These 6 Oddball Classics Got a Little Pricier This Year
We track thousands of vehicles in the Hagerty Price Guide. Many of them fit into nice, mainstream segments—muscle cars, British classics, trucks, Ferraris, etc. Others don’t fit so neatly into standard buckets, but these oddballs are also some of our favorites. And although the audience for them isn’t as big as something like, say, Corvettes, the prices for weird and wonderful classics also fluctuate and it’s important to track them, too. Below are some of the oddballs that have had the best start to 2024.
1959-65 BMW 700: +63 percent
BMWs aren’t typically oddballs. In fact, they’re pretty mainstream. By sales volume, BMW sold the ninth most cars out of any company in the world last year. In the early 1960s, though, things were different, and the brand with the beachball badge was in search of identity. In the postwar years, its upmarket models weren’t successful, while small offerings like the Isetta microcar kept the lights on at Bayerische Motoren Werke. Seeing that buyer tastes were shifting away from microcars and to larger, more comfortable offerings, BMW responded with the 700. Like the Isetta and the BMW 600 before it, the 700 used a rear-mounted motorcycle engine—in this case a 697cc version of the flat-twin found in the R67 motorcycle—and four-speed gearbox. Riding on BMW’s first steel monocoque frame, it was available as a coupe, a two-door sedan with a taller and more spacious roofline, and a convertible.
BMW itself has dubbed the 700 “the car that saved the company” and sold over 188,000 units when it desperately needed the sales, but they never moved in large numbers in this country. They don’t often pop up for sale now, but some big recent results, including a $33,867 coupe and a $40,533 convertible, showed we were a bit behind on pricing for these obscure but important Bimmers. Condition #2 (excellent) values now range from $34,600 for a base two-door sedan to $75,500 for the rare convertible.
1964-70 Honda S600/800: +21 percent
Another unconventional but important car for a major automaker is the Honda S600. While not technically Honda’s first four-wheeled vehicle, it marked an important shift for what was then primarily a motorcycle company, and had some quirky but impressive elements of its design. Its 606cc four-cylinder is cast aluminum, leans left at a 45-degree angle, has double overhead cams, revs to a 9500 rpm redline, and drives the rear wheels not via shaft but via chain. It makes just 57hp and 38 lb-ft of torque, but only has 1600 pounds of Honda to push around.
Its size, styling, and performance are roughly similar to the MG Midget and Triumph Spitfire, but the Japanese upstart only lasted from 1964-66, and the similar S800 that succeeded it only lasted until 1970. Its British rivals, however, lasted another decade. Even so, the Honda is more sophisticated, more significant, and much rarer, particularly in the U.S. where it was never officially sold. They’re also much more valuable. S600s/S800s have been steadily increasing in value for over a decade, but some recent sales like a record $109,000 result earlier this year have pushed them even further. Current #2 values for an S600 range from $48,600 for a coupe to $66,000 for a convertible, and for an S800 a similar $58,100 for a coupe to $65,900 for a convertible.
1969-74 Volvo 142: +15 percent
The 140 series, introduced in 1966, marked a few of firsts for Volvo. It marked the company’s shift away from the ’60s curves of cars like the Amazon and 1800 to the boxy brick era for which the company is probably best known. It also introduced Volvo’s three digit nomenclature, with the first digit indicating series, the second digit the number of cylinders, and the third digit the number of doors. So, a 142 was part of the 100 series, with a four-cylinder engine, and a two-door coupe body style. The 140 series also came in 144 (4-door sedan) and 145 (5-door wagon) styles.
Volvo sold over 1.25 million 142/144/145s in eight years, and nearly 413,000 of those were 142 coupes. These were utilitarian cars. Few people bothered to save them, and 140s were very much overshadowed by the 240s that came after them. Several big results for 140s, but particularly for the coupe-bodied 142s, have come up over the past several months and resulted in a significant price bump. That said, these boxy Swedes have been inexpensive for a very long time, so a significant appreciation in percentage terms isn’t all that much in pure dollar terms. Depending on year and spec, #2 condition values for 142s still only range from $15,100 to $17,500.
1949-52 Crosley CD: +12 percent
When postwar America tooled up for a decade of tailfins, chrome and big V-8s, Cincinnati-based Crosley thought smaller…much smaller. Although Crosley was the first US carmaker to offer a mass-market overhead cam engine and among the first carmakers anywhere to use disc brakes, it is mostly remembered for its pint-sized Hot Shot sports car, the toy Jeep-like Farm-O-Road, and the small but surprisingly practical CC/CD.
The 1949-52 CD was available in wagon, sedan, convertible, panel delivery, and pickup body styles. The two-door sedan body style is the cheapest but has appreciated the most in recent months with a 20 percent increase. Their #2 value is still just $10,800, though, while the most expensive station wagon models are still just $20,800.
1985-91 Subaru XT: +17 percent
In the 1980s, long before love made a Subaru a Subaru, the brand was known mostly for yawn-worthy family cars or quirky, fun vehicles like the BRAT pickup. Arguably even quirkier than the BRAT, though, was the XT, Subaru’s take on the compact Japanese sports coupe market that was booming at the time.
Styling-wise, the XT was ’80s wedge taken to the extreme, with aircraft-inspired wraparound rear glass and wheels that looked like a sheet of graph paper. The basic shape, and clever touches like door handles that fit flush to the body helped make the XT the most aerodynamic car sold in America at the time. Things got even stranger inside: The XT had a digital gauge cluster that looked like a contemporary arcade game, a shifter that looked like the yoke of a fighter jet, checker-pattern cloth seats, and a goofy two-spoke, asymmetrical steering wheel that would make Citroën blush. But among all the weirdness were a lot of features that were ahead of their time or at the very least very uncommon, like height-adjustable suspension, central locking, available all-wheel drive (activated via a button on top of the shifter), and a gauge cluster that adjusted with the steering wheel. “The kind of car Mercedes might have built if they were a little more frugal and a lot more inventive,” said one ad.
What wasn’t cutting edge was the performance, and the 1.8-liter flat-four, even in turbocharged form, made less than 120 hp. A 1988 facelift brought a six-cylinder XT6 model with 145hp, but the facelift brought more conventional looks that ditched many of the quirks enthusiasts find charming today.
XTs never sold well and few people bothered to pamper theirs, so clean examples are rare. One did pop up late last year, however, and it sold for over 18 grand. Which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the most expensive XT we’ve seen sell by a long way.
1962-63 Studebaker Lark: +11 percent
In the early 1960s, Studebaker was still one of the most recognizable names on American roads, but the Indiana-based company was living on borrowed time, and wouldn’t survive to the end of the decade. The Lark was the brand’s volume-selling compact, first introduced in 1959. When the Big Three introduced compacts of their own compacts at the dawn of the 1960s, Lark sales suffered, but a restyle by designer Brooks Stevens for the 1962-63 generation Lark helped, and sales improved. Larks of this period came with either a 170-cid six-cylinder, or V-8s of either 259 or 289 cid, and in sedan, station wagon, coupe, or convertible body styles.
Generally, cars from this period and especially ones from defunct brands like Studebaker haven’t done much price-wise in recent years, but Larks are an affordable way to get an unusual, stylish V-8 classic, and strong sale prices have pushed them up 10 percent across body styles and model years. They’re still inexpensive, though, as the most costly 289 convertible is $29,000 in #2 condition, and a six-cylinder sedan doesn’t even hit 10 grand.
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I just stripped a hub off of a junkyard XT for my buddy’s Brat. Those front hubs are approaching unobtainable, and they fail frequently
I think there are a couple cars in this article that belong in Matthew’s S#!Tbox Foundry.
I totally agree. I can’t even imagine someone considering some of these???????
I feel 180-degrees differently! Most collector events are groupings of the same cars over and over and over again. It is wonderful that some more unusual (and small in size) fun-mobiles are being appreciated here. And they come in interesting colors too!
I thought the Studebaker “Wagonaire” (sliding roof)option on the Lark wagon would make a cool restomod.
They advertised those with a giraffe in the back.
As I recall, I had a Matchbox one of them. It came with a hunting dog and a man holding a rifle
I had the same Matchbox Studie wagon, iirc, it was sort of teal, and the interior and roof slider were turquoise. Jeezus wept, I haven’t thought about that lil car in over 50 years! Thanks for the call back!
Restomod, absolutely,if you have the loot. California based Restomod. Probably 50K plus, with fuel injectors, computer,4 wheel disc brakes, etc. Or cheaper with 2-4barrel carb, disc brakes, power steering via new mechanical or electric pump. Less than 50 K , maybe. Enjoy. What a decision. I have 66 Falcon,289 V8,2 barrel carb., this is a station wagon.
Awe man go make a kit car stop the resto modding before the cool originals are all gone.
I agree whole heartily, save those originals!
You’re pretty sharp there Bonnie!
Hear hear!! That’s it. Don’t waste original cars!! 911 ST replicas, Dinos with V8 and 18” wheels, backspecced 964s like the Singer sadness, fake GTAs from pretty Juniors, booh! Nothing as nice as seeing a well-maintained and cared for original classic driving on a nice road!
If you want to build something, start from scratch or do a LEGO! But cherish your original classics! Thank you
I thought the Studi was kind of cool!
I always like Stude, and applauded whatever they had to do to survive. The Lark was a lot better car than a lot of people believed; lots of experience with a ’60 2-dr, HT, 289 and crummy B-W A/T.
Even at the time, I thought the Brooks Stevens facelift was just weird and didn’t have the bones, but the ‘Wagonaire’ was a cool idea, and perfect for a low-volume marque. The only Stude I’ve ever owned/driven was the Stevens facelift on the Starlite body, the Hawk GT. That was a swan compared to the sad last-gen Lark; I just loved to look at it in my driveway! And it drove like a real Hawk; honest and no bad habits. No pro-streeter with the same 289/boggy B-W trans, etc., but very sweet, overall. The Stude collector I acquired it from (only needed polish and a new set of shoes, at $1,700 (in 1975) liked his roll-top wagon, but… In really bad weather, with old rubber seals and stripping — gotta’ wonder! I M Humble O Wick
Actually, the sliding roof was a delete option. All 1963-64 wagons were Wagonaire’s.
Wow! Now I can sleep nights knowing that the BMW 700 is booming in value. Thanks Hagerty!
Maybe not for you, but I own three of them . . . all convertibles!
The Honda S600/800 is the most interesting car here to me. The Subaru XT was such a slow oddball back in the day, and basically gone by now.
Slow in some ways but not in others. At the time the XT 6 cylinder was advertised as the fastest accelerating car on slippery roads due to it’s power and all wheel drive. In 1988 the XT made over 20 horsepower more then the VW GTI 16 valve engine.
The 6 cylinder was a big improvement over the Turbo-4. And they had hillclimbers (not sure if that was the technical name for it) – a manual transmission car wouldn’t roll backwards with your foot off the brake, even on a hill.
I owned an S600 when I was stationed on Okinawa in 1972. I replaced the front wheel bearings during typhoon Rita as it was the only time I could get off for a few days in a row. I had to sell it when the wife got preggos. Ended up with a Mazda Familia. Now have a 1960 TR-3. Sensing a trend?
Hi Peter, when I was in high school I had a
1955 TR-2. When I got into auto shop we
(me and my mechanic friends) dropped a corvette 283 punched to 301 and
the 4 speed trans into it. Talk about fun. They said it was the fastest street car
in Salt Lake City. That was till the Cobra was born ): Have fun with your 60 and stay safe
Drew Pearce.
Wow Drew never had a clue anyone else on the earth did that. Also gifted a TR2 , out of the weeds, to a friend in the USAF stationed state side. He dropped a 260, nice fit, into that one and had to bolt the doors closed lest they fly open on launch.
Back in ’73, I acquired a “58 TR3A. Fun to drive & could out run an MGB. Buried in my ancient stuff is the factory manual. The car is not hard to work on, but for the occasional Whitworth nuts/bolts.
I had a 58 TR3 as well but sold it for $500 in 1979. It ran very well too but had spot welds on the rockers and was painted in red oxide primer. I learned how to synchronize the SU carbs and bleed the clutch without looking under.
Raced my ’56 TR-3 (last of the 4W drum brake attempts) from ’62-’68; knew every fastener on it: nothing but SAE stuff, as on my DB-4 later…
Had an Uncle Ed and Aunt Irene back in ‘Jersey; Squeeze-boxer. Related?
In places like Canada (where Weather kills everything) You just won’t find Any of these cars– Not salvageable anyway–
I live in a small town 1 hr and 40 minutes north of Toronto and a guy has a Subaru XT that looks to be in decent shape.
I Beg to differ! Gravenhurst ON friend of mine is nearing completion of a Honda S600 restoration.
There are weird cars everywhere – even in rust country!
Everything rusts to pieces in Can. –road salt. Never run restored or new vehicles. Agree with your assessment.
Vancouver and Vancouver Island. But in the places where winter is a thing 7 months of the year with salted roads…
I’m going to a Studebaker meet in Kamloops in a few weeks, so yes you will if you look.
A couple cars here, I had either fond memories of (Volvo 142, Lark convertible) or escaped a disaster (Subaru XT, better to be lucky).
I owned the 1970 Volvo 142 and love its memory still. Great car, lived up to Volvo’s focus on safety (3 pt. belts, no blind spots, comfortable seats with neck protection that was functional, 4 whl disk brakes, and a mechanical system to inhibit locking up wheels in a panic stop), plus reliable (11 yrs., 110 K miles – I was a student for much of the time). And easy for a novice to work on. You could practically almost get into the engine compartment with the engine.
As for “Depending on year and spec, #2 condition values for 142s still only range from $15,100 to $17,500.” Well, my brand new ’70 142 sticker was $ 3000. It’s all relative?
“142s still only range from $15,100 to $17,500.” Well, my brand new ’70 142 sticker was $ 3000. It’s all relative?” Adjusted for inflation a 142 is cheaper today than when new.
“$1 in 1970 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $7.81 today”
Well, I didn’t really mean to say much about “constant dollar” comparisons…but then of course, my car came with low mileage (ie close to zero).
I had a 145. You missed one of the most interesting things. They weren’t just disk brakes but the fronts were 4 piston Girling brakes with redundant brake lines. You needed catastrophic failure to lose more than one wheel completely.
The 240 was actually a step back in many ways.
Yes, I knew it had Girling brakes. Thx for details on piston numbers.
In my “Volvo days” I owned a 122S, a 142, 144 and a 145. Like the Triumphs, the SU or Stromberg carbs were easy to work with.
Towed my 122 B-Sedan on a single-axle trailer with a 145 wagon from ’75-88 from Canada to Texas, and Road Atlanta (’79 SCCA Runoffs) to Riverside with nary a problem, ‘ceppen for a leaking 40psi fuel line on a rainy night among the Louisiana levees and bayous; you could see the fuel gage dropping. Found a turnoff and was loaded with tools and spares… No fire.
Ford Maverick 1969.5-1972 should have been on the list more so then a volvo
I’m not sure that the early Mavericks should be considered ‘oddball’. They sold millions of them and they were everywhere during the seventies and eighties. Great economical cars with decent styling. And just like the famous drink advertisement many decades ago, they… “coulda had a V8”, at least from 1971 onward.
My ’71 surprised a lot of SBC Novas when the light turned green, yet garnered fantastic fuel mileage. Pretty much a light-weight Mustang with slippery aerodynamics.
Why do I not see ANY triumph stags. I had one in the early 1970’s
Mine leaked fuel from the twin carbs and sold it
Yawn.
Yawn why? No exotics to satisfy the demandings? I’d love me some Stude wagon. Or that Honda 800 if only it was affordable, great looking little cars. Had an XT-6, kinda wish I still had it… interesting engine and it wasn’t slow.
Guess there weren’t enough Corvettes to hold interest this time around…
You forgot the Saab 93 Convertibles, most are rusted rats, but the nice ones are really gaining popularity and escalating in price!
Not everyone will agree with these choices, but the conversation it starts is worth it.
I expected VW’s Thing of ’73-74 to make the list but oh, well.
I’m with you. I have a 73 that I love. My weekend Sunday drive.
I loved my ’57 Maroon Bug
Things (Type 181) are common IF you’re a member of some of the obscure V-W clubs. They are MUCH sought after, and the “underground” accounts for at least 95% of those sold now.
I was permitted to drive the SECOND one ever imported into the U.S. back in the day. A friends dad was a regional rep for V-W, and he had one for almost a month.
At the time, I was driving my V-W Dune Buggy (Manx-clone) so I had a valid comparison.
Wish I would have bought a few right after they were discontinued, they were dirt cheap & couldn’t be given away, not even to V-W folks……….because the water-cooled ones had a rare item. H E A T !!
fwiw I still have my Manx clone, being rebuilt for about the 5th time. Like the man says, a project car is only complete once. The day you sell it. Had my buggy since 1968 !
What about the Crossfire? Especially the more rare and high-performance SRT6?
Been a car guy all my 75+ years, but the Crossfire snuck up on me about 2 yrs ago.
I have a first year 04 Crossfire. It’s a great looking, reliable, fun and inexpensive car to own and drive. Now at 20 years old, I wonder when it will earn place in the valuation guide and one of these lists.
Hi, George, I don’t know if you are a player, but I own a 2005 SRT6 Roadster, 37,700 km. (24,000 mi). Sold new in Canada, and still here !!! I’m 2nd owner. Original 95-point car, Sapphire Silver on Black. Never seen winter, always stored. Fast, classy, reliable & ultra-rare. Only 1300 produced world-wide over 3 years. It is all Mercedes SLK/ AMG underneath, clothed in Chrysler body styling and built in Germany by Kharmann. It is also regrettably for sale. Any interest out there ???
Yes, tell me more about the car
Hi, Dave: Thanks for E-mail. What other information would you like me give ? Are you located in the U.S. or Canada ? Are you a dealer or private individual?
This car’s history is as follows: First registered new April 10th,2006 by Daimler Chrysler Canada Inc., Windsor, Ontario, as corporate executive vehicle.
Purchased by Chrysler dealer in Oakville , Ontario on June 26th, 2007 at 8635 km.
Sold to 1st Private owner on June 29th, 2007.
Purchased by me from that owner (with complete service history) on July 14th, 2021 at 26758 km. New rotors, pads and tires at that time. New battery May 10,2023 @32,721 km.
Conv. top in excellent cosmetic condition, water-tight, Power top functions perfectly every time.
Minor curb rash on 2 rims. Original paint virtually unblemished
Clean Carfax.
Please tell me if you are interested in owning such a car.
Regards, Jim
The 1973 Volvo 142 I bought brand new in the Spring of 1973 is the absolute worst car of the 30 cars I have owned in my life. It was a lemon and it would take a page to tell you everything that went wrong with it in the six years I owned it.
I bought one in 1975. it lived at the dealer while I owned it for 9 agonizing months. I agree with you it was the worst car I have ever owned!
Our 142 (in the mandatory light blue metallic) was quite reliable. Until I drove it out of the apartment garage and it overheated because someone had nicked the rad during the night. OH WELL.
A friend worked at Motor Sales in Winnipeg in the mid 70’s they sold everything British and Volvos. The Volvo people had a lot of grief. I bought a used 69 MGB/GT the salesman said i could leave my 61 Impala convertible there for a 000$ trade in allowance.
My friend bought a 73 142 and had problems too with the fuel injection. My earlier Volvos with the SU or Stromberg carbs were no issue.