We are in an enormously transformative time for the automotive industry, particularly as electric vehicles grow in market share globally.
This means we’re seeing a lot of farewells, particularly as companies from Alfa Romeo and Bentley through to Volvo announce end dates for combustion-vehicle production.
Even with most automakers not planning to switch to EV-only line-ups until 2030, production of certain memorable powertrains has already wrapped up.
BMW, for example, has stopped V12 production, while Maserati will soon cease manufacturing V8s.
The CarExpert team has therefore had a ponder as to what vehicles sold today are guaranteed to become future classics.
Scott Collie: Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS is a one-of-a-kind car, the likes of which we might not see again.
It’s taken a long time for Porsche to stuff the engine from a 911 GT3 into its mid-engine Cayman sports car, and we know the next 718 Cayman and Boxster will be electric. In other words, the GT4 RS has no predecessor, and no successor in waiting. And that’s a damn shame, because it’s one of the best cars I’ve ever driven.
It’s not the handling (approachable yet challenging, delectably balanced) or the straight-line performance (suitably impressive), or even the styling (angry, but not over-the-top), that imprinted the car so firmly in my mind. It’s the noise.
Gruff at low speeds, complete with constant huffing and puffing from the air intakes behind your heads, the sound moves from a purposeful mid-range bark to a howl, before evolving (or should that be devolving?) into pure thrash metal as the engine zings to its 9000rpm crescendo.
The first time I let it rip to nine-grand was on the road in first gear, overtaking a Smart car coming out of a Portuguese village, and I had to slow down and compose myself because I was cackling like a deranged child. It’s that sort of car.
Anthony Crawford: BMW M5 CS, i4 M50
It’s an all-BMW choice for me.
As far as ICE cars go, the M5 CS is arguably the greatest sports sedan ever built. It’s not just its outright performance in a straight line or even its superb handling and ride attributes, never mind the glorious sound from its Herculean powered twin-turbo V8.
It’s more about the feedback the driver gets from all the major controls – particularly steering feel and throttle control, which make the big M5 CS feel extraordinarily agile despite its 4.9-metre-plus length. It’s also rare and already sought after by cashed-up enthusiasts.
On the BEV front, I can’t get over the i4 M50’s agility and just how linear it feels from behind the wheel. It’s an EV that stands apart from its rivals in almost every metric. Again, it the combination of straight-line performance (3.8 secs) and extraordinary handling and ride skills that wows you most.
You simply won’t believe this five-door liftback tips the scales at more than 2200kg. I genuinely thought the BMW PR had published the wrong figure. The front end feels incredibly lightweight to the point where you would guess the car weighs 1600kg or less.
BMW’s EVs are also blessed with cracking interiors with some of the best infotainment tech in the business. The design itself is minimalistic but exciting at the same time and the i4 M50 gets all the latest kit as standard. All of that is a bonus on top of the way it drives. Surely this will become one of the first EV classics, just like the BMW i3.
Jade Credentino: Kia Stinger
I would have the say the Kia Stinger.
As it was popular for buyers looking for a car both stylish and powerful, the Kia Stinger ticks a lot of boxes for Australians.
With an affordable price tag and a twin-turbo V6 engine capable of producing 274kW of power and 510Nm of torque will have to go down as one of Australia’s most accessible performance cars for those looking for a bit of fun in their daily driver.
Although Kia is effectively replacing the Stinger with an electric vehicle just as exciting, the EV6, it will be sad to see this car exit the line-up later this year.
Derek Fung: Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat
I’m going to cheat here. I know I’m supposed to pick a car that’s on sale in Australia, but I live in the States, so I’m going to throw my kids’ American Exceptionalism around and nominate the Hellcat range.
Developed back when Fiat Chrysler was still a thing, and the engineering bucket o’ cash was dedicated solely to making more Jeeps and cranking out special editions, the Hellcat versions of the Dodge Charger and Challenger, and later Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, delivered silly power to the ground in increasingly shouty costumes. What else could be more American?
Now with Dodge prepping electric ways to drive in an antisocial manner, these cars will be the last of their eight-cylinder kind from the House of Stellantis. Clearly they will be classics in the not-too-distant future.
If I had to choose one, I’d go for a yellow Charger, probably one with black stripes and a tyre subscription service (that’s a thing, right?)
Paul Maric: Ford Ranger Raptor
We are just on the cusp of full internal combustion-engined vehicles becoming a thing of the past – my thoughts are we are just around the corner from at least some form of hybridisation becoming the norm in all new cars on sale.
That’s why I think a vehicle like the Ford Ranger Raptor will become a classic in the years to come. Sure, production isn’t capped, but a low-mileage example that’s well looked after will be sought after in the years to come when all new dual-cab utes are hybridised or dullified to full electric.
Stick this post in a time capsule and come and see me in 15 years’ time.
Jack Quick: Suzuki Jimny
The current Suzuki Jimny is a teeny tiny off-roader that I believe is guaranteed to become a future classic.
The Jimny has decades of heritage it rides on the coattails of, with the current-generation model one of the cheapest out-of-the-box off-roaders on the Australian new car market.
I wasn’t expecting the current-generation model to ever go into production, nor come to Australian shores.
If I go into specifics, the Jimny models with manual transmissions will likely be the most sought after in a world that’s gravitating towards automatics. The two-tone paint job also sounds desirable to me.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m describing my 2020 Suzuki Jimny that’s fitted with the five-speed manual transmission and is finished in Brisk Blue metallic with a Bluish Black pearl contrasting roof.
William Stopford: Jaguar F-Type 75
Jaguar is switching to an EV-only line-up sooner (2025) than most, and as part of this it’s effectively culling its entire range without direct replacements. That includes the gorgeous F-Type, which will finish an 11-year run next year.
It’ll therefore be the last combustion-powered Jaguar sports car, and one of the last applications of JLR’s sonorous supercharged V8.
Jaguar is sending the F-Type off with 75 and R75 special editions, and these are almost certain to be future classics – not only because of their exalted “final edition” status, but because they go like the clappers and look stunning while doing it.
James Wong: Toyota GR Corolla
Looking back in history, racing homologation specials and performance special editions are almost guaranteed future classics.
While the GR Yaris was the first, I believe the GR Corolla’s even more wild performance and available stripped-out Morizo Edition will give it icon status in the years and decades to come.
It looks wild yet resolved in the way the smaller Yaris never could, and its pretty unique combination of manual transmission and all-wheel drive evokes memories of the 2nd-generation Focus RS – another future classic.
Thus far I’ve yet to have the pleasure of driving one of these special Toyotas, but if it’s anything close to the new Honda Civic Type R (yet another future classic), it’s bound to be a bloody ripper.
