40 years later - what remains of the best cars in the world
01/03/2020
At the end of 1979, the readers of "auto motor und sport" magazine voted for the "Best Cars" and the results were published in issue 3/1980 .
At that time, the VW Golf won in the "small car" class, the BMW 323i in the mid-size car class up to 2500 cm3, the Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL in the luxury class over 2.5 liters, the Porsche 924 Turbo in the sports car class up to 2000 cm3, the Porsche 911 Turbo in the "sports car over 2000 cm3" class and the Mercedes-Benz G in the "off-road vehicle" class, although it only received just over a third of the votes of the Porsche 924 in its class.
From today's perspective, it has to be said that the AMS readers had a pretty lucky hand, especially with the saloons/everyday cars. Even as classics, the cars chosen usually came out on top when compared to the lower-ranked cars. The Opel Kadett and Ford Fiesta came second and third behind the Golf 1, which is now a sought-after classic, especially as a GTI, while the BMW 323i, which is popular today not only among propeller fans, came out on top against the Audi 100 SE and BMW 525. And even among the large saloons, the Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL is probably more highly rated today than a BMW 735i or an Opel Senator.
When it came to sports cars, however, the foresight was less pronounced. Although the Porsche 924 Turbo is one of the most popular classics today, the Lotus Esprit in second place is likely to outstrip it in terms of value. And among the large sports cars, a BMW M1, which came second at the time, is now worth considerably more than a Porsche 911 Turbo, and the fourth-placed Lamborghini Countach also sells for more than the Porsche.
Also interesting are the winners in the foreign rankings back then. Small cars: Renault 5 ahead of Fiat Ritmo. Sedans up to 2.5 liters: Alfa Romeo Sei ahead of Citroën CX GTi. Saloons over 2.5 liters: Jaguar XJ 12 5.3 ahead of Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Sports cars up to 2 liters: Lotus Esprit ahead of Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV and Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Sports cars over 2 liters: Lamborghini Countach ahead of Ferrari 512 BB and Aston Martin Vantage.
A word about the Mercedes-Benz G, which was voted best off-road vehicle, just ahead of the Range Rover. In the classic car market, too, the two models are now practically on an equal footing.
