Mustang most popular search, ClassicCars.com data reveals

There are several ways to check the pulse of the collector car marketplace. There are auction results, buyer’s guides, and expert analysis. But another is to see what cars people are searching for the most on ClassicCars.com. With more than 30,000 vehicles for sale by private sellers, classic car dealers and auction houses, the website is the world’s largest collector car marketplace.

For the 2016 calendar year, the Ford Mustang was the most searched-for car. It also led in state-by-state statistics as the most searched-for collector vehicle in 13 of the 50 states.

The Chevrolet Impala was next among state leaders, topping the searches by residents of seven states, followed by the Chevrolet Camaro (five), and the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Charger and Ford Thunderbird (three each).

Domestics dominated among the 330,000 searches per day on the website by 3 million unique monthly visitors. Only in Connecticut was an import — the Mercedes-Benz brand — the most-searched vehicle.

So-called muscle cars dominated in searches, although pickup trucks were most popular in West Virginia (the Chevrolet 3100) and Oklahoma (the Ford F1).

Overall, Ford’s Mustang generated 3,736,942 unique searches on the website in 2016. Leading all non-American vehicles was the Volkswagen bus/van at 240,646. The most sought-after Asian car was the Datsun 280Z at 157,265 unique searches.

“Owning pristine collector vehicles – particularly domestic muscle cars – continues to be a passion for many Americans, from the most seasoned collectors to enthusiasts making their first purchase,” said Roger Falcione, ClassicCars.com’s president and chief executive.

“In fact, two vehicles on our list—the Ford Fairlane and Dodge Charger—play prominent roles in The Fate of the Furious, which recently topped $1 billion at the worldwide box office, attesting to the international interest in American muscle cars.”