Someday, sooner than you might think, car companies are going to start making money again in the U.S. When they do, they will be riding a trusted formula: Style, Speed and Scarcity.

The auto-sales collapse during the past year is the steepest and most devastating in decades—by some measures, the worst since the Great Depression. But amid the rubble of fire sales and dealer ads touting deals on “new” 2007 models, there are some cars that are selling for close to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price on the window sticker....