British Classic Cars | The UK guide to classic-car ownership

Ford Cortina values: the Lotus at three times a saloon, the Mk1 GT and 1600E next, and the ordinary Cortina at hatchback money22 September

TVR Chimaera: the friendly monster that became Blackpool's best seller (1992–2003)22 September

What a classic car actually costs to run: the official figures and the ones nobody publishes22 September

Inspecting a classic before you buy: the free checks, the paperwork, and what a V5C does not prove21 September

Triumph TR4 values: the TR4A premium, Surrey tops and wires, the TR5 above and the TR6 below, and a market that has halved21 September

TVR: Blackpool's glassfibre hooligans, from Grantura to the last V8s21 September

A classic as a first car: the licence rules, the insurance reality, and the cars that make it work20 September

Morgan Plus 8: a Rover V8 in a vintage suit (1968–2004)20 September

Triumph Spitfire values: Mk1 and Mk2 at nearly double the 1500, the Mk3 between, and the cheapest open Triumph there is20 September

British car records: the smallest, the fastest, the dearest19 September

A white Jaguar XK150 drophead coupe at a British classic car show, a Union Jack flying behind the windscreen, front three-quarter view

Market data28 August

British classic cars vs the stock market: what 25 years of auction prices show

We took 621,935 auction results, found every British classic with enough sales to measure fairly, and compared its inflation-adjusted price change since the late 1990s with the stock market, gold and cash. Most classics rose in cash terms; barely half beat inflation; gold beat every one of them.

Morgan19 September

Morgan 4/4: the longest-running car name in the world (1936–2018)

Morgan18 September

Morgan: the Malvern time machines that never went out of production

TVR22 September

TVR Chimaera: the friendly monster that became Blackpool's best seller (1992–2003)

TVR21 September

TVR: Blackpool's glassfibre hooligans, from Grantura to the last V8s

Morgan20 September

Morgan Plus 8: a Rover V8 in a vintage suit (1968–2004)

19 September

British car records: the smallest, the fastest, the dearest

Owning & running22 September

What a classic car actually costs to run: the official figures and the ones nobody publishes

Owning & running21 September

Inspecting a classic before you buy: the free checks, the paperwork, and what a V5C does not prove

Owning & running20 September

A classic as a first car: the licence rules, the insurance reality, and the cars that make it work

Owning & running19 September

Selling a classic car privately: what the law asks of you, what it does not, and how not to get stung

Britain, decade by decade

All decades

Decade1920s1920–1929

The modern classics

Owning & running17 September

The engines behind most British classics: A-series, B-series, Rover V8 and the Jaguar XK

Triumph17 September

Triumph 2000 and 2500: the six-cylinder saloons that invented a class (1963–1977)

Owning & running16 September

Dating a car from its number plate: suffix, prefix, current and dateless, and the rule you cannot break

Lotus16 September

Lotus Elite: the glassfibre jewel that raced on air (1957–1963)

Owning & running15 September

E10 petrol and classic cars: what the government actually says, and what the clubs add

Lotus15 September

Lotus Europa: the bread van that beat the supercars to mid-engines (1966–1975)

Most sold at auction

Sales a year, worldwide, 2021 to 2025

MG186 a year

Number 1: MGB Roadster

Triumph139 a year

Number 2: Triumph TR6

Land Rover108 a year

Number 3: Land Rover Defender 110

Land Rover106 a year

Number 4: Land Rover Defender 90

MG100 a year

Number 5: MGB GT

What they sell for

Sold prices from 48,398 recorded auction sales, not valuations

Ford22 September

Ford Cortina values: the Lotus at three times a saloon, the Mk1 GT and 1600E next, and the ordinary Cortina at hatchback money

Triumph21 September

Triumph TR4 values: the TR4A premium, Surrey tops and wires, the TR5 above and the TR6 below, and a market that has halved

Triumph20 September

Triumph Spitfire values: Mk1 and Mk2 at nearly double the 1500, the Mk3 between, and the cheapest open Triumph there is

Triumph19 September

Triumph TR3 values: TR3B over TR3A over TR3, the works cars apart, and a market back to 2010 prices

All sold prices

Ford

Ford

Ford Cortina: Britain's best-selling car of the 1960s and 70s (1962–1982)

The Ford Cortina was Britain's best-selling car for much of the 1960s and 70s, five generations of family saloon that defined the company car park and the family driveway, from the sporting Lotus Cortina to the everyday GLs. A guide to the Mk1 to Mk5, how the generations differ, the fast Cortinas, and what to check before buying one.

Ford

Ford Granada: the executive Ford from The Sweeney to Cosworth (1972–1994)

Ford

Ford Escort: the everyman Ford and the rally legend (1968–2000)

Ford

Ford Capri: the car you always promised yourself (1969–1986)

Ford

Ford Anglia 105E: the small Ford with the backwards window (1959–1967)

More Ford guides

Jaguar

Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 (1968–1992): Sir William Lyons' last saloon

Jaguar XJS (1975–1996): the grand tourer that outlived its critics

Jaguar XK120 (1948–1954): the fastest car in the world

Triumph

Triumph TR6: the last of the hairy-chested roadsters (1968–1976)

Triumph Spitfire: a real roadster on a shortened saloon chassis (1962–1980)

Triumph Stag: the V8 grand tourer that lived down its reputation (1970–1977)

Mini

Mini Cooper and Cooper S: the giant-killer that won the Monte (1961–2000)

Mini Clubman and 1275GT: the squared-off Mini of the 1970s (1969–1980)

Mini Traveller and Countryman: the woody Mini estate (1960–1969)

MG

MG MGB: over half a million built, and still the easiest classic to own (1962–1980)

MG MGB GT: Pininfarina looks and a hatchback, for roadster money (1965–1980)

MG Midget: a Sprite in MG clothing, and the cheapest way into the marque (1961–1979)

Land Rover

Land Rover Series I: the aluminium original (1948–1958)

Land Rover Series II and IIA: the definitive working Land Rover (1958–1971)

Land Rover Series III: the most numerous of them all (1971–1985)

Jensen

Jensen Interceptor: the Anglo-Italian V8 grand tourer (1966–1976)

Jensen FF: the first four-wheel-drive production car (1966–1971)

Jensen CV8: the fibreglass Chrysler-V8 bruiser (1962–1966)

Rootes Group

11 August

Hillman Minx: four decades of Britain's dependable family car (1932–1970)

11 August

Hillman Imp: the rear-engined gamble that took on the Mini (1963–1976)

11 August

Sunbeam Alpine: the civilised British sports car (1959–1968)

Reliant

11 August

Reliant Scimitar: the sporting estate that invented its own class (1964–1986)

11 August

Reliant Robin: Britain's most famous three-wheeler, and most misunderstood car (1973–2002)

11 August

Reliant Regal: the three-wheeler that carried Britain's tradesmen, and the Trotters (1953–1973)

Jaguar

Jaguar E-Type (1961–1975): the complete guide to the series

The Jaguar E-Type was the most beautiful car of its age and one of the fastest, and it ran from the covered-headlamp Series 1 to the V12 Series 3 across fourteen years. The development story, the differences between the series, the myths sorted from the facts, and what the survivors are like to buy now.

Read the guide

British classic cars: model guides, values and history

British classic cars vs the stock market: what 25 years of auction prices show

Morgan 4/4: the longest-running car name in the world (1936–2018)

Morgan: the Malvern time machines that never went out of production

TVR Chimaera: the friendly monster that became Blackpool's best seller (1992–2003)

TVR: Blackpool's glassfibre hooligans, from Grantura to the last V8s

Morgan Plus 8: a Rover V8 in a vintage suit (1968–2004)

British car records: the smallest, the fastest, the dearest

What a classic car actually costs to run: the official figures and the ones nobody publishes

Inspecting a classic before you buy: the free checks, the paperwork, and what a V5C does not prove

A classic as a first car: the licence rules, the insurance reality, and the cars that make it work

Selling a classic car privately: what the law asks of you, what it does not, and how not to get stung

Britain, decade by decade

The vintage years

The age of the baby car

Austerity & export-or-die

The sports car boom

The golden age

Brilliance & chaos

Turbos & hot hatches

The modern classics

The engines behind most British classics: A-series, B-series, Rover V8 and the Jaguar XK

Triumph 2000 and 2500: the six-cylinder saloons that invented a class (1963–1977)

Dating a car from its number plate: suffix, prefix, current and dateless, and the rule you cannot break

Lotus Elite: the glassfibre jewel that raced on air (1957–1963)

E10 petrol and classic cars: what the government actually says, and what the clubs add

Lotus Europa: the bread van that beat the supercars to mid-engines (1966–1975)

Number 1: MGB Roadster

Number 2: Triumph TR6

Number 3: Land Rover Defender 110

Number 4: Land Rover Defender 90

Number 5: MGB GT

Ford Cortina values: the Lotus at three times a saloon, the Mk1 GT and 1600E next, and the ordinary Cortina at hatchback money

Triumph TR4 values: the TR4A premium, Surrey tops and wires, the TR5 above and the TR6 below, and a market that has halved

Triumph Spitfire values: Mk1 and Mk2 at nearly double the 1500, the Mk3 between, and the cheapest open Triumph there is

Triumph TR3 values: TR3B over TR3A over TR3, the works cars apart, and a market back to 2010 prices

Ford Cortina: Britain's best-selling car of the 1960s and 70s (1962–1982)

Ford Granada: the executive Ford from The Sweeney to Cosworth (1972–1994)

Ford Escort: the everyman Ford and the rally legend (1968–2000)

Ford Capri: the car you always promised yourself (1969–1986)

Ford Anglia 105E: the small Ford with the backwards window (1959–1967)

Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 (1968–1992): Sir William Lyons' last saloon

Jaguar XJS (1975–1996): the grand tourer that outlived its critics

Jaguar XK120 (1948–1954): the fastest car in the world

Triumph TR6: the last of the hairy-chested roadsters (1968–1976)

Triumph Spitfire: a real roadster on a shortened saloon chassis (1962–1980)

Triumph Stag: the V8 grand tourer that lived down its reputation (1970–1977)

Mini Cooper and Cooper S: the giant-killer that won the Monte (1961–2000)

Mini Clubman and 1275GT: the squared-off Mini of the 1970s (1969–1980)

Mini Traveller and Countryman: the woody Mini estate (1960–1969)

MG MGB: over half a million built, and still the easiest classic to own (1962–1980)

MG MGB GT: Pininfarina looks and a hatchback, for roadster money (1965–1980)

MG Midget: a Sprite in MG clothing, and the cheapest way into the marque (1961–1979)

Land Rover Series I: the aluminium original (1948–1958)

Land Rover Series II and IIA: the definitive working Land Rover (1958–1971)

Land Rover Series III: the most numerous of them all (1971–1985)

Jensen Interceptor: the Anglo-Italian V8 grand tourer (1966–1976)

Jensen FF: the first four-wheel-drive production car (1966–1971)

Jensen CV8: the fibreglass Chrysler-V8 bruiser (1962–1966)

Hillman Minx: four decades of Britain's dependable family car (1932–1970)

Hillman Imp: the rear-engined gamble that took on the Mini (1963–1976)

Sunbeam Alpine: the civilised British sports car (1959–1968)

Reliant Scimitar: the sporting estate that invented its own class (1964–1986)

Reliant Robin: Britain's most famous three-wheeler, and most misunderstood car (1973–2002)

Reliant Regal: the three-wheeler that carried Britain's tradesmen, and the Trotters (1953–1973)

Lotus Elan: 700 kilograms that changed what a sports car had to be (1962–1973)

Lotus Esprit: the wedge that went underwater and grew into a supercar (1976–1992)

Lotus Eleven: the tiny sports racer that made Lotus a marque (1956–1958)

Vauxhall Victor: nineteen years and five generations of family Vauxhall (1957–1976)

Vauxhall Carlton: Luton's last big saloon, the Car of the Year and the GSi 3000 (1978–1994)

Vauxhall Astra GTE: Ellesmere Port's hot hatchback, from the Mk1 to the 16v red-top (1983–1991)

Austin Seven: the car that motorised Britain (1922–1939)

Austin Ten: the quiet best-seller of the 1930s (1932–1947)

Austin A30 and A35: the little Austin that raced everything (1951–1968)

Morris Eight: the best-seller that saved Cowley (1935–1948)

Morris Oxford: six generations of the sensible middle (1913–1971)

Morris Minor: a million of the best-loved car Britain ever made (1948–1971)

Rover P4: fourteen years of Auntie (1949–1964)

Rover P5 and P5B: the car that ran the country (1958–1973)

Rover P6: the first Car of the Year, and still the clever one (1963–1977)