At the 2025 Miami Concours, duPont REGISTRY Group hosted a series of Q&A panel discussions and some major players in the South Florida automotive industry, including Curated’s John Temerian, and global big hitters, featuring former Lamborghini motorsport chief Maurizio Reggiani. The topic of this discussion is the explosion of interest in 1990s supercars, and how these passion purchases can be balanced as investment pieces in 2025. At the fabulous Moore Building in Miami’s Design District, Charles Bradley for Petrolicious got to ask what the main factors driving this trend for 1990s supercars over 30 years later...
CB: What’s pushing the trend for ’90s supercars? John, is nostalgia the main driver of this, or are there other factors at play, such as their analogue driving experience?
John Temerian: I'll be 40 soon, but I realized there's a massive young generation of people, and many are becoming clients, and that what's wild to see now. I call them the video game generation, because when you think of over 80 million users for Gran Turismo, we clearly have a younger generation that's into ’90s supercars. When I was growing up, not many people knew what an F50 was, or a 959. Walk outside here, at the Miami Concours, and you might see 200, 300 spotters that can tell you exactly how many F40s or Diablo VTs there are! So, we're in a different world, where YouTubers are into these cars. It's cars that were on the cover of magazines, cars that were in video games and TV series, and obviously the social media culture we have now. I think it's totally nostalgia, and I think that will be the driving force for the next 10, 20, 30 years as this generation ages.
CB: Talking about cars from this era, Maurizio, you worked on many, including the Diablo and Murciélago, do you see DNA flowing through Lamborghini’s products over these past 35 years?
Maurizio Reggiani: I think DNA is something that is really essential for the new generation, but also for our generation. And when I was at Lamborghini, one of my most important points was to be able to engineer DNA; it is not something that came by chance. It's something that you need to be able to predict, to create a mathematical formula, and after to have physics that you can measure. And this is what you perceive in terms of vibration, acceleration, how your heart races, how it makes you breathe faster, the movement of the eyes, everything can be predicted. However, I think more and more we move in an era where supercars risk losing parts of that DNA mainly due to some reason like a green deal, efficiency, pollution emissions… But people still want to have emotion, and that is to take some essential points of the DNA from the past. In my new advisory job, I collaborate with Eccentrica, and we took the Diablo from the ’90s and we updated in order to be perfect from an engineering point of view with the car of today. And drawing on the past of Diablo, I think everyone knows what it means when I talk about possibility to drive a car with the DNA of the ’90s today, with the flavor in terms of car, in terms of design, in terms of usage that is unique. This is really how to maintain DNA and give to the new generation something that is super exciting.
CB: Let's talk about supercars as assets, and passion purchases versus investments. John, how do collectors balance passion with financial value when acquiring cars?
John Temerian: I think the reality is you have so much passion chasing these cars today, of course, everyone would like to feel good that it’s a safe investment. After COVID, you had a massive shift where online auctions were introduced to the world. People saw that these assets are very liquid. There are many buyers and bidders and people in many bidding wars, and there's no question they're an accepted alternative asset today. But I think the key to collecting is buy what you love, buy numbered pieces, special pieces, and I always tell everybody, buy the best of whatever you can afford at any given moment. I think historically, if you look at Ralph Lauren's collection, a great example, in the ’80s when he started buying to the late ’90s, he was buying the best of whatever he could find. I think what makes this hobby, and the culture, so exciting is the pure passion and, yes, it's a beautiful thing that the cars have done incredibly well. I see ’90s cars, early 2000s cars, are still undervalued. I think they have a long ways to go in terms of value. But I think it needs to be passion first and foremost.
CB: Maurizio, should supercars be treated as financial investments?
Maurizio Reggiani: I can talk from the other side of the wall, I was at Lamborghini when we started the ‘few-offs’ with Reventón in 2007, and this was one of the most important challenges, because this was something a little bit new. Nobody made this kind of special series, and from this time after Reventón, we did Veneno, we did the Sián [FKP 37] and the Countach [LPI 800-4 from 2021], and all the cars are here today, so this means that the value was good in terms of investment, in terms of technological demonstration, and at the end they’re a piece of art. I think this is really the best investment, and remember every time in a company that you made something like this, you increase the brand value of the company because that is not only an investment, it’s putting your star high, high, high in the sky every time. This is a value also for customers, for us it is a secondary effect, but it's totally in line with the strategy.
CB: Maurizio, do you think modern hybrid and electric hypercars will age as well as analog legends?
Maurizio Reggiani: Let me divide this into engine categories. On the naturally aspirated engine, you need to be able to engineer something perfect, you are either good or not good. Then we have a turbo engine, where the turbo helps in case you’re missing some horsepower. After that, you have hybrid power, which is a mix of a thermodynamic engine plus an additional boost that is mainly dedicated to some specific performance or emission targets. I think that these three categories can be able to maintain the passion, the DNA of a super sportscar. It's clear that when we talk about hybrid, we should not really reduce the number of the cylinders of a super sportscar. If we talk about Italy, for us the V12 is the mother of all the engines, all the other engines are derived from a V12, and it's clear that the impact of a battery electric engine must be reduced as much as possible. Why? The most important factor is weight. Power is important, but as I always tell my test driver, I can perceive a 20kg lighter in a car, but I cannot perceive 20 horsepower more! For the future, if you want to guarantee the DNA, we must remember and try to fix this for the new generation of the super sportscar.
CB: John, which elements of 90s supercar design do you think might be missing from today's models?
John Temerian: Well, I think it goes along with the last question. I mean, this might sound controversial, but I think, hybrid cars, electric cars, it's like your cell phone, it's disposable. I think the fit and finish, the hand-built quality, the sensory experience that you get from a ’90s car, it's unparalleled. One of the reasons that we started Curated is we had a rental car business and I had the opportunity to drive a lot of modern cars back to back. And listen, they're all perfect. They're great in Miami traffic, the AC is great, the power of steering's perfect, but it's too good, and I think what's so exciting is we're constantly seeing, in our industry, we have our ear to the ground, and we're seeing so many young people. We've sold numerous Murciélago examples to guys in their early 30s, late 20s because they don't want an SF 90, they don't want something that is almost mundane in many ways. So, I think we are missing today the sensory experience. That said, I commend brands like Pagani and others that are still making a manual transmission. And I think that's super important. Porsche, all of these brands that have built really, really incredible product today, lightweight cars – cars have gotten so heavy, it's almost absurd. Obviously, a Tesla is a perfect daily driver, but at the end of the day, the enthusiasts want something like the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 car.
CB: Let's go back to talking about investment potential. John, what are some of the best-performing 90s supercars in terms of value appreciation? And is this trend here to stay?
John Temerian: I'm going to be very biased in many, many different ways! I don't think you can go wrong with Lamborghini, as a brand it is still undervalued today. I think people resonate, especially entrepreneurs, with the story, an almost the ‘FU’ to the world! It's like this bold statement, and I look at brands like Koenigsegg as well, a bold statement, always pushing the bounds of technology and design. But I look at the more special Diablos, like a Diablo SE30 or Diablo GT, the current price point doesn't make sense when you're talking about such limited production. Today, if Porsche releases a limited car, it's one of 1900, one of 2000. But a Ruf in period is one of 29 or one of 50. A limited Lamborghini was 50, 100. You were talking very, very minuscule numbers. Look at cars like a [Porsche] Carrera GT that could be considered one of the greatest all-round supercars, end-of-an-era-type car. I think that car will forever go down in history and be as important as an asset, as a great investment. I think you have to buy what you love, and I think that's why Carrera GT has done well. People love F40s, and there's a lot of F40s! There's 1300 in the world, but it's that good of a car and that iconic of a car. I'm still a massive [Lamborghini] Countach fan; I think they're incredibly undervalued. You look at that car, the presence it's had in the world, it's probably one of the most important cars of our time. I think this generation of cars is still getting started.
CB: Let's move on to driving versus storing, it's always the collector's dilemma, isn't it? Maurizio, as an engineer, should collectors prioritize driving their cars or keeping the mileage low for future potential?
Maurizio Reggiani: I can tell you that our dream as engineers is that customers can use the car daily. When we developed our special car, like Veneno, we made the testing like that of a car that must fulfill all the necessity of the customer. I can tell you today with the Eccentrica car, when I joined we had a discussion with the board about how to satisfy the necessity of the customer of today, not of the past, and for this reason we try to give something that is really usable daily. When they take it out of the garage, air conditioning must work, the clutch must be suitable, the gearbox must be smooth enough to be handled. We know exactly what customers want, and our engineering dream is to really enjoy the car. You have a value, but you need also to enjoy when you drive. Otherwise, you can just put the paint on the wall, and it's not a car! Emotion is something different.
CB: John, how much does mileage impact a car's value in today's collector market?
John Temerian: Massively! For instance, there are formulas you could look at for a Carrera GT and an F40. You could look at a 10,000-mile Carrera GT and it might be half of the price of a 200-mile Carrera GT. Same with an F40. That being said, I'm a massive advocate of those [higher mileage] cars. I think exceptionally low mileage cars, and it's incredible to see the original finishes, I think we need them too. The reality is that one day people are going to restore these cars, and if you don't have the low-mileage preserved cars, you don't know how to restore them. But I would say that today there's almost a sweet spot in American culture. I see a lot of American buyers willing to drive their cars, use their cars, enjoy their cars. So, you know, a car that's 3000 to 5000 miles, it's not too low of mileage, they can still use it and enjoy it, but there's always some buyer that will pay a crazy premium for a 200-mile car, including myself! I think the European market doesn't understand some of these benchmark cars with 500 miles, all of our Instagram followers, they don't understand it either, you'll see some of the hated comments on some of our photos, but I think it's an important part of our culture. We need those cars to exist. We need to see what the original finishes were like, but with certain cars, it's a formula, and there's a buyer on both spectrums. There's a buyer for the worst Carrera GT in the world, and there's a buyer for the best.
CB: Let's talk about personal favorites, John and Maurizio, pick your top cars from the ’90s and the modern era…
Maurizio Reggiani: For me, at the Miami Concours, I am seeing so many cars that are parts of my life! Just outside there is the EB 110 Bugatti; I was responsible for powertrain and it was the first time that I was really put in the front of the world to take a decision and it takes me back to being like a child! Afterwards, when I was a little bit more serious, I must say that the project that I have in my heart is the Aventador. It is a masterpiece in the car industry, and I must say also the Urus because for a guy like me that made only very low cars, I made a higher car! And to be able to surprise the world was something exceptional. And now my new baby is the Eccentrica, it's like when you have a baby that is not yet running, and you wait for the time that you can sit in the car, run and enjoy your life.
CB: Beautiful words, how about you John?
John Temerian: I do have to follow up with that and say the EB 110 is one of the most undervalued, most important cars of our time. You're talking about the first production car with a carbon fiber tub, quad turbo, V12. It's wild to see it parked next to a McLaren F1, and it's still a quarter of the price – in some states, it’s the taxes on a McLaren F1. It just doesn't make sense to me. Every time we buy one, or every time I encounter one, I think, ‘Wow, what an interesting part of history, that isn't appreciated truly yet.’ For me, my favorites are a Diablo SE30 or a Diablo GT, they're so limited in number, and they speak to my soul. As a kid, the first time I saw an SE30, it shocked me. The colors that Lamborghini choose, the finishes, the use of carbon fiber, and in many ways it was Lamborghini's first purpose-built car, a track-inspired car. I think all of your SVJs and SVs today are because of those cars. And then I'm a massive fan of the Ferrari 550 and 550 Barchetta, a car that you could use all the time. You could enjoy it, it's fast, it's comfortable, it's a gentleman's car. Modern cars are tough… I'm not that in love with all the modern cars today. But I would say, of the brands that excite me most, we had this incredible opportunity to spend some time with the Ruf family and use the new CTR anniversary, and I think everything that Ruf is doing as a brand is exciting. It's still very analog, it's limited, it checks a lot of boxes for me.
