Wealthy Asians nix gold for classic cars
Print Edition
Classic cars such as Ferraris, Bugattis and Bentleys soared by 28 percent in value in the year to June, outstripping gold, art and luxury London property thanks to rising demand from wealthy Asians.
Property consultancy Knight Frank, which publishes an index tracking the performance of luxury goods, said the world’s wealthy were putting more money into tangible items that they could enjoy as the world economy looks to be recovering.
In July, a rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 in which five-time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina won two grands prix, was sold at auction for 19.6 million pounds (US$30.6 million), making it the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
“It’s an asset class that’s very rare and it’s very aspirational,” said Andrew Shirley, editor of the report.
“A lot of Asian high net worth individuals have acquired classic cars ... They keep them in their garage in the UK or Europe and they come over and drive them in rallies.”
This is in stark contrast to gold, seen as a safe-haven investment in difficult periods, whose value has slumped by 23 percent over the same period following a 12-year bull run.
After classic cars, the next biggest gainers in the index were coins and stamps, up 9 and 7 percent, respectively. Art, which had surged in value in the run-up to the credit crunch, fell 6 percent over the period as buyers become more cautious and selective, he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
