The Lancia Stratos is among a handful of £200k-plus exotic classics to grow in our latest update.
Of the 54 classics in this issue’s table of Price Guide Movers On The Up, the Stratos ranks 23rd with an 11% gain against a backdrop of 12% growth across the cars listed.
That moves those rough project cars to £220k – I dream of one day peeling back a barn or lockup garage door to discover one – while usable examples needing work are typically £260k. For faultless cars add £60k to that and for something a concours judge would struggle to pick at, think £400k.
These Seventies rally legends were much slower to appreciate in value as classics than they were to pile on speed in world rallies back in their day, held back by an uncompromising reputation that steered buyers towards more user-friendliness from alternatives originally conceived as road cars. Now that they’ve become so collectable, accessible driving characteristics matter less than impact in the corner of a white-painted collection display or on manicured concours lawns.
Of this month’s growers, just six are more than £200k and more than 80% are less than £60k. The biggest cluster is under £20k with £20-30k and £30-40k coming joint second. So the Stratos is in rare company for expensive classics that are returning to growth after the stagnation or falls of recent years. That special group this month includes three Porsches, plus one each of AC and Ferrari.
Wondering what this month’s biggest winner was? Step forward the Singer Gazelle and its Vogue sibling, the 1966-1970 generation. For the price of a perfect Stratos, you could buy 66 perfect Singers, which would almost certainly be harder to find that one spot-on Lancia.
Price Guide Movers On The Up is part of 16 regular pages of market tips, analysis and buying advice in the latest issue of Classic Cars.