Five Underrated Classics

The world of classic and specialist cars is vast and varied. There is a car to suit every automotive desire, from fast to luxurious to full on race cars – if you want it, you can find it in the classic car world. Though this level of choice and diversity does of course mean that within the thousands of cars out there, some do get overlooked. It’s no fault of their own, they’re still good if not brilliant cars, but they get lost in a sea of other automotive big hitters. And that’s a shame, because they deserve to be enjoyed. 

With that in mind, we set one of the Car & Classic team, Noah Robinson, on a journey to find five underrated classics. It’s a tough job to browse through the thousands of cars on the site, but someone has to do it. 

Porsche 944

Of course, the Porsche 944 will forever live in the shadow of its rear-engined cousin, the 911. However, 50/50 weight distribution (helped by the rear transaxle), Germanic good looks and a choice of turbocharged or naturally aspirated powerplants make this budget Porker a great option. For years, the 944 could be found in the ‘bargain basement’ section of every classified site. Now though, the smart money is finally starting to see just how good the 944 is. Even a base-spec model is still an absolute riot to drive. Plus, you get pop-up headlights. And who doesn’t want pop-up headlights?

Prices are on the up as good examples become scarce, and early examples become exempt from road-tax and emission zone charges. You can get a project for a couple of grand, and with a strong specialist network ready to support you, it’s not a bad way into 944 ownership. Failing that, £5,000 will put you behind the wheel of a presentable, MOTd example. 

Peugeot 106 GTI

Lightweight, nippy and surprisingly well equipped. The Peugeot 106 GTI is a hot hatch from the days before supercar-beating performance was wrapped in the bodyshell of your grandparent’s Golf. The 106 (and its Saxo VTS cousin) used a 1.6-litre 16 valve engine and a 5-speed gearbox. Producing around 120bhp, but weighing in the region of 925kg. It offered sub-9-second 0-62 times.

In typically French hot hatch fashion, lift-off mid-corner and you’ll be feeding armfuls of opposite lock in to counteract some standard-fit lift-off oversteer. Anti-lock disc brakes all around are there to get you out of any trouble you may find yourself in. Decent discs and pads, some good quality tyres and healthy suspension are all a must to get the most out of this tarmac terror.

Like most French hatches of the era, you should watch out for rust. Specifically the inner wings, inner rear wheel arches and front jacking points which are known failure points.

Austin/Morris/MG 1300

British Leyland were arguably the masters of badge engineering, regularly partaking in what could be described as more than their fair share of parts bin raiding! Whilst the Mini Cooper ‘S’ was taking the world by storm, BL decided to drop the Cooper ‘S’ power plant into the larger ADO16 shell. Although a few changes were made, the new 1300GT, was still adorned with twin carburettors, a four-speed close-ratio gearbox and Hydrolastic suspension meaning this big Cooper ‘S’ is every bit a Mini, but just a little less… mini.

Now, we’re talking about a 1970s British classic car. That should be taken as a formal warning to check any piece of metal for corrosion. Panels and parts are getting hard to come by for this model, so if it’s rotten, you’re almost certainly going to need to fabricate something. On the plus side, sharing its engine and gearbox set up with a Mini means that parts are readily available should any work need completing.

Rover SD1

The Rover SD1 was available with a few engine choices, but the one you really want is the 3.5-litre V8. Styling inspired by the Ferrari Daytona, V8 Power and in later years racing provenance. A V8 SD1 offers great value and a great driving experience – with an even better soundtrack. It was and still is a huge, imposing machine. Impossibly long, with sharp lines and more road presence than a Scania. For years, the SD1 sat at the bottom of the deprecation curve, but now people are fighting each other to get one. Rust killed off many, while people looking for a cheap way to get hold of a V8 engine put paid to many more. 

Few remain on the road and even fewer Vitesse and Twin Plenum models – so there is a rarity factor too. The trick here is to show some restraint. Shop around, be thorough in your inspection of any potential purchase. Rust, poor past repair and more rust need to looked for, twice. 

Ferrari 456 GT

Most V12 Ferraris spring to mind without issue but the Ferrari 456 not so much. It’s one of the more forgotten Ferraris. This is odd because, unlike some others, it’s actually very good. It wears its unashamedly ’90s styling well, with some earlier models knocking on the door of 30 years old. It, unlike maybe some more modern Ferraris, manages to be exclusive and yet understated. 436BHP means that this 4-seat continent-crusher can still get down with the kids, showing many modern cars its heels. Best of all though? A six-speed gated manual gearbox.

Like anything adorned with a prancing horse, you can expect to see hefty bills if something were to go wrong with your new-to-you 456. We’d recommend making sure whatever example you buy has been serviced thoroughly, and preferably by a marque specialist.