1980s

The one British classic here that has doubled in real terms since 2014. Lotus Esprit values from 507 recorded auction sales, why the S4 V8 leads the table and the Stevens-era X180 sits at the bottom, what a Giugiaro S1 makes against an S2 and an S3 Turbo, and what the JPS, the Final Edition and the Bond cars have done.

The 2.8 Injection, the 3.0 S and the 280 Brooklands sell for two to three times a four-cylinder car. Ford Capri prices from 566 recorded auction sales, what the Mk1 3000 and the RS3100 make, how the Capri compares with the Escort and Cortina, and why Capri values peaked in 2020.

A sound Jaguar XJ saloon costs less than a Mini. Prices from 1,818 recorded auction sales across the 1968 to 2009 line, what an XJ6, XJ8, XJR, XJ12 and XJ-C each make, and why the family has lost half its money in real terms since 2022.

The most numerous Land Rover priced from 615 recorded auction sales. The median and the usual range, why the 88 and the 109 sell for the same money, what station wagons, the Stage 1 V8 and the ex-military cars make, how the Series III compares with the Series II and the Defender, and why the most numerous Land Rover rose latest and has fallen by a third in real terms since 2022.

The Vauxhall Astra GTE was Luton's answer to the Golf GTI, the sharp-suited Mk1 of 1983 and the teardrop Mk2 that followed, ending with the 156 bhp 16v red-top of 1988. A guide to both generations, the digital dashboard, what survives after the Max Power years, what to check, and what the sale rooms now pay for the rarest of the 1980s hot hatchbacks.

The Series 3 was the XJ6 perfected, the 1979 Pininfarina reskin of Sir William Lyons' saloon that outlived its own replacement, carried Jaguar through the Egan quality revival and ran to 1992 as the V12. A guide to what changed, the 3.4, 4.2 and 5.3 engines, the Sovereigns and Daimlers, what to check, and why the Series 3 is the XJ to use.

The MG Maestro put the octagon on Austin's family hatchback, first with the troublesome twin-carb 1600, then the 115 bhp 2.0 EFi, and finally the 152 bhp Tickford-finished Maestro Turbo of 1989, the fastest production MG there had been. A guide to the whole Maestro family, what survives, what to check, and what the handful of sale-room results say a good one is worth.

The Rover 800 was the Cowley-built executive car developed with Honda that replaced the SD1 in 1986, was reskinned as the R17 in 1991 and ran until the Rover 75 took over in 1999. A guide to the 820, 825 and 827, the Sterling and the Vitesse, the fastback and the coupé, the American Sterling disaster, what to check, and what the survivors are worth.

The Vauxhall Carlton was the marque's big saloon and estate for sixteen years, the Luton-assembled Mk1 of 1978 and the Rüsselsheim-built Mk2 of 1986 that won European Car of the Year and gave Britain the GSi 3000 24v and the Lotus Carlton. A guide to both generations, the engines, the Diplomat and CDX trims, what to check, and what the few survivors are worth.

The Austin Metro carried British Leyland's survival on its back in 1980 and delivered, selling past two million across Austin, MG and Rover eras, with the Group B 6R4 as its unhinged rally cousin. A guide to the Metro's generations, the MG versions, the 6R4, why survivors vanished, buying checks and values.

The Rover SD1 wrapped a V8 executive car in Ferrari-inspired fastback lines, won European Car of the Year, dominated motorway patrols and touring-car grids, and fought Leyland-era build quality all the way. A guide to 2000 to Vitesse, the racing record, buying checks and values.

The Ford Capri 2.8 Injection gave the Mk3 a fuel-injected 160 bhp Cologne V6, Bilstein dampers and a proper chassis, and became the Capri enthusiasts want. A guide to the 1981 car, the five-speed, the Injection Special, the 280 Brooklands run-out and the Tickford turbo, what goes wrong, and what they are worth.

The Triumph Acclaim was a Honda Ballade built by British Leyland at Cowley, the deal that began the Honda-Rover era and the last car ever to wear the Triumph badge. A guide to the Acclaim's unlikely story, the trims and Triomatic, why so few survive, buying checks and values.

The Ford Sierra replaced the best-selling Cortina with aerodynamic styling Britain nicknamed the jellymould, and slowly won the country over across 1.3 million UK sales. A guide to the ordinary Sierras, the XR4i and XR4x4, the Sapphire saloons, why survivors are so rare, buying checks and values.

The Land Rover Discovery of 1989 put Range Rover engineering under a family-priced body and invented the everyday Land Rover, and the original Discovery 1 is now a classic in its own right. A guide to the 200Tdi and 300Tdi eras, the V8s, the Camel Trophy years, what rusts, and what to check before buying one.

The Jaguar XJ series began in 1968 as the saloon that replaced Jaguar's entire range and stayed the company's flagship for four decades. This overview decodes the family, Series 1 to 3, the coupe, the XJ40 and the X300/X308, links to our detailed guides on each, and explains which classic XJ suits which buyer.

The Ford Fiesta Mk1 was Ford's first front-wheel-drive small car, a clean-sheet supermini that sold a million inside three years and founded a nameplate that ran nearly half a century. A guide to the Mk1's story, the XR2 and Supersport, why survivors are so scarce, what to check, and what one costs today.

The Lotus Esprit wore Giugiaro's sharpest wedge over a backbone chassis, drove underwater in The Spy Who Loved Me, and matured through turbocharging into a genuine supercar rival. A guide to the Giugiaro and Stevens eras, the Bond fame, the Turbo, what to check when buying, and what an Esprit costs today.

The Lotus Excel took the Elite and Eclat's wedge four-seater idea and rebuilt it with Toyota running gear into the most usable classic Lotus of all, then depreciated into the marque's great bargain. A guide to the Excel and the Eclat before it, the Toyota partnership, what to check when buying, and why it costs so little.

The Reliant Fox was a tiny glassfibre-bodied utility with a canvas back, developed for the Greek market and then built at Tamworth for Britain's smallholders and seaside councils. A guide to where the Fox came from, what it shares with the Kitten, why so few were built, what to check, and what this rare curiosity costs today.

The Reliant Robin is the most joked-about car Britain ever made and one of its most misunderstood. A guide to the real Robin, the Ogle design, the alloy engine, the Rialto years and the final editions, whether they really tip over, why the Trotters' van is not a Robin, what to check when buying, and what one costs today.

The Reliant Scimitar SS1 was the affordable British roadster of the 1980s, styled by Michelotti, built in glassfibre at Tamworth, and transformed by its Nissan-turbocharged 1800Ti version. A guide to the SS1, the restyled SST and Scimitar Sabre, why it never sold, what to check when buying, and why it remains a roadster bargain.

The Land Rover Defender ran from 1983 to 2016, the coil-sprung successor to the Series that became one of the most recognisable shapes on earth. A guide to the One Ten, Ninety and 130, the engines from the Tdi to the Td5 and Puma, and what to look for when buying, including chassis rot and theft.

The Land Rover Series III was the most numerous Series of all, recognised by its plastic grille and the first all-synchromesh gearbox. A guide to the 88 and 109 inch cars, the engines including the Stage 1 V8, the Lightweight, what to look for when buying, and why it is the most affordable way into a Series Land Rover.

The original Range Rover, now called the Range Rover Classic, was not the luxury car it became but a more comfortable, road-capable companion to the working Land Rover. A guide to the two-door and four-door cars, the Rover V8 and the diesels, the Vogue and CSK, what one is like to live with, and what to look for when buying.

The classic Ford Capri was Europe's answer to the Mustang, an affordable fastback coupe that sold nearly two million and became a 1970s and 80s icon. A guide to the Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3, the V6 cars, the 2.8 Injection and the RS models, how it differs from the new electric Capri, and what to look for when buying one.

The Ford Escort XR3i was the fuel-injected hot hatch that outsold every rival and defined performance motoring for a generation of British drivers. A guide to the XR3 and XR3i, the Mk3 and Mk4 cars and the cabriolet, how it compares to the Golf GTI, what to look for, and what they are worth now.

The classic Ford Escort ran across six generations from 1968 to 2000, from the rear-drive rally cars to the front-drive hot hatches and the mighty RS Cosworth. A guide to the Mk1 to Mk6, how the generations differ, the everyman saloons and the celebrated fast Escorts, the booted Orion, and what to look for when buying.

The Ford Granada was Ford's big executive saloon and coupe for over two decades, from the Mk1 made famous by The Sweeney to the aerodynamic, Car-of-the-Year Mk3 and its 24-valve Cosworth flagship. A guide to the three generations, the Granada and Scorpio names, what to look for, and what they are worth.

The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth turned an ordinary family Ford into a Group A touring-car weapon, with a turbocharged Cosworth engine, a whale-tail wing and, in RS500 form, near-unbeatable race performance. A guide to the three-door, the RS500, the Sapphire and the 4x4, the theft and cloning problem, and what to look for when buying one.

The blue Leyland tractors grew straight out of the orange Nuffields in 1969 and were built at Bathgate in Scotland until 1982. A guide to the old Leyland tractors worth knowing, from the compact 154 to the synchro models and the big 2100, the British Leyland story, what to look for when buying, and what a vintage Leyland is worth.

Dutton was reckoned the most prolific kit-car maker in the world, building cheap glass-fibre sports cars and estates on Triumph and then Ford Escort running gear, and once beat Ford in the High Court for the right to keep calling one of its cars the Sierra. A guide to the models, the famous lawsuit, what to look for when buying, and what they are worth.

The XJS was never meant to be an E-Type, and the long, controversial grand tourer divided opinion at launch before time turned it into a sought-after classic. The V12 and the six, the cabriolet and the convertible, the TWR racing cars, and what to look for when buying one now.

Ford called it the Cortina 80; Britain called it the Mk5. The 1979 facelift of the Mk4 was the last Cortina of all, holding the sales lead until the radical Sierra replaced it in 1982 and ended two decades of rear-drive Cortinas. The development story, the run-out, and the survivors.

The third-generation Granada of 1985 was Ford's most advanced car yet, a smooth aerodynamic hatchback that brought executive-class technology like standard anti-lock brakes to the mainstream and was named European Car of the Year. Known as the Ford Scorpio abroad, it was Ford's big British saloon for a decade. The development story and the survivors.

The Princess was Harris Mann's other wedge, a front-drive Hydragas-suspended family car that BL forgot to give a hatchback. A guide to the 18-22 launch confusion, the Princess 2, the Ambassador handover, what to look for, and what they're worth.

Rootes Group's last clean-sheet small saloon, sold as a Hillman, then a Chrysler, then a Talbot, with a yellow rally homologation Tiger in the middle of it. A guide to the lineage, the Tiger, what to look for, and what they're worth.

The Morris Marina sold over a million cars, finished last in nearly every road test, ran on a front suspension dating from 1948, and survived in such small numbers that finding a clean one today is a real search. A guide to the lineage, the Ital handover, what to look for, and what they're worth.

The Vauxhall Chevette was Britain's best-selling hatchback for parts of 1978, the rally homologation HS won the 1979 British Rally Championship, and almost all of them are now scrapped. A guide to the variants, the HS, what to look for, and what they're worth.

The turbo era and the birth of the hot hatch, the British cars of the 1980s running from the Sierra Cosworth and the Esprit Turbo to the Range Rover, the XJ40, and the performance cars that landed on everyone's neighbour's driveway.