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Alfa Brera
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Citroen C6
Prefer the Alfa GT to the Brera 'cos you can get a mountain bike through the boot door, whereas you can get f*** all through the Brera's rear door:
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All Land/Range Rovers.
Alfa 156 GTA Sportwagon
Any Pre GM Saab
All Land/Range Rovers.
🙂
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hora - Member2CV SHOULD be there but I don't think it ever really did outside a few people.
They made about 8 and a half million of them, so more than a few people 'got it' 🙂
And it's got probably the most active social scene and support network around the world of any vehicle going, bar the Defender.
Stone cold classic, the most intelligent use of space and materials ever.
As with many older Citroens, we've not caught up yet.
Simple, minimalist genius, so much fun to drive.
Can't see how the new FIAT 500 is in any way a classic.
The original, yes. The new one is a pastiche, typical of the shocking lack of imagination prevalent in new car design.
The old one looked how it did because that was the best way to package the 27 bits and pieces that made it go.
The new one looks like it does because some tosser in a black polo neck was told by the marketing deparment to make a Panda they could sell for nearly twice the price.
This is a classic, and has been for a while:
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The new 500 is about as classic as a new Beetle or BMW MINI.
deadlydarcy - MemberQuick shout for The Mokka
You, greyhaired boy at the back, what is YOUR name?
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Anyone that's interested, I believe there is a FJ40 or FJ45 nestled out the back of the Pillars Of Hercules farm/cafe in Falkland, Fife looking in desperate need of a new home.
This was a year or so ago mind you.
TurnerGuy - Member
Prefer the Alfa GT to the Brera 'cos you can get a mountain bike through the boot door, whereas you can get f*** all through the Brera's rear door:
Going to buy a Brera or GT sometime in the nearish future. I have decided whichever I get, I will budget for a bespoke bike carrying modification. Brought this up on an Alfa site and was "burned" as a Heritic. Thinking of some sort of rear boot modification or slide outs. There are super strong magnet roof mounts that can be used as well.
some tosser in a black polo neck
that'll be the same tosser that designed the mini and alfa mito then.
I like the 500 - plus it's a lot better looking than the Panda.
Mitsubishi Evo's are already semi classics in that they don't really depreciate anymore.
My brother has an EVO VIII which he will probably sell for more than he paid for it
Subaru Impreza 22Bs are already their. Try getting one for less than £25k
Any future classic will have to have been made in relatively low volumes and be distinct enough to be easily recognised in 20 years time.
The V8 M5's are getting to the point where they aren't getting any cheaper and good examples will start to appreciate.
Honda Integra Type R's are in the same bracket but try finding a straight one.
TurnerGuy - Member
that'll be the same tosser that designed the mini and alfa mito then.
He designed the BMW MINI as well? Are you sure?
If he did, that's even worse!
The most morally and intellectually bankrupt piece of car design I can think of.
And the most cynical marketing campaign too.
The Mito's quite nice, but again, it's a Punto in a nice frock.
Leaving the Mokka suggestion aside for the moment...
Would any of our 21st century SUVs make it into our STW experts'* lists?
*Liberal usage of this word.
cars that folk remember fondly as their first cars
Really? I had one of these. oved it, but unlikely to be a classic!
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Citroen C6, yes good call.
Anyone seen a Subaru SVX lately?
Audi A2 (as much as I hate to mention an Audi)
Vauxhall Calibra?
.
On the other hand anything once it gets rare. Mk4 Cortinas for example are classics, a Mk4 Mondeo will be one day.
TurnerGuy - Member
Caterham Super 7:
I think the Lotus 7 might have already claimed that spot
Turner Guy, apologies, just realised what you meant. I thought you were talking literally. 🙂
Sorry, I just don't like reto pastiches, for the reasons detailed above.
But that's what's good about these threads, we've all got opinions, none more valid than anyone elses. 😀
Would any of our 21st century SUVs make it into our STW experts'* lists?*Liberal usage of this word.
Interesting. Really don't know the answer to that one.
Gut feeling says they seem like a bit of an evolutionary dead end, tbh.
Anything with a big petrol engine... especially without a turbo.
He designed the BMW MINI as well? Are you sure?
not now - I was sure I read that somewhere - maybe it was a different set of 3 super-minis - but I cannot find it now.
I remember I was surprised at how someone could design both the mini and the 500.
Any future classic will have to have been made in relatively low volumes and be distinct enough to be easily recognised in 20 years time.
Cobblers, loads of high volume / mass market cars become classics - go to a show and count the Cortinas, Anglias, Rover SD1s, Minis, Beetles.....
My first ever car (in this red)
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The Alfa 4C will be a classic as soon as it hits the forecourts.
The Elise is already a classic, the Mk1 Exige, and 340R go for mega money. (my liz is staying in the garage)
It is really hard for common manufacturers like Toyota, Nissan, Citroen to be a classic, more cult cars. The Mk1 MR2 will be as close to classic as possible along with the Mk1 MX5.
Whoever said a Peugeot will have some classics are just so wrong. They have only done this with the 205 and that was because it was the benchmark. Nothing they have done since has come close to defining a generation of cars.
The Porsche GT3 and GT3 RS will be very cool along with rare variants of the Cayman.
Saabs have always had a cult following and anything pre-GM will be very popular. The quirkier the better (try buying a V4!)
If I were to wrap something in cellophane and forget it for 20 years it woud be a 4c, or a XKR, Alfa SZ, Exige V6 or Europa. All of which are low volume, aspirational cars, critically aclaimed and niech and the pinicle of burning hydrocarbon in its heydays before it becomes impossible to burn petrol.
To pull out of a garage in 100 years... I would wrap up a Tesla Model X.... or an early Honda Insight.
I remember I was surprised at how someone could design both the mini and the 500.
Well, they are both awful. 😉
hora - MemberMy first ever car (in this red)
Mine too 😯
Didn't have a blue door & wing & a 'Vote Commissioner Gordon' sticker on the rear bumper did it?
Less than 300 left on UK roads. How sad.
[url= http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/ ]How many left?.com[/url]
First/best/last of a style is often a good indicator
as above Mk1 Honda Insight is a good one, probably not been a better hybrid since.
Mk1 Espace? The first MPV nobody knew they even needed one till Renault made it now MPV/SUVs are everywhere, makes me sick.
E46 M3 CSL and E90 M3 CRT
Carrera GT last of the proper supercars and has a proper gearbox.
TVR Griffith 500 if not already
Another vote for the Puma. I had an early 1.7 for 5 years. Sadly went via the scrap scheme, 12yo and the bodywork was shagged 🙁
This...
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Another vote for the Brera here. The picture above just doesn't do it justice. Although that 8C is quite nice in a crazy kinda way too.
The MokKa LOL Really ? Dont forget the Agila 😉 There hasnt been a decent Vauxhall except where Lotus has been involved and cant see a Lotus badge on it anywhere.
I am going ultramodern with the Subaru BRZ/ Toyota thing, with rwd and funky styling.
The Aguila was just a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R.
I always thought that the Street Ka was begging to be a classic. Not many of them about and look great fun for posing round town in the mythical sun.[img] 
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mk1 impreza
mk1 mx5 (just sold wifes because of baby, sob)
mk1 mr2
elise
audi TT
First/best/last of a style is often a good indicator
^ this
Another vote for the Brera here.
I can't get past thing that the Brera was where they designed the spider first and then thought
'hey, if we put a roof on it we have another car'
which is why the brera shares the tight rear seat arrangement of the spider. at least people can sit in the back of the GT.
The thing with the Brera is that, although it looks pretty, from what I've read it isn't that great to drive. I think to achieve acclaimed classic status, particularly for an Alfa, that's kinda important.
Brera vs GT its worth considering the 3.2V6 in the GT is the last of the Italian built Arese (sp?) engines with the lovely chromed inlet pipes. one of THE best engines ever
the Brera 3.2L has a GM unit which although it sounds pretty nice is not very characterful (brera is also a very heavy car)
My dad has the 3.2 spider that matches the brera and damn its pretty and sounds amazing but its v heavy and the skuttle/shake through the chassis is terrible! a true cut the roof off and do nothing to stiffen it up approach
and a teaser image to finish 🙂
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Or two
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going a bit left-field, as much as I hate them, I think the original BMW X5 will become a classic.
First generation of the not-fit-for-purpose desirable roller-skate ****-mobiles.
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The X5 looks particularly fetching in that shade of norovirus brown.
...What, like the Monterey? 😆There hasnt been a decent Vauxhall except where Lotus has been involved
the [s]vauxhall[/s]izusu [s]monteray[/s] trouper ?
Vauxhall Frontera? There can't be any left, they were so bad, therefore must have a cult following?
Vauxhall Frontera? There can't be any left, they were so bad, therefore must have a cult following?
Sadly a work colleague has one. Wishes he didnt........... I drove it to the local MOT place recently , i told them they could keep it........hateful machine.........
Jaguar XJ220. Perhaps already there?
I expected a lot more from this thread, some appauling shouts...
Would go along with:
Focus RS
Golf R32
M3
Elise
156 GTA
MX5
Impreza
Not so sure about:
KA's
Seat Leons
Fabia VRS
Z4's
Citroen's (exc 2CV above)
Not even desirable now, never mind in the future 😕
Some are already classics, 2CV, XJ220 etc
Expected a lot more....on STW?
Standard forum rule for any thread on any subject is suggest what you own/have owned first without even thinking how sensible it may be hence Ka, Fabia etc
Opinions eh? 😐
Anyone have a definition of "classic" we could work to perhaps?
Do we just decide whats old enough and ugly enough?
Every Ford Cortina is a classic as far as I know, but the last 3 marks looked shit!
IMO of course......
156 GTA
See, I can never quite make my mind up on that one, and I was one of those proposing the 156 in general. Engineering / performance-wise it's obviously the ultimate version, but aesthetically, it looks like it's had a run in with a cheap and nasty bodykit, and I'm not too sure about those 18" alloys, they have a hint of "aftermarket" to them.
My ideal 156 would have the clean lines of a base model (no skirts, no big wing on the boot neither), the standard veloce alloys (the five rings, but the smaller ones, not the 18s on the GTA), the standard leather interior (early one, with the embroidered Alfa badges on the front seats), and the 3.2 ltr V6 engine and tighter suspension from the GTA please? Oh yeah, red bodywork with black interior, no other combination permitted.
btw, surely the spirit of the thread on spotting future classics is those "normal" cars that will be worth having in 10-20 years time, not some of the exotica being mentioned. You're not going to see clapped out XJ220s or R8s down at "Discount Dave's Bargain Car Emporium" in the intervening years now, are you?
I float around the classic car world* via my old man and they are always looking for the next thing. A few things I've picked up:
The KA (original, not the street and sport) are already considered the modern version of an original Mini: cheap, simple, fun to drive and cheap to run/repair. So a good one will be a classic, whereas bad ones will be modified.
A good 2002/3 M3 CSL is a bit of a find, never really gone down in value!!
An unmodified Nissan 200SX is also rare and sought after.
All TVR's. Nothing like manufacturer going tits up to get the prices heading up!!
Unregistered MG TF's - they are out there, I know of three in Cardiff!!
Honda Insights and Beats are being sniffed out by collectors nowadays. Values are still down low but they are almost always well-cared for.
The original Integra Type R is there already - rare and even rarer standard.
Honda NSX in any tune, as long as it's standard. The Senna connection is enough to make them a classic on their own!!
Just look for cars that are/were different and people lusted after, even when the competition overtook them!!
* by this I mean 1930's Bentleys, Maserati 250F's etc 🙂
There's two different classic car worlds though isn't there? There's the 1930s Bentleys and that crowd, and then there's the Moggy Minors and MGBs crowd....
There hasnt been a decent Vauxhall except...
Nonsense. The VXR8 is a shoe-in for classic status,.
You'd be surprised how much overlap there is!! Usually caused by the son/daughter getting the bug and not having mega-bucks to spend.
Plus a lot of the 'collectors' have only one Bentley etc, but a few of the cheaper stuff to use daily. I know of one gentleman who owns a Bugatti Type 54 that he saved from certain demise back in the 50's and has lovingly rebuilt over many years. All his money goes into it but hates modern stuff, so he drives an Escort Mexico and his wife has a Talbot Sunbeam (non-Lotus). His daughter caught the bug at an early age and now runs around in a Mk2 Golf for daily duties, but has a Mazda RX7 for fun. Covers all bases between them!!
Oh, and they all go to the same autojumbles for that elusive missing part 😛
I don't buy into any old car is a classic
Cortina's aren't classics. They just have some devoted saddos that refuse to let them die.
Ahem.
Jim Clark had a lot of success in Cortinas you know.
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And the standard car was so much better than the crap most ordinary drivers had been offered before - along with the Mini it was a huge, huge step forward from something like a Morris Oxford.
So yeah, it's a classic.
As for Vauxhalls, there are Firenzas, Lotus Carltons and all manner of exotic pre war stuff out there.
No one remember Gerry Marshall and his collection of utterly crazy saloons?
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edlong...I suggested the 156 GTA (sportwagon) I could not agree more on the boy racer add on's but time has a way of making these seem less gauche* when they are old. It is the interior I really love.
*whoo Hoo great STW word 😉
Ill also agree regarding the styling of the 156 GTA
Honda jazz 🙂
Rusty less than 300? Right Im going to buy and keep one..
Has anyone mentioned the Renault Clio V6 yet?
That's the virtually hand built limited edition where they took a Renault Clio and stuck a huge 3l V6 engine where the rear seats used to be????
The most fabulous of cars.
SB
The William Clio was earlier, don't remember the V6 bein mentioned, the biggest problem with any future classic is numbers left, in 2012 there were 417 V6 Clio's left, not many to last to become a future classic
What about a Isuzu Impulse Turbo cant be much of them left now.
Renault 5 gt Turbo bits fell off them everyday great car though
The Mito's quite nice, but again, it's a Punto in a nice frock.
Ha! I read a description of the Puma as being a Fiesta in a party frock! Still makes me laugh.
edlong - Member
The X5 looks particularly fetching in that shade of norovirus brown.
(Gulp) Thanks, I had a dose of that... 😳
One I've just thought of, that you never see around any more, is this:
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[/img]Great little car, terrific handling, boxer engine, Italian racing heritage, what more could you want?
Well, apart from bodywork that wasn't already going rusty before the paint went on...
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Cortina's aren't classics. They just have some devoted saddos that refuse to let them die.
Sorry, but that's a fatuous remark, and ignorant too. Mk1/2 Cortinas were extraordinarily good race/rally cars. Look at any British Eurosport club rallying and you'll see lots of Mk1/2 Escorts still being raced competitively, and classic car circuit racing still has lots of Mk1/2 Cortinas and Escorts. About as good a definition of a classic car as its possible to find.
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Gerry Marshall and his Vauxhalls were always a favourite at Castle Combe Circuit back when I used to help out on one of the breakdown wagons.
Some great classics on here:
http://www.forum-auto.com/tuning/showcar/sujet381074-3290.htm
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Early Toyota Celica GT4's
Lotus Carlton
Sierra XR4i 4x4
Sierra Cosworth
Vauxhall Cavalier cabriolet
Now, I've just quickly scanned this thread (so please forgive if i missed it) for a modern classic amongst the STW massive and see no mention of the trusted and oft recommended Skoda Octavia......
[img] http://www.flickr.com/photos/53603703@N03/8390038719/in/set-72157624745575859/ 548312_10150855365838134_1255046884_n[/img]
This is my brother's car. Very fun to drive and starts many forecourt conversations when I take it out.
Don't see too many around now.
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8390038719_6c2824b315.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53603703@N03/8390038719/ ]548312_10150855365838134_1255046884_n[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53603703@N03/ ]Al Kerslake[/url], on Flickr
This is my brother's car. Very fun to drive and starts many forecourt conversations when I take it out.
Don't see too many around now.
Haha, I'm looking forward to the future of the future classic cars.
Can't believe it's 5 pages in and there's no mention of the RX7 Spirit R.
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It's got all the hallmarks of a classic:
Last run of model
Bonkers engine
Questionable reliability (assuming you believe everything you read online)
World-class handling
Appreciating in price (£20k+ for a Spirit R, whereas a standard one can be had for about £5k)
Very few, if any, on the UK roads
Arguably the most beautiful car Japan has ever produced
It's a magical car that Mazda appear to have fluked their way into making as good as it is.
This is all assuming it's not already considered a classic, but seeing as mk1 MR2/MX5 it's being mentioned, I'm not sure.
RX7 is already a classic.
Truly a brilliant car.