The National Motor Museum and Autocar magazine have jointly named their top five Future Classics, after thousands of votes by readers and museum visitors.
With the National Motor Museum celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Autocar Beaulieu Future Classics poll has identified five contemporary motoring icons that, in another 50 years, you may well find on display in the museum.
The Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, Alpine A110, BMW i3, Land Rover Defender and Toyota GR Yaris have been crowned as the winners and will go on display at Beaulieu later this year, as well as being recognised at this year’s Autocar Awards.
Out of all the cars currently on sale, deciding which ones were worthy winners of the Autocar Beaulieu Future Classics title wasn’t easy. The Autocar team developed a long list of more than 100 eligible cars, before readers and Beaulieu visitors voted to cut this list down to just 10 entries. These were then whittled down to the top five by a panel of Autocar and Beaulieu experts.
Autocar road test editor Matt Saunders commented: “All the cars we celebrate today deserve their place in our Future Classics line-up. They demonstrate the richness and variety of the car market in an era that many will look back on with great fondness. But they also show the passion and knowledge that our readers and Beaulieu visitors have for modern-day cars.
“Some great performance cars were always sure to make the cut; and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Toyota GR Yaris have both been rightly recognised. They were hugely critically acclaimed cars when introduced and very much remain so, garnering powerful followings and rejuvenating the standing of their parent brands among true petrolheads.
“The Land Rover Defender and Alpine A110 could hardly be more different as vehicle concepts, but both cars use retro design cues really cleverly to create a modern persona that people have responded to.
“The BMW i3, meanwhile, is just a brilliantly and boldly conceived modern supermini that proves that car enthusiasts can still be depended upon to recognise world-class innovative design when they see it.”
Andrea Bishop, director of collections and engagement at the National Motor Museum, said: “It’s great to partner with Autocar on the Future Classics project, and we’re delighted to be hosting a display of the five winning cars at Beaulieu. The Museum is keen to represent contemporary motoring and to explore what the future of mobility may bring. Choosing these Future Classics with Autocar will help us open up this conversation with our visitors and reflect in the development of our learning programmes.”
Pick up a copy of the latest issue of Autocar today to read the full story.