Five Iconic Cars

The prestige icon

A favourite with the Top Gear team, the Bugatti Veyron is the ultimate prestige car. It is one of the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive street-legal production car available in the world at the moment; one of these beauties will set you back nearly £900, 000. This masterpiece of vehicular design is rarer than a paparazzi photo of Britney wearing knickers; it is thought that there are only 12 in Britain. If money was no object (it only manages 7 miles to the gallon!) this is the car the I would buy.

The Boy Racer icon 

Budding Jimmy McRaes who find themselves bored with Citroen Saxos and Ford Fiestas and who have a bit cash to flash may consider graduating to the Subaru Impreza. With this car, merely breathing on the accelerator is enough to ensure the driver feels the seat pressing into their back as the vehicle surges forward. Downsides to this car include expensive parts prices and frequent service intervals. Some also feature cheap, plasticky interiors.

The small icon

Often dismissed as “The Chick and Gay Guy’s car”, no discerning straight bloke would be seen dead in one of these, and we cannot for the life of us figure out why. The styling may be a bit cutesy but the 1.3l engine is incredibly torquey and even a girl could maintain the engine with its simple layout. There’s just something about it; that curvaceous body, the sculpted headlights and those distinctive bumpers – if J-Lo was a car, she’d be a KA. Then there is the insurance premium; despite having a relatively big engine for a small city run-around, it’s only insurance group 2 meaning only a minor dent in your wallet. Add to that, WhatCar? rates it as incredibly reliable meaning fewer trips to the garage and more money in your pocket. With all that sorted, the only thing left is to debate the correct pronunciation. Kah or Kay-ay?

The Vintage icon

The Mini was a classic of British design for over four decades. And then the Germans got hold of it. Their Mini is not mini so it is an insult to its predecessor to call it so. The original Mini was built to dimensions of only 10×4x4 ft but still manages to be surprisingly roomy as the designers thoughtfully assigned 6 ft of the length to passenger space. I had heard some people complain that changing gear was like stirring porridge but while it is certainly stiffer than in new cars it is still surprisingly smooth. The fact that this car is so fun to drive ensures that it will remain a firm favourite for years to come.

The mid-life crisis icon

When you hit 40 the stereotypical vehicular purchase is a motorbike. Sod that! Stay dry and satisfy your inner teenager with the Volkswagen Golf GTi - spcifically the Mk3. It is quite simply fantastic. Going from one of these back to your average small motor, feels kind of like going from a champion racehorse to the oldest, meanest nag at a donkey derby. It also has enough room in it for half the extended family plus a bootful of shopping. The original Golf GTi, in 1976, accelerated to 62mph in 9.0 seconds; today’s GTi is capable of effortlessly reaching the same speed in 7.2 seconds. The transmission is incredibly smooth and the handling is also far superior to most smaller cars as you can throw one of these into a corner and come out the other side with all four wheels on the ground; try the same manoeuvre in a super-mini and you will, more than likely, end up with it on its roof.