Porsche 911 tops a list of must-have classics, but No. 2 is more of a surprise

No surprise here: In Europe, the Porsche 911 is the most sought-after classic car.

Surprise here: Slip-streaming the 911 in the most sought-after chart compiled by the Car & Classic marketplace is the Ford Mustang.

Using the Google search engine as a means to pick the winners, as well as the average prices achieved on the “Car and Classic” website, the venerable 911 was tagged 1.45 million times per month according to data stretching back 15 years. The number of 911’s sold though the C&C marketplace was 21,141, at an average price of 58,409 pounds, or $74,300.

Ford’s pony car, still a popular choice for buyers in Europe, placed second on the list with 1.2 million monthly searches. The average sales price over 15 years was 31,107 pounds ($39,570), and the number of older Mustangs sold reached a total of 8,332.

Models that also finished among the charted top 10 include the Land Rover Range Rover, the Corvette, the ultra-classic British favorite Jaguar E-Type and the BMW 3 Series.

“Whilst a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS could set you back the best part of £500,000 ($636,000), there are many more affordable models, which bring the average sale price of a 911 on Car & Classic to £58,000 ($73,800) – the third highest average selling price of any make and model on the site,” explained Dale Vinten of Car & Classic.

According to the site, the Jaguar fetched the highest average selling price: a whopping 89,000 pounds, or $113,000.

But that’s peanuts compared to a Series 1 Roadster in excellent condition, said Vinten. For that, “you can expect to spend up to £250,000 ($318,000), A Series 2 or 3 will cost less, as they are not as desirable, but in decent condition you can expect to pay around £40,000-£50,000. Even a barn find 1969 E-Type Series 2 Roadster can set you back to the tune of £33,000 ($42,000).”

Launched in 2005, Car & Classic is among Europe’s most popular classic car clearinghouses. It also runs a stand-alone auction site.