Collectors like to own some of the rarest and most valuable cars ever made. Some of these are also true automotive icons, while others have gone largely unnoticed. But it is the grave, hardcore collectors who know a thing or two about them.
This list contains ten superb collector cars that only the most serious know about. Everything from classic supercars to family cars has made the cut, and each is highly desirable for a variety of reasons.
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
Carroll Shelby’s team is most famous for the Shelby Cobra and their work on the Ford GT40. However, an even more remarkable creation is their Daytona Cobra Coupe, which the American and his company made six of in the mid-1960s.
These were hardtop coupe versions of the iconic Cobra, with more radical bodywork and a snarling Ford 289 ci V8 under the hood. Their rarity is shown in their value, with one selling for $7.25 million in 2009.
Renault Clio Williams
One of the more obscure collectors’ cars is the Renault Clio Williams, a hot-hatch version of the Clio created to celebrate Renault’s partnership with the Williams F1 team. The Clio Williams had a few cosmetic additions to denote itself, such as the Williams lettering on the rear quarter panel.
Under the hood was a 2.0-liter 16-valve engine, and Renault gave the car uprated front suspension and the subframe used on its Clio Cup race cars. Renault produced around 12,000 of them, but only 59 remain on roads in the United Kingdom.
Nissan Sunny GTI-R
One of Nissan’s lesser-known performance cars is the Sunny GTI-R, produced from 1990 to 1994. This rather radical performance vehicle benefited from rallying and was one of the craziest homologation specials available.
Power came from a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 227 horsepower, making it a match for the mighty Ford Escort Cosworth down the straights. Ford, those seeking a rare Nissan for their collection, it doesn’t get any rarer than this.
1998-2003 Fiat Multipla
The original 1998 Fiat Multipla is one of the most unusual cars on this list. Its weird “function over form” design created an MPV with a large windscreen, windows, and sunroof. Fiat also opted for a two-row, three-seat arrangement in the cabin.
Despite its ungainly appearance, the Multipla was incredibly practical. It was the perfect family car, with reliable inline-four power under the hood, and its design ensured it stood out. Unfortunately, Fiat revamped the design in 2004 to create a more conventional-looking MPV, which ironically removed much of the Multipla’s charm.
Bugatti Type 57
The Bugatti Type 57 is a true collector’s dream. With millions of dollars, the Type 47 was produced in various forms from 1934 to 1940, the most famous being the Atlantic versions of the classic Bugatti.
Out of all of them, the most famous is “La Voiture Noire,” an all-black Atlantic that went missing following the outbreak of World War 2. Rumors have ran rife for decades as to its fate, and collectors have estimated that if found, La Voiture Noire would be worth an incredible $114 million.
Lotus Carlton
The Lotus Carlton was a high-performance version of the mighty Vauxhall Carlton. Its Lotus-enhanced 3.6-liter C36GET twin-turbocharged engine produced an incredible 377 horsepower. The Carlton was an insane performance sedan, so powerful that the UK parliament debated whether it should be allowed to go on sale.
With speeds of up to 180 mph, the Carlton was a family car that could go faster than many contemporary Ferraris and Porsches. Frequently a target for thieves in the UK, one example, 40 RA, became famous for ram raids across the country before it was dumped in a canal after the criminals had their fun.
Bugatti EB112
Following the EB110, Bugatti introduced the EB112, a four-door fastback saloon designed by Italdesign. In effect, it was a full-size saloon version of the EB110. The 6.0-liter Bugatti V12 produced 450 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque.
Sadly, thanks to Bugatti’s collapse in the 1990s, the EB112 never made it into production. The company made just a handful of them, and only one was ever homologated for road-legal usage, with it occasionally spotted driving around Monte Carlo.
Mitsubishi Starion
The Mitsubishi Starion has a couple of claims to fame. It was the first car to use an engine that would win the World Rally Championship in the late 1990s and the engine that would power the mighty Mitsubishi Evo Lancer until 2005.
Power started at 150 horses but rose to around 200 horsepower as time went on, creating a sports car to rival the likes of the Ford Capri and Mazda RX-7. It’s an often forgotten sports car and one that deserves much more respect for its name.
Ford Mustang McLaren M81
The Mustang McLaren M81 was a version of Ford’s muscle car that received a “hot rod tune” from McLaren’s American engine division in the early 1980s. This FoxBody Mustang originally had a 131-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four under the hood, but McLaren increased that power to 175 horses.
Amidst the muscle car’s malaise era, this was a perfectly acceptable power figure. McLaren and Ford hoped to produce around 200 of them, yet they made just 10, making this one of the rarest Mustangs ever produced.
Honda NSX Type-R
While the Honda NSX is well known to collectors, the final version of the famous supercar, the NSX Type-R, is often forgotten. This was a stripped-out, raw, and higher-performance version of the NSX, with Honda aiming to go back to basics with this special edition.
Honda reduced weight by removing features such as air conditioning and using more carbon fiber in components such as the hood. Its V6 engine produces 280 horsepower, and it was the perfect swansong for a remarkable car.
Volkswagen XL1
The Volkswagen XL1, which debuted in 2013, is a diesel-hybrid coupe created by Volkswagen to travel over 100 km on just one liter of fuel. The sleek, streamlined coupe is incredibly efficient, and without using the electric element of its powertrain, it can travel well over 100 km on just two liters of fuel.
The XL1 took its power from an 800cc TDI twin-cylinder diesel, producing 47 horsepower and backed up by a 27 horsepower electric motor. Volkswagen made just 250 XL1s, making them a real gem for any collector.
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