JANUARY 1993 – TRIUMPH DOLOMITE SPRINT
If somebody handed you $4k for Christmas in 1992 there would have been worse things upon which to spend it on than a Dolly Sprint. These chunky Triumphs were race-circuit giant killers, able to beat Alfas and RS2000 Escorts in 2-litre Touring Car events, but totally ignored as road-going fun cars. The 16-valve engines were a bit precious when it came to tuning, but the Brits seem to have no problem and remain massive Dolly enthusiasts. A local who bought this car back then and kept up with the spannerwork probably won’t have enjoyed huge financial gains but will have had fun.
THEN: $3800
NOW: $15,000-$18,000
AUGUST 2000 – LOTUS ELITE
Until the arrival of Jaguar’s E-type, the perfectly proportional Lotus Elite was widely regarded as the most beautiful of British sports car shapes. It was also one of the bravest, because the entire structure made from Glass Reinforced Plastic with no chassis and just subframes at either end. With only a 1.2-litre engine, the Elite would still reach 180km/h, winning its class at Le Mans six times and the Australian GT Championship in 1969 but still only 998 were sold. They are very scarce outside of the UK, where excellent survivors sell when (rarely) offered at £50-60,000.
THEN: $76,000
NOW: $110,000-$130,000
APRIL 1992 – HDT VC COMMODORE
Folklore would have us believe that early HDT products had enthusiasts queuing to buy them as new cars and others salivating at the chance to get one used. Not true. The HDT VC was sold originally at $19,800 before values swan-dived and stayed around $10,000 before demand, during the late 1980s improved. By 1992, $18,000 was probably fair for this car that had travelled just 1000 km annually since new. If you bought this VC and stored it properly for 30-plus years the auction market would have gone insane at the sight of a 10,000km Brock and delivered at least a tenfold return on your $17,950.
THEN: $17,950
NOW: $180,000-$200,000
APRIL 1991 – DATSUN 2000 SPORTS
We can only assume that lack of supply from a nervous Nissan is the only reason its Datsun 2000 sports car didn’t become a global top seller. In Australia it cost slightly more than an MGB but undercut the Triumph TR4A and was a better car than both, yet lagged in the sales race. Around 15,000 were built between 1967 and 1970, with only a few hundred sold here. Most desirable are pre-1968 ‘low screen’ cars but this 1970 version at $10,000 would have sparked interest. Someone smart enough to tuck it away for 30 years would find themselves with a rare car and fivefold return.
THEN: $9990
NOW: $50,000-$55,000
NOVEMBER 2007 – FORD CUSTOMLINE STAR
Anyone who in the 1960-70s had a big family, towed a van or boat (or all three) would likely have wanted a second-hand Ford Customline. These were a big, comfortable, roomy car with lots of torque from a fairly economical V8 and cheap. About the only thing that killed them was rust, but few survived in similar condition to the astonishing ad car. Painted black with matching sun visor it may have started life as a ComCar, transporting pollies from an isolated 1950s Canberra Airport to Parliament. Expensive in 2007, a car like this will be much dearer now.
THEN: $23,950
NOW: $55,000-$65,000
NOVEMBER 1997 – PORSCHE 924 TURBO
Porsche, against all odds and some strong advice, was determined during the 1970s to add a front-engined car to its range. Lack of budget presented no problem because parked in a back-room was a design rejected by Audi that might have revived the Karmann-Ghia. VW didn’t like it either but was happy to share the motor from its Passat which Porsche was obliged to turbocharge, in order to extract decent performance. Porsche then built over 13,000 of the 924 Turbo and a few hundred found their way to Australia where Porsche treated them more kindly than they did the basic 924.
THEN: $19,500
NOW: $30,000-$35,000
JUNE 2009 – ROLLS-ROYCE CORNICHE DROPHEAD
Back in 2009 you could, for the price of a 3 Series BMW, be seen driving around like a billionaire in a Rolls-Royce like this and only the devoted would pick it as a 1971 model. In 2003 when Australia stopped importing Corniche convertibles, the base price had reached $795,000 and even they didn’t look too much different from the 1970s version. People who own them obviously keep up with the maintenance because cars offered for sale typically look pristine. Problem with these and most of the recent R-R products is that value growth barely keeps pace with annual service costs.
THEN: $72,950
NOW: $85,000-$95,000