Cult Cars of Tomorrow

If the smart car achieves cult status, it won't happen for a long time, and its worshippers will be aging environmentalists, Galbraith says. "This was a very cute first step toward an alternative-fuel personal transportation vehicle that moves beyond the idea of safety and speed," he notes.

2012 Smart fortwo

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The smart fortwo first hit American roads in 2008. As its category of vehicle matures and evolves, the fortwo could hold a place in the hearts of early adaptors or their offspring. "[The smart car] is going to take another 100 years before it becomes a cult classic," he says.

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"Its styling is definitely polarizing," Galbraith says of the Nissan JUKE, a mini crossover vehicle that Nissan debuted in 2010. "It appeals to folks or turns their stomachs." With headlights perched on top of the hood and side windows made narrow by beefy arches around the wheels, the JUKE has its share of aesthetic quirks.

2013 Nissan JUKE

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But for car cultists, that can be a good thing. In Galbraith's opinion, it could clinch the JUKE's fate. "Its looks are going to make it a rarity in the future," he says. "It might become an icon of early 2000s design."

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Muscle-car fans could rally around the Dodge Viper in the future. "It'll be an example of late 1980s, early 1990s excess," Galbraith says, noting that the Viper's design ethos is a little ridiculous: A clown shoe with a V-10 engine is how he describes it. But the Viper's secret is that it's quite a competent car.

2013 Dodge SRT Viper

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First launched in 1992, the Viper goes from zero to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. "It will appeal to a certain bare-chested, gold-chain crowd," Galbraith says. "It might be a cult of Tom Selleck look-alikes that gravitates toward it."

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"Forty years from now the current Saabs will have a cult following, much like the Saabs of old did," Galbraith says. After more than 60 years of producing cars, Saab's owners filed for bankruptcy in 2011.

2011 Saab 9-4X

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"People will lament the general utility and quality of the cars, but they were very safe and very stout and Nordic in their sensibilities," he says. There will come a time when drivers come together to mourn those qualities and scavenge eBay for their elusive Swedish parts. "They're not fantastic in any one direction," he says. "They're just a safe car."

Watch Video:  2011 Saab 9-4X: A First Look

Since Prius batteries have a limited lifespan and must be replaced when they give out, Galbraith foresees a day when packs of Prius owners begin scouring the globe for replacements to their defunct lithium-ion batteries. Car junkies nostalgic for the early days of hybridization will comprise this particular clique.

2013 Toyota Prius

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It's easy to imagine a time when the first Prius owned by a celebrity such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Larry David hits the auction block or enters the collection of an automotive museums. The first-generation Prius, which went on sale in Japan in 1997, already seems antiquated and exotic — two qualities that lure the cult car enthusiast.

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The Cadillac CTS-V is something of an oddity in the automotive world: a high-quality luxury vehicle that doesn't get much love from consumers. Galbraith describes it as "a very, very, very good car that they don't sell a lot of." He predicts a car enthusiasts of tomorrow will experience remorse for not having bought the CTS-V.

2013 Cadillac CTS

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"In the future, people will look back and say, 'Why didn't we get one of those?'" It will achieve cult status simply for having been underappreciated. And its worshippers won't mind the 14-way adjustable Recaro seats or the 40-gigabyte hard drive for storing music, either.

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For more information on any of the vehicles in this article, click the links below:

-smart fortwo
-Nissan JUKE
-Dodge Viper
-Saab 9-4X
-Toyota Prius
-Cadillac CTS-V

Compare: All 6 Vehicles

Claire Martin has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Outside magazine. She's the former deputy editor of Men's Journal and currently lives in Los Angeles, where she covers technology, travel and food.

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