Hold on to your Honda CR-Z, because this ex-Ferrari designer says it’ll be a future classic!

With prices of childhood heroes like the Nissan Skyline GT-R or the Toyota Supra A80 reaching unattainable stratospheric levels, there are discussions among petrolheads on what could potentially be the next future classic. According to famed car designer, Frank Stephenson, one of those future classics is the Honda CR-Z.

Stephenson is the man behind some of the most iconic car designs of the 2000s including the first-gen MINI, the Ferrari F430, and the Maserati MC12. In his latest video, he listed out 8 cars that could potentially become future classics.

Among the cars listed were the Alfa Romeo Brera (which he owned 2), the BMW Z4 Coupe, and the Honda S2000. He then went on to say that the Honda CR-Z ranks as one of them in terms of the hybrid coupe’s design.

Also read: Like it or not, because of Najib, 10 years ago we got the affordably-priced Honda CR-Z

Stephenson thinks that the CR-Z is an excellent evolution of the CR-X (from a design standpoint) and the overall shape of the hybrid coupe capitalizes on the design features of that classic Honda.

Also read: Forget the CR-X, the Honda CR-Z was a fine successor to another Honda legend

With an almost wedge design and a dynamic side profile, the designer went on to say that the CR-Z is an example of a car that feels like a dog tugging its leash and wanting to sprint off.

Also read: 15 reasons why the Honda CR-X is one of the best cars ever made

He concluded that the CR-Z’s design showed the world that there is such a thing as a good design on hybrid technology and it didn’t have to look undynamic.

Will it really be a classic?

Before you think about buying a CR-Z in the hopes that one day prices of these will creep up just like so many Japanese icons, we must advise that buying these cars merely as an investment can be quite risky.

Prices for these Honda hybrids can start at around RM 40,000 in the used car market which is actually affordable. If you are keen to get one, we have an extensive used car guide on what to watch out for and how much it would cost to maintain one.

Also read: Used Honda CR-Z for RM 43k: Is it safe to buy the sport hybrid second-hand?

However, if you are looking at a CR-Z and think that it will be an investment opportunity, bear in mind that it would take years or decades for prices to climb. Perhaps it might never appreciate in value, unless Hollywood decides to make it an unlikely hero in some blockbuster franchise.

The CR-Z is a niche sort of hybrid sports car with a manual gearbox but much like the CR-X it is based on, it’s an affordable quirk of a car, for now.