Endangered Species: Britain’s rarest cars

Ever wondered what our country’s rarest cars are? Last Tuesday we did, and being in our usual industrious mood we contacted car-fact gatekeepers, the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders.

They sent over immense screeds of data which revealed, after a bit of maths, how many cars of every model and type are taxed, MoT’d and driving around the country. There may be more out there festering in barns or midway through a restoration, but in terms of road legal vehicles, this list is gospel.
 
So we've picked out some of our highlights, from just twenty running models left, to just one. Click forth to reveal some of the rarest cars in Britain right now...

Words and research: Matthew Jones

Built to take on the Austin Mini and Hillman Imp, Reliant’s fiberglass four-wheeler came in two flavours – 598cc and 701cc. Trouble was, the diminutive powerplant had to work so hard it was only a shade more frugal than its metal-bodied contemporaries.

20 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Named to celebrate Maserati’s victories at the Indianapolis 500, the Indy launched in 1969 to replace the Quattroporte and Mexico. It started life with a 4.2-litre V8 but a 4.8 joined the lineup from 1971. And we still want one.

19 LEFT ON UK ROADS

(pic: www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk)

Ironically, Fiat’s 1.6-litre family four-door is one of the Italian manufacturer’s most ubiquitous cars. They’re still a common sight in Poland, Egypt, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Morocco and countries of the former Yugoslavia, where they were built under license as late as the 1990s. Not here though.

18 LEFT ON UK ROADS

(pic: www.philseed.com)

A three-quarter scale model of a normal car, the Z600 was built to slot into Japan’s small-engine’d Kei car class. Even though it’s only 123 inches long, it’ll carry two grownups comfortably. If they're Hammond. We’ve checked.

17 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Even Bertone has bad days, as the company’s effort roof-chopping and coupefying Volvo’s 200 series testifies. As well as the new metalwork, the 262C got a vinyl roof and button-tucked leather chairs. Yummy.

16 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Colt’s pony-car-cum-luxo-coupe actually offered something new to the world of automation at its launch in 1976 – frugal engine, compact proportions, aggressive styling and the veloury kind of opulence. But nobody cared.

15 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Everyone who’s anyone knew someone that had an Estelle. You probably laughed at them. But even though the heated rear screen was used as hand warmer more often than it was a visibility aid, the Estelle was monstrously competitive in rallying during the seventies.

14 LEFT ON UK ROADS

(Pic: Ian Rance via photo.net)

Based on the KE70 Toyota Corolla, the Charmant was given lashings of chrome chintz and vulgar interior options before being hurled into the small executive market of 1974. It failed. Terribly.

13 LEFT ON UK ROADS

(Pic: oldjapanesecar.com)

In the sixties, VW and Porsche decided that they both needed a similar kind of new model and decided to link up. In 1969 the resulting 914 was launched – a rakish VW-engined targa that cost nearly as much as a 911, and it's this version that is dying. They also did a 911-engine’d six-pot (the 914/6).

12 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Believe it or not, this it the Nissan GTR’s distant relative. Long before it became a supercar beater, the Skyline spent a period as a soft uber-coupe based on wobbly Datsun Laurel underpinnings.

11 LEFT ON UK ROADS

It’s a pretty impressive feat that there are any of these Italianate French oddities over here, let alone ten – Britain never officially got the Baghera. Those three-abreast front seats are pretty cool, though.

10 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Billed as a luxurious version of the Vauxhall Carlton, the velour-lined 2.5-litre Viceroy was enormous, inefficient and a bit of a minger. The Queen was a fan, though – she had a one-off estate version to carry her Corgis.

9 LEFT ON UK ROADS

(Pic: www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk)

There was a time when you could bet your last quid there’d be a Riva gently decaying within 500 yards of anywhere in Britain. These days you’ve got a better chance of running into a Vauxhall Viceroy than the 1500cc variant of this Russian-built saloon.

8 LEFT ON UK ROADS

You know those CVT transmissions you get in Honda hybrids? This is where they got the idea from: Dutch manufacturer DAF. The durable ‘Variomatic’ gearbox helped the now-scarce 55 achieve a respectable 17th place during the 16500 km London-Sydney Marathon in 1968.

7 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Finally, a decent car. This is what happens when BMW and Lamborghini team up – a hand-built mid-engine supercar that goes like stink and starts in the morning. 455 were made between 1978 and 1981, which makes it one of BMW’s rarest ever models.

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Who would want a coupe version of a Renault 12? Which is precisely what would-be buyers said to themselves as they walked past the dealerships. 

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Launched in 1951, styled by Pinin Farina and fitted with a 2.6-litre V12, this is painfully rare – and extremely valuable. Ferrari built just 82. And Blighty’s still got four of ‘em running.

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Only 15 of these spaceframed 2.0-litre sportsters sold after the car debuted at the London Motor Show in 1948. That three of them are taxed and running today is a reason to be happy.

3 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Like most big, lardy Alfas, the 6 sold in OKish numbers, broke down after a few days then got thrown away, which explains why only two are left. It got a facelift over the course of its seven-year lifespan between 1979 and 1986 and formed the basis for Alfa’s 1983 Delfino concept.

2 LEFT ON UK ROADS

Built between 1963 and 1970, the Mistral came fitted with the last of straight six, twin-spark, twin-cam engines used by the manufacturer’s 250F racer. And the chances of seeing more than one on British plates stand at comfortably long odds.

In fact, is this your car? Did you realise that you are, in fact, unique in Britain in owning a running model? Let us know at editor@topgear.com if this is your daily drive...

EDIT: This one belongs to celebrity chef, James Martin.

1 LEFT ON UK ROADS