1966 Jaguar XKE

Justin Jurgens | July 4, 2013 |

Over the years, we’ve seen many market trends in the British car world. In the late eighties and early nineties, we saw some incredible prices being paid for so many British cars, especially XK and E-Type Jaguars. Just as quick as they went up, they all seemed to come crashing back down to reality. Since that time, we’ve seen prices slowly but steadily increasing on just about all makes and models. Obviously, some have increased more than others, but as a whole they are just about all up.

One big trend seems to be that coupes are more desirable than roadsters. For many years, everyone wanted roadsters, and now in recent years, we are seeing coupes in huge demand and selling for the same, if not more money, than the roadsters. The days of parting out an MGB GT to get parts for your MGB roadster are long gone. In fact, it may be the other way around. One reason we believe this is that so many were parted out. Also, much fewer British sports cars were made in coupe form as compared to the roadsters.

MGB GT

As many of you know, in the fifties, sixties and seventies, the largest sports car market in the world was the United States, and even more to the point, California. Over 50% of the British cars produced in this time period all came to the USA. For years people have been traveling to and browsing the internet all over the USA, buying up massive amounts of cars and shipping them all over the world. Many of these cars are now in private collections and do not hit the open market like they once would have. This has made so many of the British cars that much harder to find. And as we all know, the market is driven by supply and demand. Right now, we have a large demand and few cars on the market compared to what we once had.

British cars are great place to put your investment money as long as you know what you are buying. Here are a few tips to keep in mind. Always buy the best example you can afford. Documentation and history always helps the value of a car and will make a much easier sale if you ever do decide to sell. Look for a rust and accident-free car; the better the body, the better your investment. Finally, make sure the car is as complete as can be.

Some parts are getting very hard to find and can be costly. At the end of the day, if you find the right car and it puts a smile on your face, go ahead and step up to the plate and buy it. It may not be there by the time you have thought about it. Remember, there are very few cars on the market and a lot of buyers.