‘Modern classic.’
It’s a contradiction in terms.
To the casual observer, a 20-year-old car isn’t heritage. It’s just yesterday’s transportation sitting on your driveway.
If Penguin Publishing can claim the phrase for their paperbacks, surely we can claim it for combustion engines.
Not so long ago, the word ‘classic’ belonged to old men in MGBs driving to dusty car rallies.
Automotive journalism had strict lanes. The monthly mags ignored vintage cars. The collector mags ignored anything new enough to smell like a dealership.
Electric motors.
Clean Air Zones.
Speed cameras.
These three things have crushed the boundaries. Enthusiasts everywhere are converging on one inevitable category: the modern classic.
Defining the undefinable
What exactly counts?
Like a good novel, the answer depends on who’s holding it. But broadly speaking, we are looking at game-changers.
Ed Callow at Collecting Cars puts it bluntly:
“At their core, modern classics are ‘democratised.’ Vehicles from the late 20th century… produced during a distinct era of design and construction.”
He’s talking about the 80s, 90s, early 2000s.
We are narrowing it.
This list starts at the new millennium.
MERCEDES-BENZ CLS (2003-20 mechanics)
Price: £2500–£10,00
Here is another oxymoron wrapped in sheet metal: the four-door coupe.
The CLS took the E-Class chassis and stretched it into a shape that looked alien when it launched.
It kept the prestige. The quality.
It drove like a Mercedes but looked like nothing else.
All variants are rear-wheel drive. All use that seven-speed auto.
You get part-leather, heated seats, climate control, even early adaptive cruise. Air suspension was optional then.
It feels premium inside.
Is it cheap today?
Yes.
Because it’s aging. And because Mercedes electronics can be tricky.
If you buy one, read this.
Early petrol engines suffer from balancer shaft issues. Some owners suggest skipping those years entirely.
Watch for gearbox speed sensors failing.
If it’s a diesel, the inlet port shut-off motors will kill your wallet.
Ignore these at your own risk.
PORSCHE CAYMAN (2005–2012)
Price: £7,500–£30,00
This one lands on wish lists for a reason.
The 987 Cayman is a Porsche flat-six that makes sense.
Engine in the middle.
Weight centered.
You can take risks here that would end your life in a contemporaneous 911.
The manual six-speed is the point.
It’s analog. Precise. The pedals are heavy but honest.
You can tap the paddle-shift PDK automatic if you’re lazy, or if you want shifts that happen faster than thought, but those buttons on the wheel feel like plastic afterthoughts compared to the stick.
Which drives better?
Maybe a better question is: do you want to drive?
The Cayman says yes.
The price gap is wide.
Ten thousand to thirty.
Pick carefully. The mechanicals are generally stout. But perfection doesn’t exist in the used market. Just pick up the phone and drive it before the trend shifts. 🏎️
