German Collectibles

Index of post-war German collectible cars

After its spectacular three-year boom from 2013-16, Hagerty’s German Car Index has been much quieter, moving just 2 percent from this time in 2017. It’s quiet in 2020 as well, with two modest drops for January and May of this year, and no movement at all for September. Two-thirds of the component cars recorded no change, including every Porsche save for the 1979 930 Turbo Carrera, which continued its downward slide. Mercedes were mixed with a 7-percent drop for the 190SL and a 7-percent gain for the 280SL. The BMW 2002tii, which has been appreciating for over five years, was the biggest winner with a 15 percent increase.

The general lull in this group doesn’t extend to the whole German car market, as there was considerable activity outside this index. Many classic VWs showed continued strength, with substantial growth for Corrados, Sciroccos, and 181 Things. So-called youngtimer cars also continue to do well in general, and many of those hail from Germany. E30-generation (1982-94) BMW 3 Series, 1990s Mercedes sedans, Audi wagons, and Porsche 911 SCs (1978-83) all posted notable gains.

-Andrew Newton, September 2020

The Hagerty Price Guide Index of German Cars is a stock market style index that averages the values of 21 of the most sought after cars from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche from the 1950s-70s. The list below shows the cars that make up the index, while the graph to the left shows this index’s average value over the years. Values are for #2 condition, or “excellent” cars.

This index includes