2013 SRT Viper Tops Hagerty’s Hot List of Future Classics

Well, the all-new 2013 SRT Viper is just hitting the road and it’s already raced to the top of at least one nifty set of rankings: It’s the No. 1 car on this year’s Hagerty Insurance Hot List, an annual selection of today’s vehicles that are likely to become tomorrow’s classics. The choices are made by a panel of experts from Hagerty—“the world’s leading insurance agency for classic vehicles”—and are limited to mass-market vehicles stickered below $100,000. Although, naturally, newer vehicle variants that have yet to appear on past Hagerty lists do get preferential treatment.

"This year's Hot List is comprised of vehicles from a wide variety of market segments and manufacturers, but they all share one thing in common—a certain 'cool' factor that will be remembered by car enthusiasts for many years to come," says McKeel Hagerty, president and CEO of Hagerty. "Well-preserved examples will be sought-after well beyond their contemporary peers have been used up and recycled."

2013 Hagerty Hot List: Domestics

Outside of the occasional Batmobile, it’s the hi-po choices that tend to bring in the big bucks at Barrett-Jackson and other classic-car auctions, so it’s no surprise to find that the Hagerty Hot List is similarly focused on enthusiasts and includes the following entries from the domestic brands:

• 2013 SRT Viper—Lauded for, among other things, its adherence to the classic “no replacement for displacement” approach to performance, courtesy of an 8.4-liter V10 engine that delivers 640 hp and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.
• 2013 Chevy Corvette Convertible 427—The ultimate drop-top ’Vette also gains collector cred from Hagerty since “Corvette values tend to favor the last model year of each generation,” and the next-gen Stingray will launch for the 2014 model year.
• 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Convertible—Like the Corvette 427, the ZL1 represents the fastest open-air model in its nameplate’s history; Hagerty expects the ZL1’s hardcore appeal will help boost its value significantly.
• 2013 Tesla Model S—“The Model S defies the stereotype that electric cars are just for people trying to kick the petroleum habit” by offering an equally addictive 0-60 time of under 5 seconds.
• 2013 Ford Focus ST—The short story about Ford’s long-awaited (in this country) hot hatch: “We believe this four-door hatch with over 250 horsepower and performance handling is an undeniable bargain … that will attract collectors many years down the road.”

2013 Hagerty Hot List: The Imports

For those who prefer a more international approach to the collector-car market, Hagerty offered up:

2013 Audi RS 5—Combining tasteful good looks with a tasty 4.2-liter V8 that can propel the car from 0-60 in a mere 4.5 seconds, the RS 5 hearkens back to classics like the BMW 3.0CS according to Hagerty.

2013 Porsche Cayman S—The next-gen Cayman marks a return to the brand’s performance roots, offering Porsche purists a lighter, faster, more fuel-efficient sports car that can give the 911 a run for its money.

2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP—The fastest MINI ever made tops out at 150 mph, with a limited production run of just 500 U.S. models certainly helping to increase its collectability.

2013 Subaru BRZ—The BRZ “injects some tire-smoking adrenaline into the Subaru brand” said Hagerty’s experts, who also name-dropped its brother from another mother, “the equally impressive Scion FR-S.”

2013 Volkswagen GTI—With a next-gen model on the horizon, the 2013 GTI remains “the best yet” in Hagerty’s humble opinion, offering a highly collectable package that’s “Fun, cool and practical for less than $25K.”