Top 10 Future Classics

Audi started a revolution in the 1980s in world rally, road racing and production cars with its famed quattro all-wheel-drive system, but the R8 might be its breakthrough model. The R8 is to Audi what the 911 family is to Porsche, and the original 2008 was the first of this new breed. Named after Audi's all-conquering prototype racer, the mid-engine sports car has an aluminum body stretched over an aluminum space frame and a 420-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 engine neatly tucked under its rear window. The R8 was introduced to unanimous acclaim, and 900 were sold in the U.S. in its first year. Audi has since launched an R8 powered by a 525-horsepower V10 engine and unveiled the gorgeous V10-powered R8 Spyder and the fully electric e-tron versions, promising to build both soon.

Video: 2008 Audi R8 vs. Corvette LS3

Built from 2000 to 2003, the limited-production Z8 was based on the Z07 concept first shown at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show. Both were designed by Henrik Fisker (of recent electric-car fame), then head of BMW Designworks in California. Inspired by the marvelous BMW 507 roadster of the late '50s, the Z8's retro design was atypical for the forward-looking carmaker. It was built virtually by hand, with aluminum body panels draped over an aluminum space frame and a 4.9-liter 400-horsepower V8 engine under its long hood, with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Total production was 5,703 units, half of which sold in the U.S. The number includes a few hundred Z8 Alpina versions, built in 2003 with a slightly smaller 4.8-liter V8 that fed more torque to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. The Z8 went out as a cushy cruiser.

Bing: Pictures of the 2000 BMW Z8

There had never been a Cadillac like the second-generation CTS-V performance sedan, and there might never be another, should it disappear. With its supercharged 556-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine, it is the most powerful and fastest Caddy in the marque's 100-year history. Yet the newest CTS-V is a remarkably refined street car, thanks to standard Magnetic Ride Control shock absorbers. This V is at its very best with the 6-speed manual gearbox, which lets it accelerate to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reportedly tops out at 193 mph. The keeper model has the Sport package's Recaro seats and suedelike steering-wheel rim, but also the optional Brembo brakes with floating front discs.

Read: Reviews of the Cadillac CTS-V

The ZR1 is the most powerful Corvette built in the car's half-century-plus history and could be the peak of the legendary sports car's evolution in its traditional front V8/rear-drive form. Powered by a supercharged 638-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine, the ZR1 rips to 60 mph in less than four seconds and easily tops 200 mph. Built on an aluminum space frame and replete with carbon fiber, magnesium and other light materials, it weighs only 3,333 pounds. Magnetically variable damping shocks keep the highway ride remarkably smooth and the handling sharp and balanced. And Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes haul the car down without a squeal or a speck of sooty dust. With no more than 2,000 built every year, this one looks like a sure bet for classic and collectible status.

Video: Classic 1955 Corvette

Though the short-lived merger between Daimler and Chrysler was a failure, it did produce some interesting cars. Most prominent are sedans and wagons built on the rear-wheel LX platform, which integrated several major chassis components from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class family. The boldly styled Chrylser 300 sedan was the most visible, but the coolest of the bunch was the Dodge Magnum wagon. With its low, sloping, tapered roofline, the Magnum had clear hot-rod DNA but was not a sales hit. And the rip-snorting SRT8 version powered by a 6.1-liter 425-horsepower HEMI V8 engine was the coolest. Only 4,129 copies of the Magnum SRT8 were built and sold in 2007 and 2008. We think these solid and rapid wagons are worth holding onto or getting while they are still within reasonable reach.

MSN Autos: Find a used Magnum SRT8

The original Viper was a miracle. Developed primarily for the sake of innovation, it went on to become America's second iconic sports car, with a brilliant racing career that includes an overall win in the 24 Hours of Daytona, repeated class wins at Le Mans and numerous championships. The most exclusive version of the fourth-generation Viper is the limited-edition ACR (American Club Racing) model, built to compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 and Lotus Exige. Much has been said about the duel between the Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R on the Nürburgring's famed Nordschleife loop, but a street-legal, 600-horsepower Viper ACR has turned a lap in 7:22, four seconds quicker than the ZR1's best yet. The ACR is the real deal.

Bing: Pictures of the 2009 Dodge Viper ACR

The GT was first meant as Ford's birthday present to itself on the company's centennial anniversary. Three production prototypes of the GT were built for the 2003 celebrations, and a grand total of 4,038 production cars were built for model years 2005-2007, of which 3,596 were sold in the U.S. Powered by a midmounted, supercharged, all-aluminum 5.4-liter V8 engine that delivers 550 horsepower, the GT has been praised for its sharp handling and strong performance, with zero to 60 mph runs of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. The GT carries aluminum body panels over an aluminum space frame, with a shape inspired by the GT MK II that first won Le Mans in 1966. The new GT is 18 inches longer and almost 4 inches taller than its racing ancestor, and has all the comfort and safety accessories of a modern sports car.

Video: 2005 Ford GT

Honda stunned the world with its midengine, all-aluminum wonder, the NSX, in the early '90s. For an encore, chief engineer Shigeru Uehara created a lean, classic, front-engine, rear-drive roadster. The Honda S2000 was powered by an inline 2.0-liter 4-cylinder VTEC engine that delivered 240 horsepower at a shrieking 8300 rpm, coupled to an exceptionally precise and quick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission. Displacement was bumped to 2.2-liters for 2004, making the engine more flexible while improving performance slightly. The Club Racer (CR) model introduced in 2008 is Uehara's "gift to enthusiasts in the U.S." before the S2000 gets phased out this year. With tighter suspension, more aerodynamic bodywork, a lighter and more rigid body, and a removable hardtop, the CR is a track-day car out of the box.

Video: 2008 Honda S2000 CR

Racing is in Porsche's DNA, but when an opportunity arises, the wizards in Zuffenhausen, Germany, are quick to seize it. Left with the chassis for an unused open-cockpit Le Mans racer and a V10 engine first developed with Formula One in mind, Porsche combined the two in a concept that was a hit at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show. This led to the production of the Carrera GT, a midengine supercar with a carbon-fiber chassis and body that was powered by a 5.7-liter version of this V10 engine, coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox through a ceramic composite clutch — the first of its kind. With 612 horsepower on tap at 8000 rpm, the GT sprinted to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, on to a top speed of 205 mph, with ceramic brakes to haul it back down.

Video: Classic 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera

Not all cars need a V12 engine to become classics. Toyota introduced a small sedan with rather frumpy styling to North America in 2001. The first Prius had 70 horsepower under the hood, electrically assisted but numb steering and grabby brakes. Nonetheless, the Prius initiated a profound shift in the way we perceive and drive cars. The second-generation Prius, launched in 2004, made "hybrid car" a household expression. This more powerful yet more frugal Prius packed its much-improved batteries flat under the rear floor, which made it both roomier and more practical. Toyota sold quite a few, but pristine examples of the first two generations of Prius are bound to become classics, in spite of their modest garb.

Discuss:  Do you have a potential classic in the garage?

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A professional auto journalist for more than 25 years and the founding editor of Sympatico/MSN Autos, Marc Lachapelle is a two-time winner of the Canadian Journalist of the Year award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, an accomplished photographer and licensed racer.

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