Is a ‘modern classic’ an oxymoron?
Probably.
To the outsider, they just look like other street furniture. But Penguin Books made the term stick, so why should we shy away from it?
In the past, “classic” meant old men in MGBs driving to car jumbles. Modern magazines refused to use the word. Classic car publications stayed far from anything that smelled like a McDonald’s parking lot.
But then came electric cars. Clean air zones. Speed cameras.
Everything squeezed enthusiasts into a middle ground.
The intersection. The modern classic.
What Actually Counts?
They changed the game.
Like the books, the age range is messy and vague on purpose.
Ed Callow at Collecting Cars says it’s simple though: it is the “democratised” end of collecting. He puts it in the 80s, 90s and early 00s. We’re sticking to post-2000 models. Just because we can.
“It’s the ‘democratised’ part…”
Mercedes-Benz CLS (2003-20 mechanic)
Price: £2500–£10,00
An oxymoron wrapped in a car?
Sure. Four-door coupé.
The bodywork looked nothing else on the road in 2003. Yet it kept all the pretentious quality of an E-Class. Every version is rear-wheel drive. Seven-speed auto.
You get adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and part-leather seats as standard. Air suspension cost extra.
Why buy it?
It is cheap now. Like many aging luxury sedans.
That means danger lurks in the engine bay.
Early petrol models have balancer shaft issues. One owner said he avoids them entirely.
Diesels have inlet port shut-off motors that break.
Then there are gearbox speed sensors.
Fix one thing. Three others break.
Porsche Cayman 987 (2005-12)
Price: £7,500–£30,0
On the wish list?
Absolutely.
It puts the flat-six in the middle of the car. Makes sense. Lets you drive fast in ways that kill a 911.
The manual transmission is the point here.
Six speeds. Analogue. Pedals with real weight. You feel every millimeter.
There is an automatic, the PDK. It shifts instantly. Fast enough to win races.
But you have to fight the little steering wheel buttons to do it.
Does that matter?
The CLS prices will creep up soon.
The Cayman prices might not stop.
You either buy one now. Or you don’t.
