In a world of challenging economic conditions, when it comes to the issue of safe investments it may never have been so tricky to select a dead cert. But many people, it seems, are turning to the classic car for a little more security.

As the recent Goodwood Revival Festival in Sussex demonstrated, those with substantial sums of money – and who want to make substantially more – are increasingly investing in famous old motor cars.

And with so much ‘new money’ coming out of emerging markets in the Middle East and Asia, it hasn’t taken long for the wealthier residents of those regions to see what a good investment buying a classic car can be. While it can be tempting for a well financed individual to purchase, say, a brand new Lamborghini, the value of such an investment can drop by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a week.

While general insurance of such a purchase is of course very prudent indeed, the need for such extras as vehicle breakdown insurance is perhaps less important, since these valuable vehicles are normally secreted away in ultra secure garages – and are rarely driven.

Typical examples of the kinds of prices such vehicles can fetch were provided by the Goodwood Revival Festival this year: Bonhams auctioneers put a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost under the hammer and sold it for £485,500. Similarly, a Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona breached the half million mark at £595,000. British cars in particular have been achieving very high prices at Goodwood, including E-Type Jaguars and shiny old Aston Martins.