I was at an antique car show yesterday, and there were many car enthusiasts checking out my velocity red RX-8 in the parking lot. It got me to thinking, will the RX-8 become a classic in the year 2029, when it turns 25?
What defines a classic? First of all, I think it stands out with its style. It breaks new ground. It wins awards when it comes out. It ignites passion in its owners. Therefore, a Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Taurus, etc., will never be a classic.
Will we see 8s in classic car shows two or three decades from now? I think so.

 

After I was 25 years of age, they didn't call me a classic.
Not long now until they put one of those antique plates on my butt. :D

Maybe they'll call my car a classic though!

 

Make sure to post pics, k? :D

 

No, too many produced.

 

There were 680,989 Mustangs produced in '65, anyone argue that's a classic

 

The "quantity produced" criterion doesn't carry quite the same weight it used to. Look at the prices the '56-59 Chevy sedans and '65-68 Mustangs are comanding these days for evidence. There were lots and lots of these cars produced. Naturally, the more rare the version of a desirable model is, the more it will command 35-40 years down the road.

I think the biggest problem with Mazda rotaries as a classic or collector's car, is in fact the rotary itself. It's seen as sort of an oddball power plant that appeals mostly to a small group of enthusiasts which in turn tends to hold values down. Sort of like a Baker electric or Doble steam car - both excellent, high quality, unique marques, but neither one commands anything like the value of their piston-engined contemporaries.

I don't have it in front of me, but I think the current Sports Car Market Buyer's Guide gives the RX7s an appreciation rating of 2 out of a possible 5, reflecting it's status as primarily a niche-interest marque.

Doesn't matter to us, of course, because we know what these cars are and enjoy them for it.

 

Driving home yesterday we saw a black 1994 RX-7 on the road. My wife commented that it still looks great and I agreed with her.

Timeless designs like that make them classics, quantity has little to do with it. Look at the VW Beetle, millions produced but a nice clean 1958-1964 is considered a classic car.

Renesis engine production is limited to 60,000 units a year, that is not that much compared to the Z and others.

 

seems like the good classic cars are ones you can still drive around when they are 25 years old- the 65 mustang is a great example because parts are still available.

classic isnt the same as collectable- rx8 has some special qualities- the main thing for me is that its got all the racy stuff standard- aluminum suspension components, aluminum hood, carbon fiber driveshaft, big brakes, etc. but i dont think its special enough to be classic or collectable.

if the renesis motor was what we had been promised, 270hp and good fuel economy, then i might have thought differently.

james

 

It already is a classic. There's so much history behind Mazda's rotary that each RX is likely stand to up well over time.

 

It may end up being a classic in some sense though I think boothguy has a point about the rotary (compare the resale on an FD to a Supra TT or other similar category cars from the time). Another example would be the FB compared to the Z cars from the same time period, the Zs are more collectible and valuable. The RX-8 will never be a valuable collectible in our lifetimes. Sure, the 65 Mustangs may be classics, but you can get them for dirt cheap.

 

First off, no one can truly predict what will be a classic. Secondly, classics are classics because they fill a niche. The RX7 is a classic. rotary owners pass down the passion for the rotary engine to others and new rotary afficianados like myself add to it. I never was interested in the 7 before I purchased my 8. The biggest hinderance to the long-term standing of the RX cars is the rotary engine itself and its maintenance concerns. If we owners babied our cars so that 20 years from now they were still on the road they will become classics.

 

i think mazda made the rx8 look too similar to the 6. The previous Rx7 had a unique look that could become "classic".

 

It will always be desirable and collectable to a certain set of people, but I am not sure about it ever being a true classic in the true sense. Many people would NEVER get a rotary, this limits its desirability across the full spectrum of buyers.

 

It really depends on how you 'define' the term classic. lol clinton

 

I took my grandma to the Antique Road Show, they said she was old, but not worth much money.

-Rupes

 

A "classic" car is simply a car that is old.

Just because a particular model of a car doesn't come to mind when one hears the catch-phrase "classic car" is no justification that the particular vehicle is not a "classic" car.

It seems that most people think that "classic" cars are the American muscle cars from the 60s and corvettes. And justifiably these definitely are the first type of cars that one thinks about when given the term.

But from my experience, "classic" cars may vary from Corvettes and Caddys to old Ferraris to *****'s Jeeps, old Broncos, Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols.

Any one of these vehicles will turn heads at ANY car show, if the audience is truly appreciative of old iron.

The Mazda RX series is no exception. These cars are just too new I believe to be considered "classics" by the mainstream.

However, if we keep our Mazdas nice and cherry, there is no doubt in my mind that they will be considered "classic" cars in 25 - 30 years.

Why? Because they'll be old!

 

I agree...i cant wait untill my car turns 30

except for all the problems it will have by then lol.

 

It's funny that you say that, because every time I get into my car I am surrounded by all this great technology - 6CD changer, Navigation, Power Seat, etc.

It would be awesome if EVERY single one of these features worked and was in perfect physical shape 25-30 years out.

My Dad bought a '73 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and everything works and is in fantastic shape.

It's like you've entered a time warp when you get in that thing. Now that's what my 8 needs to be like in 2029!

 

So, ya got a HUGE collection of 8-track tapes?

 

Hey 8 track SOUNDS better!

 

Back when my parents had a 65 Mustang, I didn't like it much more than a Maverick. I still don't get any feelings when I see one. But I wish I had it now - so I could sell it.

 

April 2004 Car and Driver, p26:

"..but in general, all Japanese cars, although strong in the current market, plunge in value as they age, with no upturn in sight. Advice: If you buy a Nissan 350z or a Mazda RX-8, enjoy it as a wonderful sporting machine, but don't bother hiding it in a barn, expecting to get rich in 20 years".

 

But then again, people with pristine Japanese sports cars from the early 70's tend to sell them for a few times the amount of the original price.. 240Z's, R-100's, RX-2,3,4,5's...CVCC's.... Perhaps in 30 years, a "perfect" RX-8 that originally cost $30k will cost $100k. Of course, at that time, minimum wage might be like $25 an hour...

 

I think in time it will be a classic. The doors alone add specialty interest to the car, much as they do on others, like late 50's and early 60's Lincolns. The uniqueness of the engine will also help.

As a 50+ year old, I'm amazed at what people collect today as "valuable." Cars I despised when I was younger as being underperformers or just plain mediocre now command high prices simply because of their age. And on the other side of the coin, some muscle cars command more than Lambos and Ferraris that are real works of art.

The collector market has been hyped and fueled by what we see on the Speed network, which in a way, helps- cars that would have been sent to the crusher are now being resurected and preserved, and that is a good thing.
But I think we're in a pricing bubble.

 

You should see what their getting for Datsun 240Zs these days.