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The latest Hagerty Price Guide update is filled with winners and losers, because many cars either gain or lose a significant amount of value at certain times in their lifespans. This guide is updated quarterly, and in the past three months we noticed six Ford vehicles that tipped the scales in a big way. Some may not come as much of a surprise, but a few are likely to raise some eyebrows. Here are three that went up, and three that went down.
Wieck
Condition #2 (excellent) increase: 35.0%
A little more than 4000 units of the Ford GT were made as part of the Blue Oval’s 100th Anniversary celebration, making it a rather rare model by Ford standards. GTs have always been expensive and they’ve seen some big value swings over they ears, but a 35% increase in value in a single quarter is new territory.
The average #2 value went from $521K to $704K, but the difference comes close to doubling when looking specifically at the GT Heritage Edition with the blue and orange Gulf Oil livery. There’s no doubt that the Ford GT did a number on exotic cars from that era, but now its applying that victory to the classic car market. With few examples in circulation and with the huge appreciation seen by many other modern exotic cars in recent months, it’s easy to speculate why these Fords are suddenly rising this aggressively.
Ford
Condition #2 (excellent) increase: 32.0%
The appeal of Detroit’s full size trucks of the OBS (Old Body Style) era is growing at a rapid clip. It’s hard to argue this, because the last batch of full-sized Broncos earned a 32% appreciation rate in the last quarter. But unlike the Ford GT, the Bronco was a higher volume vehicle with seemingly less appeal for traditional classic car enthusiasts. But trucks of the OBS generation (1980s and 1990s) have proven their mettle, and they become even more appealing as newer rigs are losing the plot with complicated componentry and inflated price tags.
The market might be spending too much time on TikTok, as OBS-related hashtags are plentiful for vintage Ford and Chevy trucks. But this new level of appreciation for Broncos in #2 condition is certainly worthy of the fire emoji. Last quarter, the median value for these Broncos was $45,500. Today that figure swells to a touch over $60,000, an increase of nearly 15 grand in a single quarter. As OBS trucks rise, they are seemingly matched by the depreciation of new full-size pickups after they drive off the showroom floor. Who knows when the OBS rocket runs out of fuel, but its trajectory proves that older truly is better.
Ford
Condition #2 (excellent) increase: 19.9%
A nearly 20% appreciation rate makes sense for Ford sports cars and classic trucks, but the Thunderbird rarely gets such financial accolades. This car invented the personal luxury genre back in 1958, when the T-Bird grew a second row of seats. With this move Ford ceded the domestic sports car space to Chevrolet’s Corvette, but Thunderbird sales skyrocketed when the car changed missions. And while luxury cars of any flavor generally fall out of favor as depreciation sets in, there are loyalists to this genre.
The sixth generation Thunderbird sold relatively well compared to its predecessor, but accountants likely approved of the sheer volume of parts it shared with the 1972–76 Continental Mark IV. The flagship Lincoln remained flat this past quarter, but the big bird (in #2 condition) appreciated by roughly $2700 on average. Starting values were at $13,300 and they ended at $16K.
Ford
Condition #2 (excellent) increase: -9.1%
The redesigned S197 Mustang (2010–14) is too young to be a classic, but we expect more from examples with names like Shelby and BOSS on their bodies. The Shelby GT500 (in #2 condition) has remained flat this quarter, so it’s noteworthy to see the Boss 302 actually losing value. This model may not have the universal recognition of a Shelby, but its performance-oriented powertrain was heavily revised from its Mustang GT stablemate. You’d be forgiven for believing the added horsepower, tighter suspension, and mandatory manual transmission is worthy of doing battle with depreciation, but in the last quarter these pony cars have lost 9.1% of their value in #2 condition. The Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition also lost about 10% of its value.
With power, handling, and aero improvements over the more run-of-the-mill Mustang GT, the Boss 302 will likely stand out to enthusiasts in the long term. But for now it’s still depreciating, so perhaps it’s time to consider picking one up.
Ford
Ford
Condition #2 (excellent) increase: -12.0%
Considering the appreciation experienced by the sixth generation Thunderbird, it’s surprising to see the previous generation of Ford’s personal luxury car decline so significantly. In the last quarter, the average #2 condition 1967–71 Thunderbird went from $20,400 to $17,900. This generation includes two two radically different front end designs, and the choice of two or four doors in either size of schnoz.
Perhaps the fifth generation lost some value because more four-door examples were sold in this time period? Or maybe the sixth generation is merely clawing up to its rightful perch, as it’s still significantly cheaper than a similar fifth generation model. It will be interesting to see how Malaise Era automotive icons stack up against their older counterparts, because the valuation gap seems to be narrowing as time goes by.
Ford
Condition #2 (excellent) increase:-14.0%
This is an even bigger surprise than the Thunderbird, as the first generation Bronco is popular enough to inspire a handful of companies to restomod them to an impossibly high standard. But while the OBS Bronco skyrockets, examples of the original have gone down from an average of $62,500 to $53,700 in the last quarter. This loss can inspire rampant speculation, but the Bronco market is a large one.
First generation Broncos spent basically entirety of the 2010s on an upward trajectory and featured frequently among the price guide’s biggest winners in those years. Their values peaked in 2022 and have been somewhat volatile since then, and though there was some growth last year, they’ve been going through a correction over the last few quarters. No reason to panic, as the first gen Bronco’s cultural relevance and its immense popularity as a restomod platform should keep demand high.