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For others the jury’s still out.Richard Porteraskswhich ofthese will makethe grade
OW WE PLUNGEINTO THE METALLICLIGHT
anthracite area of cars that onlycouldbe future icons. These
are models that might be flattered by the passage of time,
or simply wither with age and the arrival of better things.
The Abarth 695 Biposto, for example. Singular of purpose,
which is good for an icon, but flawed and ridiculous too,
especially once you’ve added the dog ring ’box, alloy bonnet
and other gubbins that make it a fifty-grand small car.
Perhaps that sheer silliness, and the resultant rarity, anoint
this two-seat madness hatch as an icon-in-waiting. Maybe
one day we’ll say, ‘They don’t make ’em like this anymore.’
And no one from the back will shout, ‘Good!’
Since we’re on Abarth, an honourable mention here for its
version of the 124 Spider, which certainly tries to look like
an icon if you spec the black bonnet, and has been weirdly
short-lived, which feels like icon behaviour. Conversely,
it’s also imperfect and, you might say, a little contrived,
where true icons are original. Nonetheless, the Abarth-
tuned Spider is unvarnished and farty fun, more than any
contemporary Mazda MX-5, and perhaps that’s enough.
Although, ifit’s noise you want, perhaps the icon list of the
future will make room for one of the last naturally aspirated
AMG V8s, ideally fitted to the smallest shell possible for
full hot-rod effect. That means a C63, which was never
a car to bother the best M3s for precision, but was full of
exuberance and energy and sounded like the god of thunder
farting underwater.
And while we’re getting misty-eyed for V8s, we might
pencil onto the list an original Jag F-type R, to remind
us of when a mainstream car maker was able to sell a car
FUTUREICONS
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Future Icons: The Maybes