Top 10 or Top 100 lists and similar compilations are popular, and not just since the invention of the internet. Classic car magazines like to compile such lists and, of course, there are also books on the subject.
In his book "99 Youngtimers", author Sven Jürisch compiles almost 100 cars that were built between the 1970s and the 1990s (or shortly thereafter). This is certainly a relatively open definition of the term "youngtimer", but most of the cars shown also correspond to the narrower understanding of youngtimers with cars between 15 and 30 years old.
Spoilt for choice
Which 99 youngtimers would you never want to get out of? The choice is probably largely down to the writer's taste, as absolute criteria are not easy to define.
Of course, the youngtimer classics such as an Audi quattro, a BMW M3 E30, a Ford Sierra XR4i, a Mazda MX-5 or a Porsche 924 are not missing. The VW Golf GTI Mk II and the Toyota MR2 are also included.
Unexpected vehicles
Perhaps more surprising are the Alfa Romeo GTV (actually almost more of a classic car), the Audi A2, the BMW M635 CSI E24, the Ferrari Mondial, the DeLorean DMC-12 (really a classic car), the Jaguar XJ 220 (very exotic) or the Range Rover (off-road vehicle). But the author probably wanted to open the fan particularly wide and therefore also included a Volkswagen Bus T3, a Buick Park Avenue, a Mitsubishi Pajero or a Nissan 200 SX/Silvia. And why the BMW M635 CSi was entitled to its own chapter alongside the "normal" 6-series coupé, which is also documented, is not immediately clear to the reader.
On the other hand, cars that some viewers would have liked to see in the '99 list are also missing, such as the BMW Z3, the Subaru Impreza (early versions), the Porsche 944/944 S2 or the Renault Clio Williams. On the other hand, some people might have liked to have done without exotic cars such as the Porsche 959 or the Alfa Romeo SZ.
But this is precisely what makes such a compilation so appealing, namely discovering what's in it and what's not. And of course the selection was huge, so the author had to limit himself somehow.
Relaxing reading
Of course, Jürisch's book is not a reference work, nor can you delve deeper into specific vehicles. But it provides an entertaining introduction to the subject of youngtimers and gives you ideas about what else you might be interested in. With approximate prices, the source of which is not disclosed, the individual vehicles are also classified in terms of value. A maximum of two pages, including pictures, must suffice for each individual car.
Jürich writes with a fluent pen and works out the special features of the individual vehicles. Of course, it is possible to disagree here and there, for example when Jürich calls the open E30 with a mounted roof a coupé or forgets to mention the famous "over-dead-center kinematics" of the folding roof.
And the photos? Most of them are more or less well-known factory photos that support the text excellently.
EUR 14.99 seems to be fair for 192 pages and a short break on a rainy Sunday afternoon, especially as the book fits well in your luggage and could certainly shorten one or two train/flight journeys.
Bibliographical details
- Title: 99 Youngtimers
- Author: Sven Jürisch
- Language: German
- Publisher: Geramond Verlag GmbH
- Edition: 1st edition 2016 (May 9, 2016)
- Format: Paperback, 12.1 x 2 x 18.5 cm
- Scope: 192 pages
- ISBN-13: 978-3862457557
- Price: EUR 14.99
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online at the publisher GeraMond or at the relevant bookstore
