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Somecarsare simplydestinedfor iconstatusfromthe secondtheyhit the
showroomfloor.Richard Porternames ten whose fateissealed
T’S NOT EASYTODEFINEANICONFROMCLOSE
quarters. Some cars might seem less than stellar once the
hubrisof newnesshas dieddown. Othersmight benefit from
hindsight to remind us they were important, or just better
than we remember. It’s an inexact science, but we’re here
now, so let’s have a stab at picking some cars not mentioned
in the previous pages but which we think are likely to
achieveevoicon status, starting with the Alpine A110.
Of course it’s still veryshiny and novel, but the important
thing about the A110 is that it’s also verygood. And it stands
out, which is a good thing for icon status. Plus, its biggest
point of difference is lightness and it deserves elevation
to future icon status for reminding us how important that
can be. Listen carefully, you can hear a chorus of Lotus
engineers going, ‘Oh, now HANG ON...’
Well, since you mention it, there’s no doubt the Elise is an
icon, but it’s also been around since before most Formula 1
drivers had teeth, and in a multi-decade icons list you’d
probably insert a bright yellow S1. However, under the ‘cars
from the last five years or so’ rule we’ve imposed for this
feature you could have a Sprint 220 from today, which is
almost certainly a better car than the original and lighter
than Elises have been for years. In icon terms, the existing
Elise could be one of those cars we won’t fully appreciate
until it’s gone, and it’s still a fine thing, even in its twilight.
Speaking of long-serving allies, we can’t overlook the
Nissan GT-R, which is old enough to feel like part of the
furniture but still does what it’s always done, which is to
bring distant places closer at a heady rate, even if they’re
round a series of corners. When the next one finally arrives
it’s almost certainto besome kind of hybrid and we’ll realise
what an icon the old warhorse always was.
Likewise, when every supercar has a petro-electric
drivetrain we’ll try to define the perfect end-of-days
celebration for the pure, raw rush of internal combustion
alone, and we’ll alight on the McLaren Senna. If there’s a
sub-award for iconic fugliness, it’ll win that too. It’s a hard
one to call for certain, of course, because so many supercars
can seem iconic, but the Senna is something special, and
so too, at a less extreme level, was the original Audi R8 V8.
Don’twriteinsayingitwasasportscar, notasupercar:itwas
a mid-engined car with a V8 and an open-gate gearshift –
what do you want exactly? It was also, and thisisimportant,
extremely good indeed, to the extent that the road testers of
this very magazine could hardly believe its 911-conquering
talents, as Henry Catchpole explained inevo262. For that
alone, it’s a low-slung icon. We’ll not see its like again.
Such a sentiment could apply to many of the cars assured
of icon status, largely because we’ve entered a new era of
powertraintechnologywherealmosteverythinghasaturbo
today and will have an additional electric motor tomorrow.
With that in mind, the peak of the naturally aspirated mid-
engined Porsches is a shoo-in here – the Cayman GT4. Say
that one quietly though or prices will go silly-side-up again.
We needsometradhothatchbacksonthislist,solet’sstart
with the last-generation Fiesta ST as a high-water mark of
old-fashionedfunandadead-certiconforthefuture.Youcan
tell as much because the current model, with a downsized
engine and a fraction morepolish, isalready a touch lessof a
good-time Charlie. Also on a hot hatch tip is the surprisingly
extreme Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S, which contains
many icon indicators, including rarity, brilliance and an
intense sense of purpose. It also has the satisfying feeling
of being a well-kept secret. If you know, you know. If you
don’t, it’s just a Golf with some funny bits on the bumpers.
You could apply the same thought to another certain icon of
the future, the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio, which might seem
like an ordinary four-door saloon to the uninitiated but is
actually a cut-price exotic in a low-key body. Plus, it’s the
first decent Alfa in ages and it’s intensely good fun to drive.
Rack up those icon points and come back to us when you’ve
thought of a contemporary fast saloon more deserving. No,
not an F80 M3; that’s the wrong answer.
One final thought on icons: sometimes they’re cars that
invented a new sector or a new style that no one else had
thought of before. That’s why this list can’t wrap up without
the Rover Streetwise. OK, not really. The Matra Rancho
came up with that one years earlier. But on the matter of
things with cranked ride height and an unspoken mission
to drive fast down gravel tracks, take a look at the recent
Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato and tell us the inspiration
wasn’t partly from the final car on our certain icons list,
the Ariel Nomad. One day in the future, when Porsche
is wheeling out a new-generation safari 911 and Audi is
trying to leverage some Ur-Quattro cool into a jacked R8,
just remember the absolute brilliance and daftness of the
Nomad, which reinvented the concept first. It’s an oddball
alright, but also a dead-cert icon.
FUTUREICONS
Opposite,fromtop
left:Ariel’s Nomadgets
the nodfor ploughing
its own furrow, the
2013-17 Fiesta ST for its
humble hot hatch thrills,
McLaren’s Senna for
being a peak for petrol
power, the Elise for its
mastery of lightness,
and the V8 Audi R8 for its
classic mix of ingredients
I
Future Icons: The Dead Certs
‘McLaren’s Senna is the
perfect celebration for the
pure, raw rush of internal
combustion alone’