“Modern classic.” It’s a weird phrase. Maybe an oxymoron? To most people, a classic car looks like something old. Something parked at a jumble sale.
Penguin Books used the term first. So why not us?
Used to be, “classic” meant dusty MGBs. Classic car mags kept it that way. Modern mags stayed far away. Neither side wanted to confuse the other. Classic buyers didn’t want cars from a McDonald’s lot. Modern buyers didn’t want to touch history.
But things change. Electric cars arrive. Clean air zones pop up everywhere. Speed cameras everywhere too. Everyone gets squeezed toward the middle. The modern classic wins.
What is this car, exactly?
Like the book series, it’s about being game-changing. Age? Vague on purpose.
Ed Callow at Collecting Cars put it plain. “They’re the ‘democratised part’ of the market.” No hard dates. Mostly 80s. 90s. Early 2000s. Cars that defined an era of design.
We’re sticking to post-2000 here.
Mercedes-Benz CLS (2003-20 010)
Budget: £2,500–£10,00
Another oxymoron? Maybe. It’s a four-door coupe. The E-Class based tourer looked nothing like what came before it. Sleek. Different. But it kept the prestige. The quality. Real Mercedes stuff.
Rear-wheel drive. Seven-speed auto. Air suspension was optional. You got leather-trimmed seats, electric controls, climate control. Adaptive cruise too. Parking sensors. It had everything.
Prices? Low now. Like all aging luxobarges, it’s cheap. That means traps. Look for balancer shaft issues in early petrols. One owner says avoid early models completely. Gearbox speed sensors fail. Inlet port motors on diesels break too. Watch your eyes.
Porsche Cayman (2005–2012)
Budget: £7,500–30,00
Enthusiasts love this. They should. It’s the 987-gen. Flat-six Porsche. But the engine is in a sensible place. That changes everything. You can drive this thing like a hot rod. Try that in a same-vintage 911 and you risk ruin.
Six-speed manual is key. Analogue thrills. Good pedals help. PDK auto exists, yes. Lightning-fast shifts? Sure. But the little shift buttons on the wheel are fiddly. Annoying sometimes. Why automate fun when your hands are already busy?
