The Eight Principles of the Classic

There’s a lot of misun­der­standing about the word ‘classic’. And for such a contro­versial word, petrol heads and general lovers of cars and bikes use the word perhaps more than any other. In a noble attempt to clarify our terms at the start of our ‘classic’ feature thread, we thought we’d consult the good book: and find examples out there in the real world that exemplify the various defin­i­tions of the ‘C’ word. Tell us what you think of our choices, and please, feel free to suggest your alternatives.

Classic (adj) (as defined by Collins Dictionary 1991)
1 ‘of the highest class’ : The Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé

Synonymous with the highest possible ideals of motoring perfection, many believe that Rolls Royce has reached new heights with the latest range of models. Combining as it does super­lative performance with bespoke tailoring, could the Phantom Coupé be the most classic Rolls ever?

2 ‘serving as a standard model of its kind’: The Honda Civic Type R

In its many and various manifest­a­tions the Civic Type R has set the standard by which all hot hatches are measured. They are engin­eered with the perfect balance of fun-​​focused emotion and workaday reliab­ility – and that’s what Hot Hatches – the icon of the everyman – are all about.

3 ‘adhering to an estab­lished set of principles’: The Morgan Plus Four

Sticking with a formula of hand-​​wrought production values in a self consciously retro­spective style, a Morgan is instantly recog­nisable. Though that self-​​conscious styling plays on deep-​​lying popular ideas of what consti­tutes a classic (falling perhaps into cliché), it achieves its aim every time.

4 ‘charac­terised by simplicity, balance, regularity or purity of form’: Harley Davidson Sportster

Love them or hate them, the perennial popularity of the simple but burly V-​​Twin form is the core of one of the strongest brands mankind has ever known. As such, the consist­ently pure idea that is the Harley will continue to rumble into legend.

5 ‘of lasting signi­ficance or interest’: McLaren F1

In 1998 the McLaren F1, setting a still rarely matched top speed of 243 MPH, almost single-​​handedly ushered in the era of the road going hypercar. Representing the boomtime economics of GP-​​roadcar crossover it remains a totem­ically signi­ficant classic – even in a world where the Bugatti Veyron exists.

6 ‘continu­ously in fashion because of a simplicity of style’: The Mini

Despite the current mania generated by the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Alex Issigonis’s Mini design, the little cars never really went out of fashion. Devastatingly simple, accessible and fun, the design will be forever associated with a time and a place in when Britain was at the centre of style.

And it’s difficult to argue that the new Mini doesn’t carry on many of the tradi­tions initiated by the BMC version. Loved partic­u­larly by women of a certain age, and an ongoing exemplar of the British thing (ok, we know they’re German, but still…) their strato­spheric sales figures are testament to the brand’s ongoing appeal.

7 ‘of the highest excel­lence’: The Land Rover Discovery 3

With its ability to range deep into the most inhos­pitable terrain imaginable as well as being the perfect luxury long-​​distant ride for a family of six (or a handful of outdoor adven­turers), the Disco 3 is the apogee of a much-​​maligned form.

8 ‘regarded as defin­itive’: The Lamborghini Countach LP400

If you were a man-​​child of the seventies or early eighties, the Countach will always be the defin­itive dream car. The Gandini designed shell, the scissor doors and its multilayered hooligan chic remains unsur­passed. Hats off to Bertone.