LOOKING TO THE WORLD

IT IS HARD TO GO PAST THE PRANCING HORSE AS A ROCK SOLID INVESTMENT

- CLIFF CHAMBERS

The desire to own interesting cars is not something confined to our lifetimes or any particular part of the world.

Famous people with fast cars inhabited Hollywood during the 1930s, lolling on Locomobiles and Duesenbergs while big portions of the USA starved. And across the Atlantic, coach-built Bentleys were racing trains.

During the 1950s and '60s, the big accumulations started coming to light and names synonymous with classic vehicles rose to prominence; among them Bill Harrah, the Schlumpfs, Shah of Persia and the Sultan of Brunei.

Australia’s market for evocative models has grown steadily since the 1980s, punctuated by a few peaks and equal numbers of troughs. However, we are a corner store when set against the global megamart of collector vehicle sales.

If you want to make serious money in the car collecting realm, there are brands that cannot be ignored. They are Ferrari, Ferrari and Ferrari.

During the first half of 2023, in a market mired by war, interest rate uncertainty, floods and fires, new record prices have been achieved and at least five cars sold for individual amounts above US$10 million.