Investments

Possibly the prettiest 2 door hardtop Coupe ever to come out of Germany post 1968 is the BMW CS Coupe between 1968 and 1975. The elegant, yet sporty look of this beautiful Coupe, combined with a humming 2.8 or 3.0l six cylinder BMW powerplant, makes for a winning combination.
German ingenuity meets Italian artwork (body design based on Bertone) with a stunning result. Mechanically, those Coupes are very well put together and don't present real trouble. The weak link is the metal. In those years, galvanizing was not a priority with any manufacturer and unfortunately, it shows really bad in this outstandingly pretty car. 

There are people saying that there is no car more prone to corrosion than the CS Coupe. While that may or may not be true, the fact is, all of them are rusted, most of them badly. If you can locate a car that has been restored to a good quality standard, with good panel fit and body gaps, go for it. Stay away from the "great deal" cars, as a restoration to this body will definitely be a challenge to your sanity and bank account.
There are many active Clubs on both shores that are well organized and knowledgeable. In Europe, good BMW Coupes are selling now at Euro 15k upwards, while "no question" top of the line models are reaching into the mid 30's. Most cars below 15k are candidates for serious work. I see those very beautiful and good performing Sport Coupes currently slightly undervalued, despite the fact that there were about 30,000 of them built. There are not very many left in collector worthy conditions and if you are looking for a classic European 2-door hardtop with up to 200hp (CSI) and room for the family, what is your option?? As time goes by, I think this car will become more apparent to collectors on both shores simply for its beautiful lines. 

Tipp: There were about 1265 light weight Coupes, called CSL, produced. Those had aluminum doors and hood and rear Plexiglas windows. Pretty rare and desirable.

In 1971 and 1972, Ferrari built the 356 GTC/4 along with the mighty 365 GTB/4 Daytona. The car shared the
same 4,4L four cam V12 engine with the Daytona, but was slightly detuned to produce 320hp. Still the car was a very fast performer with 0-60 times in 6.5 seconds and a wonderful sounding engine. As a true front end V12 Ferrari at a production total of only 500 cars, one would think that the car is higher up in value as it is. Yet, up to this date the 365 GTC/4 suffers from a similar effect, that keeps the 74 G-model Porsche Carreras down in value. The unloved rubber bumpers due to safety regulations and a mighty overshadowing predecessor.

The 365 GTC/4 has a beautiful body and as time goes by, with Daytona values ever increasing, the 365GTC/4 should appreciate as collectors and fans realize this is a good chance to get a front engined V12 Ferrari under 100k.
Buy one that has a complete service history and was well kept. As with all Ferraris, service and maintenance expenses are not exactly pocket change. A well sorted car is a blast to drive and represents a chance to join the Ferrari V12 club at a relatively modest price tag. The 365 GTC/4 has shown some upward move in the market as of late and I would not be surprised to see this trend continued. 

Tipp: Black or other dark colors look particular great on those cars as they soften the contrast to the black bumpers.

The Jaguar E-Type, surely one of the most recognizable sport scars in the world. The E-Type has captured the minds and souls of almost every car lover in the world. Stunning looks and great performance make this car a prominent choice for many collectors. However, E-Type is not like E-Type. Most collectors agree, that the early series 1 car with flat floors and 3,8l is the one to have. Prices for early 3.8l cars, especially the roadsters are soaring with perfect examples commanding 6-digit figures. Recently, it seems that many people find the improvements in driveability and comfort, which Jaguar introduced in 1964 with the 4,2l engine and more comfortable seating arrangements (among others) to be worth stronger money than a few years back. While the "investment" ranking order is still flat floor 3,8 S1 roadster, 4,2 series 1 roadster......, the looks of the FHC (fixed head Coupe) are almost irresistible to most. Arguably even prettier than the roadster, the Coupe is definitely a more useable and better handling car. Again, most action has been with the early 3,8 cars, which makes the 4,2 FHC a very interesting object. The car still has the covered headlights and the triple SU carbs, but enjoys great seats and a "non overheating" 4,2l six with plenty of guts. I believe those S1 E-Types carry good investment potential, but even more "fun potential" as they are strikingly beautiful. In today's market you should buy the best car you can, as restoration costs are easily eating up any advantage of a "deal" car. The E-Type has a number of weak points, mostly related to the body fit, corrosion and accident repairs. Mechanically the cars are fairly solid if treated correctly. For a respected classic like this, you find many clubs worldwide to get help, parts info and arranged events.

The market for E-Type Coupes is not a slim one, there are usually a number of them to choose from at any given period, however, often it seems that most cars out there are too far gone to consider them a candidate to keep. The US market seems to be a bit lower in price then Europe, but many cars have suffered "bondomania" over there. But we are strongly against all prejudice judgments so often heard especially in Europe regarding the US market cars. There are certainly extremely fine cars to be found in the US, especially well cared for examples from the drier states and knowledgeable people.

Few people realize that Porsche continued to use the famous 911/83 engine (or RS engine) of the ‘73 model in ‘74 and ‘75. There were 1026 Coupes and 433 Targas built with the RS engine in ‘74 and another 518 Coupes and 197 Targas in ‘75. That makes them very rare cars indeed. If you are looking at the preferred Coupe body style, ‘74 and ‘75 combined produced 1544 Coupes. The ‘73 RS model in comparison produced 1590 cars. There were also another 123 Coupes with that engine put out in '76. Whether this was because the new 3.0l motor wasn't available in time, or strong customer request for the 2,7 engine existed remains unclear.
Even though the '74 and up cars received the new safety bumpers, the mechanicals were the same as in ‘73. Those cars are just as quick and responsive as the ‘73 RS with no difference in HP/weight ratio to the RS Touring. In 1974 the Porsche Euro spec. was also available with the famous ducktail spoiler in some countries, however, not in Germany.

Note of caution: Those RS engines did not meet the new US emission standards of ‘74 and the cars were not available for the Northern American market. US spec Carreras of '74 and ‘75 had a 2,7 K-Jetronic, producing only 175 and 165 hp (1975) respectively. They are in no way comparable in performance or value. Correct Euro spec Carrera Coupes are very hard to find, as a lot of them lost their engines to the many ‘73 RS clones in the market. They also paid tribute to metal cancer as they were not yet galvanized by the factory. A true 2,7 Carrera Euro spec. is a blast to drive and as the years go by, some people even think the added protection bumpers give the car a sleeker and more elegant look. Cars are now trading between 45k and 100k Euros and considering the performance, rarity and availability- this seems like a good deal to me, considering they only cost a 3rd  to a half of the price of a ‘73 Carrera RS. I say: "Get one if you find one". 

Tipp: Make sure to check correct ID# and engine#. The body ID must start with 911-460..... while the US Carreras read 911-440.....Engine# read 664... compared to the 634... in the US spec cars. In order to be absolutely sure of the originality of the car it is probably best to have the Stuttgart Porsche Factory verify the numbers.