The crew at Hagerty, thanks in no small part to having reams of data at their disposal, know the minutiae of the collector car market. After all, it’s their job.
But without a skiff of analysis, data is useless by itself. That’s why it is Hagerty’s job to distill the important stuff so you needn’t go blind looking at spreadsheets and instead get back to installing that LS engine in the Chevelle you bought three years ago. Whether one is using data to make a smart buying decision or simply to show off at the next pub night with yer buddies, Hagerty has you covered.
Get an insurance quote from Hagerty - a company that provides insurance for people who love cars. In addition, if you are looking to invest in a classic car or sell one of your own, the Hagerty marketplace is for you!
Lead photo by Steve Lagreca/Shutterstock.com
Most Popular Collector Cars of the 1950s
Reaching back to the 1950s for a dose of nostalgia (one of the world’s most expensive drugs, by the way) has long been a popular pastime for gearheads, with Tri-Five Chevy boxes and other American automotive royalty occupying spaces at car shows for the last thirty years. Hey, it’s tough to argue with style. Lately, other vehicles from the era are emerging as big winners, with exotica from Italy taking center stage at big-money auctions and vaguely obscure British marques enjoying popularity.
Hagerty keeps tabs on the volume of insurance quotes being requested by Joe and Josephine Gearhead, meaning it is well equipped to suggest a list of the five most popular ‘50s collector cars in the country. Unsurprisingly, at least for anyone blessed with the gift of sight at a car show, the Tri-Five Chevys mentioned above lead the way in terms of quote requests, with the 1955 to 1957 Bel Air being the most popular variant. Get outta here with your 210, then.
Following that predictable model is one that’s slightly more surprising - the Jeep CJ. Technically, the CJ-5 was hove out of various factories (and various owners, really) from 1955 all the way to 1983, explaining its inclusion in this article. Dweebs in Jeep clubs across the country can argue the minutiae of model designation if they desire, as they surely will. Nevertheless, the ‘civilian Jeep’ is enjoying wild popularity thanks in no small part to Gen Xers who are now in a financial position to buy items they desired in youth.
Presence of the C1 Corvette on this list should be no surprise, and your author will make a case for the quad-lamp models produced from the 1958 model year onwards. Rounding out the popular club are a pair of what would have been simple workhorses in the ‘50s: Chevy trucks from 1955 - 1959 and Ford trucks from 1953 - 1956. There’s a solid case to be made that these things were used like the agricultural tools they were when new, then largely ignored by collectors for ages. This conspired to create affordability, though primo examples now command big bucks.
Value Proposition
![Photo by ClassicCarPhoto/Shutterstock.com]( "Photo by ClassicCarPhoto/Shutterstock.com")
Photo by ClassicCarPhoto/Shutterstock.com
Speaking of big bucks, Hagerty data cements the 1957 and 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa as the most expensive collector car from that era, with values approaching $31.5M, stunning money no matter the marque.
A pair of British machines can be considered some of the most attainable and surprising collector cars from the 1950s according to Hagerty data, represented by a Riley Pathfinder from the mid-’50s and a 1956-1960 Berkeley T60, respectively. These are vehicles which barely eke into five-figure territory in terms of initial purchase cost, a sum which barely covers a round of drinks in the world where the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa would be found.
Rising and Falling Stars
![Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com]( "Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com")
Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Growing in popularity, at least in terms of the quote volume issued by Hagerty itself, is the Mercury Monterey from its 1952 to 1956 model years. During those first couple of years, this model sat atop the Mercury totem pole, with the entire brand being slowly pushed upmarket by the ad men in Dearborn. Fun fact: a blazing red Monterey convertible was Ford’s forty-millionth car produced. This model was supplanted by the Montclair as Mercury’s big dog by the middle of the decade, though the Monterey still had plenty of notable features like air conditioning, which could allegedly freeze the stones off a brass statue.
Everyone wants to know what will be the Next Big Thing - and Hagerty can point you in that direction with its reams of insurance data. A collector car which has been rising in value since 2023 is the BMW 700, a small rear-engined car made by the German automaker from 1959 into the mid-’60s. Popular in its day, and actually credited with providing a post-war BMW with the money it needed to stay afloat at the time, collectors are beginning to notice that VW wasn’t the only company cranking out rear-engined cars back in the day.
On the flip side, the 1952-1954 Chrysler Ghia has been experiencing a softening in value according to Hagerty data. This is good news for anyone seeking to snap up one of these beautifully bodied Chryslers, though it isn’t uncommon for these cars to stay in a collection once it is acquired. There was a huge, and sometimes bewildering, array of Ghia-bodied Chryslers in that era - some far more valuable than others.
But without a skiff of analysis, data is useless by itself. That’s why it is Hagerty’s job to distill the important stuff so you needn’t go blind looking at spreadsheets and instead get back to installing that LS engine in the Chevelle you bought three years ago. Whether one is using data to make a smart buying decision or simply to show off at the next pub night with yer buddies, Hagerty has you covered.
Get an insurance quote from Hagerty - a company that provides insurance for people who love cars. In addition, if you are looking to invest in a classic car or sell one of your own, the Hagerty marketplace is for you!
Lead photo by Steve Lagreca/Shutterstock.com
Most Popular Collector Cars of the 1950s
Reaching back to the 1950s for a dose of nostalgia (one of the world’s most expensive drugs, by the way) has long been a popular pastime for gearheads, with Tri-Five Chevy boxes and other American automotive royalty occupying spaces at car shows for the last thirty years. Hey, it’s tough to argue with style. Lately, other vehicles from the era are emerging as big winners, with exotica from Italy taking center stage at big-money auctions and vaguely obscure British marques enjoying popularity.
Hagerty keeps tabs on the volume of insurance quotes being requested by Joe and Josephine Gearhead, meaning it is well equipped to suggest a list of the five most popular ‘50s collector cars in the country. Unsurprisingly, at least for anyone blessed with the gift of sight at a car show, the Tri-Five Chevys mentioned above lead the way in terms of quote requests, with the 1955 to 1957 Bel Air being the most popular variant. Get outta here with your 210, then.
Following that predictable model is one that’s slightly more surprising - the Jeep CJ. Technically, the CJ-5 was hove out of various factories (and various owners, really) from 1955 all the way to 1983, explaining its inclusion in this article. Dweebs in Jeep clubs across the country can argue the minutiae of model designation if they desire, as they surely will. Nevertheless, the ‘civilian Jeep’ is enjoying wild popularity thanks in no small part to Gen Xers who are now in a financial position to buy items they desired in youth.
Presence of the C1 Corvette on this list should be no surprise, and your author will make a case for the quad-lamp models produced from the 1958 model year onwards. Rounding out the popular club are a pair of what would have been simple workhorses in the ‘50s: Chevy trucks from 1955 - 1959 and Ford trucks from 1953 - 1956. There’s a solid case to be made that these things were used like the agricultural tools they were when new, then largely ignored by collectors for ages. This conspired to create affordability, though primo examples now command big bucks.
Value Proposition
Photo by ClassicCarPhoto/Shutterstock.com
Speaking of big bucks, Hagerty data cements the 1957 and 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa as the most expensive collector car from that era, with values approaching $31.5M, stunning money no matter the marque.
A pair of British machines can be considered some of the most attainable and surprising collector cars from the 1950s according to Hagerty data, represented by a Riley Pathfinder from the mid-’50s and a 1956-1960 Berkeley T60, respectively. These are vehicles which barely eke into five-figure territory in terms of initial purchase cost, a sum which barely covers a round of drinks in the world where the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa would be found.
Rising and Falling Stars
Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Growing in popularity, at least in terms of the quote volume issued by Hagerty itself, is the Mercury Monterey from its 1952 to 1956 model years. During those first couple of years, this model sat atop the Mercury totem pole, with the entire brand being slowly pushed upmarket by the ad men in Dearborn. Fun fact: a blazing red Monterey convertible was Ford’s forty-millionth car produced. This model was supplanted by the Montclair as Mercury’s big dog by the middle of the decade, though the Monterey still had plenty of notable features like air conditioning, which could allegedly freeze the stones off a brass statue.
Everyone wants to know what will be the Next Big Thing - and Hagerty can point you in that direction with its reams of insurance data. A collector car which has been rising in value since 2023 is the BMW 700, a small rear-engined car made by the German automaker from 1959 into the mid-’60s. Popular in its day, and actually credited with providing a post-war BMW with the money it needed to stay afloat at the time, collectors are beginning to notice that VW wasn’t the only company cranking out rear-engined cars back in the day.
On the flip side, the 1952-1954 Chrysler Ghia has been experiencing a softening in value according to Hagerty data. This is good news for anyone seeking to snap up one of these beautifully bodied Chryslers, though it isn’t uncommon for these cars to stay in a collection once it is acquired. There was a huge, and sometimes bewildering, array of Ghia-bodied Chryslers in that era - some far more valuable than others.
