10 mainstream cars that are likely to become collector's items

The Hagerty Hot List is released each year and includes vehicles that are likely to gain value over time and become collector's items.
To qualify for the list, a vehicle must have a suggested retail price from its manufacturer of less than $100,000 and be available for the model year in which the list is released.
Many of the entries on the 2018 list appeal to niches in the auto market.

Each year, the classic car insurance company Hagerty releases the Hagerty Hot List, which includes the 10 mass-production vehicles made by mainstream automakers the company believes are likely to gain value over time and become collector's items.

The list's goal isn't to promote the obvious contenders — like supercars made by the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini — but, rather, to highlight more affordable cars, some of which might not immediately come to mind for classic car enthusiasts.

To qualify for the list, a vehicle must have a suggested retail price from its manufacturer of less than $100,000 and be available for the model year in which the list is released.

The 2018 list includes entries that surprised Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty, like the Kia Stinger GT and Honda Civic Type R.

"I never would have envisioned a Kia Stinger as a collectible car," he said in an interview with Business Insider.

Hagerty said he was also surprised to see two Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and Wrangler, on the list. While the auto industry is shifting to meet increasing consumer demand for SUVs, crossovers, and trucks, Hagerty said they tend to be less enjoyable to drive than smaller vehicles.

"SUVs are the hot type of car, but they're not often that fun," he said.

According to Hagerty, SUVs tend to feel like they were conceived by focus groups rather than designers with a sense of aesthetics.

"Focus groups design bad cars," he said. "There's just a fear in corporate America. People are afraid to take risk."

If there's a trend that runs through the cars on the 2018 Hagerty Hot List, it's the tendency to appeal to a niche in the auto market, like the Audi RS 3, which Hagerty said is geared toward a "tech-forward, European buyer," and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, which favors "performance capability over practicality."

While the auto industry may make the bulk of its money from vehicles that appeal to a wide range of consumers, the cars that will age best could be the ones that fit the specific needs of a specialized customer.

Here are the vehicles that made the 2018 Hagerty Hot List and the explanations the company gave for their inclusion.

Audi RS 3

Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP): $54,900

Why it was included: "What do you get when you stuff Audi’s sonorous and brutish turbocharged inline-five into its most petite sedan? A 400-hp wallop in sheep’s clothing. Perhaps one of the best sleepers out there, the RS 3 will do 0–60 in under four seconds, snapping off quick shifts from its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. With all-wheel drive and a lively, yet forgiving chassis, the RS 3 is a tasteful tribute to punching above your weight."

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

MSRP: $69,000

Why it was included: "Combining GM’s 650-hp supercharged V-8 engine with the Camaro’s tried-and-true 1LE track handling package has, predictably, sensational results. It’s the first time Chevy has offered the 1LE as an add-on to the ZL1, and rarely does a car meld muscle car potency with the colossal grip and track durability of a top-flight sports car. The fact that the ZL1 1LE does price that severely undercuts its competitors is a compelling reason to get in on the action, if that earth-shattering exhaust note isn’t enough to give you butterflies."

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

MSRP: $84,995

Why it was included: "Straight from the factory, Dodge will sell you a street-legal surface-to-surface missile on four wheels that is capable of quarter-miles in the 9s at 140 mph. Boasting 840 horses with the kid-in-a-candy-store $1 Demon Crate and 100-octane gas, the Demon is built for the drag strip, plain and simple. It has massively fat rear radials, and skinny rubber up front. It has a transmission brake, and in stock form no rear bench or passenger seat. With your foot to the floor, all you’ll be able to hear is the shriek of the supercharged V-8 as your brain overloads on acceleration-induced dopamine."

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