The Most Valuable Cars to Restore

Car restoration sparks joy amongst many car enthusiasts who have space, time, money and the ability to pour into working on their much-loved vehicle. However, it can be worth knowing how valuable your car may end up being upon project completion to ensure that you are getting the best financial return and your efforts feel worthwhile. In this article, we explore the most and least valuable cars to restore.

Should You Restore Classic Cars?

The cost of restoring a classic car to a good standard almost always exceeds the expectations of the owner – as you never quite know what problems you might encounter along the way. But for most people, car restoration has to be done on a budget, meaning you don’t want to get yourself into a position where you spend significantly more than the market value of the finished car.

To find out which cars make a compelling case for restoration in today’s environment, Hagerty provided the data behind the biggest price difference between the top and bottom grades to find the most rewarding vehicles to restore, and their analysis covered 2,000 classic cars.

So, if you want to know whether it’s worth restoring a classic car that you have in mind, this data should help.

What Is The Hagerty Vehicle Rating?

The Hagerty Vehicle Rating is a 0-100 measurement of a vehicle's performance relative to the market. You can use the Hagerty website to request a valuation or score.

When you have the assigned score, you can tell if that particular model is outperforming, underperforming, or aligned with the classic car market.

What Is Considered Fair Condition For A Classic Car?

Generally speaking, a classic car in a fair condition may be:

• Completely operable original or “older restoration” showing wear.
• Good amateur restoration; all presentable and serviceable inside and out.
• Combinations of well-done restoration and good operable components or a partially restored car with all parts necessary to complete and/or valuable new old stock (NOS) parts.

Overall, you could define this as a driveable but imperfect classic car.

What Is Concours Condition?

Concours quality refers to a car perfectly and accurately restored to its original condition – the classic car in question is deemed one of the best in the country.

Most Valuable Cars To Restore

Topping the list of most valuable cars to restore are:

• Ferrari 250 GTO SI (1962-63) – often cited as the world’s most valuable car, the value difference* being £13.12 million

• AC Cobra Daytona (1965) – a value difference of £8.36 million

• McLaren F1 (1992-98) – a value difference of £5.74 million

*The value difference is the difference between “fair” and “concours” figures.

It is obvious that higher value cars such as Ferraris are going to top the list where prices are concerned, but when looking at the “fair” value as a percentage of the “concours” value, these were the top three cars:

• Land Rover Discovery S1 (1989-1998) – with a difference of £13,400 representing 91% of its “concours” value

• Lancia Beta 1600 S2 HPE Estate (1976-1984) – a £10,200 difference that equated to 89% of its top value

• Lancia 2000 Berlina (1971-1975) – a £8,000 difference or 88% of its top value

These sorts of vehicles provide perhaps a better opportunity for those who want to restore a classic car for good value.

Least Valuable Cars To Restore

At the bottom of the list are:

• Ford Focus Zetec 1.6i 16V (1998-2007) – a value difference of £1,410

(Though the Ford Focus Zetec is here on the list, the combined popularity of the model and ease of sourcing used repair parts make this vehicle a fantastic repair for the right buyer.)

• Austin Allegro 1750 Saloon (1973-1983) – a value difference of £2,150

• Vauxhall Magnum 1800 (1973-75) – a value difference of £2,200

To car lovers, the cars at the bottom of the valuation list will not be a surprise. When also looking at percentages (“fair” value as a percentage of the “concours” value), these were the bottom three cars:

• Ferrari 250 GT SWB (Steel) (1960 – 62) – a £410,000 value difference, at 6% of its concours value

• Ferrari 365 California Spider (1966-67) – a £328,000 value difference, at 10% of its value

• Lamborghini 350 GT (1964-66) – a £70,500 value difference, at 11% of its value

Are You Looking To Restore A Car?

Search our fantastic selection of classic cars to find the repair that's perfect for you, and get ready to take part in our exhilarating online car auctions. 

View Classic Models 

Need parts for your repair? We offer multiple solutions with our fantastic CAT B breaking service BreakerBid4U and our sister company U-Pull-It - a self-service breaking company based in York and Edinburgh.

Image References 

Ferrari 250 GTO - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferrari_250_GTO_R_-_001.jpg

AC Cobra - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AC_Cobra_(Centropolis_Laval_2010).jpg

McLaren F1 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MclarenF1.JPG

Land Rover Discovery - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1989_Land_Rover_Discovery_3.5_(Early_production).jpg

Lancia Beta 1600 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Beta#/media/File:Lancia_Beta-HPE.JPG

Lancia 2000 Berlina - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lancia_2000.JPG

Ford Focus Zetec - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_Focus_1.8_Zetec_(Europe).jpg

Austin Allegro - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Innocenti_Regent_Roma.jpg

Vauxhall Magnum - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Magnum#/media/File:Vauxhall_Magnum_2300.jpg

Ferrari 259 GT SWB - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferrari_250_gt.jpg

Ferrari California Spyder - https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/365-california

Lamborghini 350 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lamborghini_350-GT_Front-view.JPG