Of ICE And Men

Car industry experts weigh in on the type of vehicle that could offer the greatest return on investment down the road.

- Viju Mathew

WHEN IT COMES to collectibles, the earliest examples of any item are often the most coveted. In the rarefied sphere of high-end automobiles, though, where the alpha and omega of significant models can be equally appealing—and, sometimes, equally pricey—collectors are now at a crossroads never before encountered.

The current market window has opened wide enough that legacy marques will soon be able to present both their first electric vehicles (EVs) and grand finales of line-ups powered solely by internal-combustion engines (ICE). It begs an interesting question: which will offer the greatest return on investment down the road: the vehicles at the end of an era or those that usher in a new one?

“Collectors have always prized these ‘bookends’ of production, and it seems logical to expect this phenomenon to apply with ICE and electric cars,” says Rupert Banner, global head of specialists at Bonhams Collector Cars. “The first because they usually reflect the design of a car in its purest form, while the last in a series is usually the definitive, fully evolved car.”