever-decreasing minority at Jeep shows all over the country, and will soon be joining the CJs and YJs as bona fide “vintage” Jeeps.
To put it another way, it’s no secret that Wranglers get ridden hard and put away wet, but ask yourself this question: When was the last time you saw a clean TJ Wrangler in the wild?
With a legendary powerplant and a timeless silhouette, the Wrangler TJ is quietly becoming a classic.
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2. 1990/2000s Imports & Sport Compacts
“The imports and sport compact that were super popular in the early 2000s.” – Craig R.
We’re kind of cheating here by lumping a handful of responses together, but all the commenters had a unified point: The sport compacts of the 1990s are now becoming prized by the same GenX’ers that enjoyed them decades ago—a tune that should sound familiar for fans of 1960s-era muscle cars.
And just like that classic Detroit muscle of yesteryear, a lot of these sport compacts were driven until the wheels fell off and summarily scrapped.
As we alluded to with the Wrangler above, all this means that once-common models like the Honda CRX, Mazda RX-7, Dodge SRT-4, Nissan SE-R, and Mitsubishi Eclipse are being snatched up by well-heeled buyers as prices head off into the stratosphere.
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1. GMC Syclone & Typhoon
“Typhoons & Syclones” – Jimmy C.
If you’ve never heard the legend behind the GMC Syclone/Typhoon twins, then you might not understand why a humble S-Series truck and SUV nabbed the number one slot here.
But let’s lay it out: Turbocharged 4.3L V6, all wheel drive, and quarter-mile performance that put them on par with both a contemporary Ferrari and Corvette.
Does any of that sound good to you?
In terms of chronology, the Syclone truck came first in 1991 and, aside from a tiny handful of carryover 1992 models, was essentially a one-year-only affair. The Typhoon SUV came in 1992 and production continued into 1993.
All told, less than 10,000 of the turbo AWD trucks and SUVs were ever made.
Performance aside, we like this choice because, just like the Prowler above, it recalls a time when automakers weren’t afraid to say “Why Not?” to several wild projects—and we hope to see a resurgence in that moonshot attitude soon.
Fun Fact! A Syclone drivetrain is what underpins the legendary Summit Racing Quadradeuce. You can learn more about that amazing hot rod here.
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So, what do you think of our list? We had to make some tough choices, with cars like the Mazda Miata, Chrysler Crossfire, and Pontiac Firehawk narrowly missing the rankings—but were there any egregious oversights here?
Give us an earful in the comments section below.
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