Bull: Selections from Hagerty’s 2026 Bull Market List
The good folks at Hagerty publish an annual list of classic and collector cars they feel are on the upswing in terms of overall value. Being in the business they are, there’s no shortage of data points informing their selections - even if a few of them reliably cause consternation and debate.
Entries from past years include machines like the ‘94-’98 Toyota Supra in their 2018 list (nailed it), 06-’10 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 from 2021 (remains a relative horsepower bargain), and the 2023 selection of the mighty mite Suzuki Cappuccino. This go around, the list includes eleven vehicles from a cross-section of segments. We’re selecting a trio for today’s post.
[Images: Moab Republic/Shutterstock.com, Art Konovalov/Shutterstock.com, Volkswagen, General Motors]
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Chevrolet 454 SS
Let’s kick off with a model we know our readers will enjoy: the ‘90-’93 Chevrolet 454 SS. It was a mean muggin’ pickup truck from back in the day, stuffed with a naturally-aspirated 7.4L V8 engine which sounded like Chewbacca and got about 8 mpg no matter how it was treated.
Chevrolet 454 SS
GM made about 17,000 of the things according to records, the vast majority being produced during that first model year. These days, they’re being snapped up by people who wanted one when the truck was new but were high schoolers at the time.
VW Golf GTI VR6
The presence of an R33-era Nissan Skyline is no surprise, so let’s turn our attention to Hagerty’s pick of the ‘95-’98 VW Golf GTI. It was at this point in the game that Volkswagen decided to stuff six cylinders under the hood of its hot hatch, selecting the unique VR6 for that role.
VW Golf GTI VR6
Displacing 2.8-liters and making just over 170 horsepower, the car could keep pace with contemporary pony cars of the day. The trick is, of course, finding one thirty years hence which hasn’t been either comprehensively wrecked or thrashed to within an inch of its life. Janky modifications were often thrown at these things by the time it reached the fourth or fifth owner, so it makes sense to find one from an original buyer - if you can.
Dodge Ramcharger
Finally, we’ll select the ‘81-’93 Dodge Ramcharger from Hagerty’s list as the type of rig which turns our crank. Viewed as hopelessly outdated by the end of its run (and it was) compared to its full-size Chevrolet Blazer and Ford Bronco rivals at the time, we would like to suggest this model is benefitting from all the people who missed out in the valuation upswing of those bowtie and blue oval 4x4s.
Dodge Ramcharger
Still, one shouldn’t throw too much shade; after all, it’s worth noting the K5 Blazer and its variants held onto their design long after the new half-ton showed up in 1988, keeping roughly the same visage from 1973 all the way to 1991. These days, the old Ramcharger has a ‘just right’ set of proportions, especially in color-keyed later years - even if its interior looks like something from the 1970s (which is, of course, when it was designed).
