According to data from Hagerty, after years of modest appreciation, the value of the Bugatti Veyron is now experiencing a significant breakout.

For many years, the Bugatti Veyron was a hypercar that shattered every performance record, yet its auction prices 鈥?the metric that truly matters to collectors 鈥?remained stubbornly stagnant. As the world's first hypercar, only 450 units of all versions were produced between 2005 and 2015, and even when new, finding a buyer was a challenge. However, the tide is now turning.

"Last year, our data started to show signs, and it was almost a banner year for Bugatti," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, the world's largest insurer of classic collector cars. Hagerty's data shows that since 2021, the value of the Veyron model has risen by approximately 20% cumulatively. The earliest batches saw a 29% increase, with an average price of around $1.9 million. The buyer demographic chasing these cars today is, on average, younger than the current buyer of a new Porsche 911.

Hagerty believes this shift in market sentiment stems from a major transformation in the collector car landscape. "Newer models are now being seen as collectible," he noted, adding that, like many trends in the automotive industry, this change was spearheaded by Ferrari NV. He pointed out that the prices of classic Ferraris from the 1950s and 1960s have plateaued, "just drifting sideways at very high price levels." Genuine demand has shifted to modern Ferraris, with multi-year waiting lists for new orders, which in turn fuels the heat in the used car market.

"The excessively long wait times for Ferrari orders have pushed buyers toward other brands," Hagerty stated. "McLaren and Porsche have both benefited from this." The Bugatti Veyron has been swept up in this trend: buyers want rare collectibles, and they want them immediately. There is also a generational shift. The primary buyer base is getting younger, and older collectors are being influenced too.

"I know three new Veyron owners who bought the car because they said, 'I want to own a car that makes my grandkids think I'm cool.' I said, great, why not?" Hagerty remarked. During a media test drive of the original Veyron Super Sport, which debuted at the 2010 Monterey Car Week, I was astonished by the modern feel of this 16-year-old hypercar, even without pushing it to its limits. In a sense, it drives like a new car: the chassis is taut yet compliant, the power delivery is abundant and progressive, and the interior is swathed in high-quality leather, offering a comfortable ride. It can tear up a racetrack but is also perfectly suited for a leisurely drive on a country road back home.

This may be why the new generation of collectors favors modern hypercars 鈥?they are more accessible and easier to live with on a daily basis. The conversation then turned to the economic side. When asked if the collector car market is experiencing a K-shaped recovery, he answered without hesitation: "It's like the two prongs at the top of the letter K." People are spending heavily on cars, often alongside large asset liquidations: selling a business, an IPO, or a booming stock market. At the same time, tariff pressures, high interest rates, and global geopolitical conflicts create unease.

This ultimately fuels a buying frenzy in the top-tier collector market, which remains largely unaffected by the anxieties of the middle and affluent classes. Hagerty has witnessed this acceleration firsthand from his many clients. "Now, people are building hundred-million-dollar collector garages in months, rather than over decades, which is a stark contrast to the past." It is difficult to define whether buying a car is an investment or pure enjoyment. "It's a joy. If you sell your company for a billion dollars, why wouldn't you buy one?" he said.

Once you sit inside the car, you can feel it: as long as the financial resources are there and physical conditions allow, almost any wealthy individual would be drawn to the Veyron.