The real collectors car from 1957?
Last night the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection (NAHC) at the Detroit Public Library gathered to announce this year’s winner of the Future Collectible Car of the Year award.
In this season of almost daily COTY/TOTY/VOTY awards, the NAHC award, though largely ignored by the conventional media, stands out.
The award is based on the fact that the ugly duckling of the 1957 Model Year, Chevrolet, became over the years, the surprise go-to car for collectors. Who would have thought? In 1957, both Ford and especially Plymouth had all new cars and the Chevy was warmed over from 1955 and 1956 models, although with crisper lines and tail fins. So the NAHC award reminds us all how hard it is to predict the future.
Past winners of the FCCOY award have included the reborn Ford Thunderbird of the new Millennium (likely) and the Olds Aurora (we will see).
The vehicles are chosen from a list of models declared to be “new” each year by the Consumer Reports annual auto issue. Ballots are filled out by the members of the Friends of the NAHC to designate which vehicle is most likely to be the top collectible 25 years in the future, and in the past have tended to favor Chrysler products. (If you want to vote in the future, you will have to kick in $40 annually to the Friends.)
I know you’ve been holding your breath for this, but the newly designated Future Collectible of the year is the Ford Flex.
Frankly, the selection surprised me, too. The Friends may know something we don’t.
A future collectable? Let the e-mails commence.
What we do know is that Ford planners envisioned the Flex as a replacement for the familiar station wagon in the Ford product portfolio, the family all-purpose people and stuff carrier. Ford’s last designated wagon in North America was the 2007 Focus.
Indeed, according to Elena Ford, who made a rare if not unprecedented public appearance at the award event yesterday as a member of the original Flex planning team, Ford’s planners debated putting Country Squire wood-appearing appliqués on the sides, presumably of the top series model. However, the concept didn’t test out well in prospective customer research so the woody idea was abandoned.
Eagle eyes may note, though, the “slotted” sheet metal appearance on Flex sides and the bright metal appliqué on upper series tailgates, a la Squire. All it takes to make the Flex into a Woody is an aftermarket application (see http://www.ptwoody.com).
The Flex as the primo collector “car” of 2035?
Those of us young enough (not I) will just have to wait to see.
Beauty is certainly in the eyes of the beholder. Although the lines are familiar and basically a do-over for us baby boomers they must be new and exciting to the current generation.
I’ve driven the Flex, it did nothing for me although it does offer a ton of leg room for a 6’4″ driver.
Al, I haven’t driven a Flex or even been in one, but a fellow journalist told me the other day he had just purchased one and was very happy with it, particularly the EcoBoost V6 which performs like a V8 but with six-cylinder fuel economy. Also can pull 7,500# which gets it into the old station wagon practicality class.
I was really surprised when I saw the 7,500# for the Flex’s towing capacity, so I looked it up. Even with EcoBoost, the Flex is rated to tow 4,500 pounds.
Want an instant classic? Pick up one of the very few Solstice coupes that were built last year before GM pulled the plug on Pontiac. Also, the Pontiag G8 GXP would be a great car to buy and put away into storage for 25 years.
Mike, Don’t missunderstand me. The Flex offers a great station wagon-like package. Anyone needing a vehicle with those attributes should love it. When I drove it I was reminded of my 1977 Vista Cruiser only with better performance and handling. It felt physically big and solid, not a bad thing in these days of small and light. Time will tell as to how much of a collectable it will become. I tend to agree with Bryan, pick up one of those last produced Pontiacs. What a great collector opportunity!
Bryan, you are correct in stating that the Ford website-posted towing capacity for Flex is 4,500#. The table makes no distinction between the standard V6 engine and the more powerful “available” (lawyerspeak for optional) Ecoboost V6. I suspect this posting is an error of omission. However, it is also possible a beefed-up rear underbody in addition to the stronger engine would be needed for the additional capacity. I was told at lunch Friday by a Ford Lifer/engineer that the Ecoboost Flex is rated for 7,500# towing, a big distinction for boat et al haulers. Perhaps someone currently working in Ford product information can clarify this point!
As to the desirability of collecting a Pontiac Solstice or its Saturn clone, I totally agree. Several GM folks I know have done just that, and I’ll bet there are few left now in dealer stocks.
The Pontiac G8 was not included in the survey because it is not built in North America, one of the restrictions we took years ago in designing our “contest.”
(I argued with the NAHC Board years ago that the reason for this is that zillion-dollar very limited production foreign cars do not fit into the mainstream of American car collecting; you are free to disagree with me, but in this case I paid my dues to develop the contest! He who pays the piper gets to call the tune. We bent the rules one year to appease a Chrysler guy on the Board, and I have regretted that error ever since. If you called me a Detroit chauvinist, you would be right. Nevertheless, there were a couple of import brands, made here, that made our list for the ballot this year.)
But I also think the G8 will be a very desirable collectible.
Thanks for your comments, Bryan and Al, in any event.