How are affordable sports cars disappearing while this Porsche 911 DLS by Singer just sold on Bring A Trailer for $3,000,000? For perspective, that's 50 years of the average American's salary, or 50 average Americans could pitch in their entire pre-tax annual income and buy it as a timeshare. It's apparently so good, the original flipper, I mean owner, drove it one single mile. But don't get distracted by the specifics of this 911. My theory is, restomodding or something similar to it could save the affordable sports car market for the rest of us.
The Sports Car And Enthusiast Market As A Whole Is In Trouble
With the sales of cars like the Toyota GR86 and VW GTI, trending towards zero , factory-supported restomods may be the solution. Car manufacturers have plenty of excuses why they continue to discontinue affordable enthusiast cars. In Europe, Toyota blames emissions standards . It's harder every year to keep cars breathing clean, but I suspect it has more to do with volume. In the European Union, Toyota sells more Yaris Crosses every two days than it sold GR Yaris, GR86, and Supra combined in the entire first quarter of 2025 . The USA is slightly better for enthusiasts. Last year, it took 10 days of Rav-4 sales to equal the year's sales of GR86s.
Why aren't people buying fun cars?
The answer to "why aren't people buying fun cars?" could be an editorial (or doctoral thesis) on its own. I've talked to product planners and consumers, and it comes down to a few things. First, buyers gleefully say, "I'm absolutely going to buy X new sports car," inevitably followed by, "Once some fool swallows the first two years of depreciation." If no one buys new cars, companies stop building them, and then there are no used cars. Second, people are paying 150 bucks a month for cell phones, 150 bucks for home internet, and 300 bucks for streaming/subscription services. That's your fun-car payment. Third is a big one, and I'm afraid it's on some of us. People don't want to be judged. There are still too many enthusiasts who look down their noses at "slow cars." Whenever I drive a Miata or GR86, some CharStangMaro wants to race at every stoplight. Even in a Boxster or Cayman, people ask if I couldn't swing the extra coin for a 911. Non-enthusiasts see fun cars as wasteful and showy, while they drive a 6,000 lb SUV with chrome that can be seen from space. And while I might be middle-aged, this isn't about my crisis; that's what my gravel bike and Traeger Smoker are for. Driving an older car is different. Like Roger the car salesman said in Gone In 60 Seconds , "You would not be a self-indulgent wiener, sir... You'd be a connoisseur."
Car Companies Going Retro When They Should Go Resto
Ford just announced the FX retro styling package for the Mustang that's aimed squarely at Gen Xers nostalgic for Fox Bodies. VW insists that cloth seats make up for lost driver involvement. Even Dodge thinks(or thought) that electronic noisemakers are a replacement for V8s. As a Gen Xer myself, I can tell you, I don't want a modern pastiche of the cars I lusted after in high school; I want the actual cars.
As a Gen Xer myself, I can tell you, I don't want a modern pastiche of the cars I lusted after in high school; I want the actual cars.
Sadly, several things hold me back from buying the MK2 GTI or Corrado of my dreams. Time and space. I have the skills and experience to do the majority of work. I don't have the room in my garage or time in my schedule. Also, money. Like 85% of buyers, I finance cars. Save your lecturers. I could figure out creative financing, but I've witnessed enough projects spiral beyond their planned budget to know better . Lastly, I'd like a warranty. These are all things that a turn-key restomod would fix.
Can Car Companies Make Money Selling New Old Cars
The only motivation car manufacturers have is profit. Rebuilding older cars would have to make sense financially, and there may be a few legal questions. Nissan made it work with 240Zs, so it can be done.
How much would you pay for the car you couldn't afford as a kid?
To keep using a GTI as an example. The MK2 is too old and probably wouldn't make sense. But, I miss my 2004 MK4 GTI almost as much. A new MK8 GTI is $34,000. I have no interest in the new GTI. But, I would pay that, possibly a little more for a "new" MK4 GTI with things like CarPlay, convenience key, and a warranty. I know it's expensive to restore cars , but economies of scale on part procurement and setting up an assembly line would certainly bring costs down.
But what would the government say about cars that don't meet current emissions?
Cars like the Singer 911, while being thoroughly modernized, are still licensed as a 90s 964. They don't need to meet modern emissions. While I'm not a lawyer, I imagine car manufacturers could do the same thing.
If you're concerned about the environment, which I am too, rebuilding an older vehicle is far more environmentally friendly than building a new, cleaner-burning car. There's a huge carbon expenditure in building the tooling for a new model. If companies choose cars to restore that aren't too old, that tooling probably still exists. Stamping the unibody, casting engine blocks, producing and transporting all that metal is hugely energy-intensive to do for every new car. All of that is saved.
I'm not saying that showrooms full of $30,000 - $50,000 used cars are suddenly going to sell in the tens of thousands of numbers every year. But, they could match the sales of current enthusiast cars, which require millions of dollars in development costs for every new model. It reminds people why they love certain brands and why they love driving. It might completely change the automotive landscape when someone decides they don't want the BMW X5 M60i and opts for an X3 30 and an E46 330 ZHP combo deal, ya know, cuz they're connoisseurs.
