en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic?wasRedirected=true

I think you will find the focus is more worthy of classic than a skyline or vulva….. they are the most common British car of this era so in 20 or 30 years will be a classic

with respect to the op, maybe we should stick to cars we’ve driven. Is a F40 really a better car than a focus? can someone lend me one so I can make an informed choice.

Iv’e driven a F40*, also been a passenger in one when it was driven quite hard, they are the nuts, probably the best non driver aided car of its time, & arguably better than a McLaren F1, & certainly better than the Bugatti EB110 & Porsche 959, although they are all iconic cars of the era.
I’m sure people will be along any second to say the RS200 & 6R4 were better, then we have the Stratos & the formidable Audi SWB quattro.

It’s all subjective, which is of course a good thing.

*Around a car park

Ford Puma

Only the Ford Racing Puma IMO.
Can’t see the Focus ST or ST170 being “classics” they were a bit too normal and mass produced. The RS was limited in numbers.

Imagine flying through the countryside in 30 years time, in a SWB Quattro putting the shits up everyone!

Can’t believe no-one has mentioned the Lotus Elise yet – a proper step change in the evolution of the small sports car. Shame they’ve had to go porky along with everything else since the first one though.

Buy now to get in at the bottom (ish) ;o)

Elise mentioned early on.

ST170 etc like Mk1 Escort Mexico etc?

Mk 5 Golf GTI

Any car that survives long enough becomes classic. This thread is set out wrong – the question is what will be looked back on as the peak evolution of the petrol engine. I’d nominate a Honda VTEC, just to pick one, not because I’ve ever owned one or would enjoy having to rev the balls off the engine for performance.

Isn’t part of he problem that stuff with a lot of electronics will be almost impossible to maintain in 20-30 years time?

Alfa 166 – Clarkson likes them but that should not disqualify them from consideration!

406 Coupe, Peugeot’s last good looking car.

166s are very nice – I had 2 156s and the 166 drove nearly as well and is a fair bit bigger.

156 more likely as a classic as it is a Walter De Silva design and it did a good job turning things around for Alfa – if only they could have followed up with some decent reliability and dealer network…

Fiat Coupe – although I didn’t like the drive.

For classics I would say Mercedes more than BMW – their designs are better I think.

Escort RS Cosworth

Racing Puma

Fiat Coupe – surprised it’s not been mentioned (or did I miss it?)
EDIT – Beaten to it by about 20 secs….!!

Possibly original Audi TT

I reckon anything that has set a newish design style, so probably in no particular order
Audi TT
Smart FourTwo
Lotus Elise

take your pick

I can’t believe no one has yet said….

335D!!!!!!!!

SAAB 99 turbo

Honda CRX
MR2 MK1
3.0 Omega
Merc CLS
Suzuki Cappucino

half of them are already classics, mm.

Saab 900 T16S

I’d also say Ford Puma, all models, because its unlikely to date style-wise, and there weren’t many made to start with, (Yamaha only produced 100,000 1.7 ZTEC engines, for the Puma and Fiesta ZETEC S). 65,000 were built in total. The FRP is certainly a classic, being a hand built ltd edition, and only 300 of the 500 built are still in existence, but I think it will be a very high regarded coupé in years to come. Wish I could have kept mine… 😥

mcmoonter had it right. It’s got to be fixable by a guy in a shed.

So let’s think, what’s rarer than a Ferrari and fixable?

The Morris Marina!

With a few minor modifications it can look like this 🙂

(No, not the bike 🙂 )

presuming cars such as the 205 gti, sierra cosworths, delta’s etc are already classics, ill go for the following…

BMW M3(E46)

Audi RS4

the question is a bit vague but in 30 years time when I am telling the grandkids about old dirty cars i will be talking about image, noise, reputation, achievement at the time etc… . Basically the glory of the internal combustion engine.

F40, macF1, early turbo F1 cars, all group B rally cars, bmw v12 with a 50p sat on top of the engine, Mazda rotaries, 1930 americana(from straight 8s to flathead hotrods), Veyron, all big bike engines.
Probably a bit of a warble about the rover v8 too. A bit provincial so you could talk about the hemi instead.

Have tried to avoid chassis design and styling as that would be a whole other evening

Without a doubt, the RX7:

Just look at it. Automotive porn. And 300+hp from a 1.3 engine? Insane!

Bonus is, as petrol costs get higher the price of these bad boys gets lower. I WILL be owning one in the not too distant future 😀

I’ll put my vote in for the Smart Roadster & Coupe

Ox, they are lovely baby exotics aren’t they? My friend imports and sells Japanese cars as a money making hobby, he’s ended up keeping an RX7 as a weekend car. He says for £6k you can get a minter £4k a decent one if you look in right places, but finding a non molested ones getting harder. Cheaper tax and insurance than it’s counterparts too. I hope you get one and enjoy it soon. Never fails me how small it is off the ground.

406 Coupe, Peugeot’s last good looking car.

Smart Roadster & Coupe

+1

It’s probably classed as a classic already but the E30 M3 is definitely, imo, the only modern BMW that warrants that status. Proper mix of unique style, proper engine and amazing racing pedigree.

They’re already appreciating too (wish I still had mine)

[img]http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/TRC1563.jpg[/img]

Can cars a;ready older than 10 years really be discussed? surely they are already classics??

People saying F40s and the like are massively wide if the mark. ANY Ferrari or similar is exotic, rare and expensive which automatically precludes it from classic status in a way. Thee will ALWAYS be sought after and aspirational but never a true classic. Madness? No. Look at the real classics we have now: Mini, Beetle, 2CV, mk1 Escort, mk1 Golf, Morris Minor etc. The ones with a fanclub and a magazine devoted to them. The ones with their own shows and meets, the ones that people can buy, run and cherish. Speed, expense and power does not equal character! Those are the classics. 🙂

Any old tat can end up being considered a future classic these days, people talk about old ford escorts and morris marinas as classics and they were really dull cars, it just takes a few people with a soft spot for them to start a club and all the sudden its a classic.
My choice; Skoda Yeti, got a real soft spot for them.

288 GTO

There are some very strange choices here…

markrh…….skoda yeti?????????

Yeah, why not?

I saw your sneaky edit, 😉
If we’re playing that game then I choose this ball of fire

The MK III Astra. Fantastic bit of kit.