The winning Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics have gone on display in the National Motor Museum for the summer, as the museum looks towards the future of mobility in its 50th anniversary year.
Coinciding with this year’s Autocar Awards at Silverstone, which saw the Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics award, presented by Lord Montagu, recognise the winners of the poll, the cars are now on show for Beaulieu visitors to see up-close.
All taking their places in the museum are examples of the Alpine A110, BMW i3, Land Rover Defender and Toyota GR Yaris. These very different designs have all been identified as contemporary motoring icons that will be considered classics in another 50 years, after thousands of votes by National Motor Museum visitors and Autocar readers.
From the performance-orientated Toyota GR Yaris, to the BMW i3, which flies the flag for EV technology in the display, the selection showcases the wide variety of car designs on the market today. While the retro design cues of the Land Rover Defender and Alpine A110 hark back to their marques’ heritage. All are tipped as cars that will be coveted by enthusiasts in 2072 and praised for their importance to motoring history.
National Motor Museum Trust Chief Executive Dr Jon Murden said: “It is a tremendous honour to have worked with the readers and staff at Autocar on the Future Classics project. Getting down to just five cars was an unenviable task, and some fantastic cars such as the Porsche 911 didn’t make the cut. It will be interesting to see what visitors think of the Future Classics on display in the Museum this summer, and whether history bears out our choices when we celebrate our 100th anniversary!”
Deciding which of the cars currently on sale were worthy winners of the Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics title was a difficult task. The Autocar team developed a long list of more than 100 eligible cars, before readers and Beaulieu visitors voted to cut this list down to just 10 entries. These were then whittled down to the top five by a panel of Autocar and Beaulieu experts.
The Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics will be on display in the National Motor Museum throughout the summer, until 18th September.