2021’s biggest classic car anniversaries

By Lizzie Pope

| 26 Dec 2021

Classic & Sports Car – 2021’s biggest classic car anniversaries

Every year at Classic & Sports Car we celebrate the year’s biggest classic car anniversaries – and 2021 was no different.

So as the year draws to a close, we thought this was the perfect time to look back on the biggest birthdays we’ve celebrated over the past 12 months.

Plus it’s another opportunity to give some much-loved models another moment in the spotlight.

Still impressive, a century on

We’re going to do this by age, starting with the oldest, meaning the first anniversary we’re looking back on is the Bugatti Brescia’s centenary.

The model’s name derives from the marque’s dominant 1-2-3-4 finish at the poorly contested 1921 Italian voiturette GP – but its engineering set the template for many Molsheim trademarks.

You can enjoy our full feature here.

It is a bit of a jump, age-wise, to our next celebration, as we fast-forward three decades for the 70th anniversary of the venerable A-series engine.

This versatile engine started life under the Austin A30’s bonnet in 1951 and kept on going until the final Mini rolled off the production line in October 2000 – we tell its story here.

We’d be amazed if you’ve missed the E-type’s 60th in 2021

We are sure you’re aware that 1961 was a pretty big year for new cars and we’ve marked several 60th anniversaries in 2021.

The biggest is, you’ve guessed it, the Jaguar E-type which has been fêted all year long, in-person, on-page and online – and deservedly so.

If you fancy one final hurrah, you can read our tribute to this much-loved classic here.

Plus, we quizzed some famous faces and asked them which version of the E-type is their favourite – find out if you agree or disagree.

Recalling 60 years of the R4 with this fun photo

Another popular British model hit 60 in 2021: the MG Midget.

It might have received a little less fanfare than the E-type this year, but this small sports car is well worth toasting – 200,000 buyers in 18 years, plus 140,000 more for the Sprite-badged version, can’t be wrong.

And you can flick through our MG Midget tribute here.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Channel in 1961, Renault launched one of its most important models.

The Renault 4 – officially the R4 until 1965 – was a hit from day one and was little changed for more than 30 years. And it’s a good excuse to share an amusing press shot.

Here’s our full R4 gallery.

The Countach has been adorning bedroom walls for half a century

And so to 1971… Another year which has made its mark on automotive history.

It is hard to believe that the outrageous lines of the Lamborghini Countach are half a century old.

But at least it gave us a very good excuse to reacquaint ourselves with this eye-catching classic, as you can read here.

And while we’re on the subject of supercars, the Maserati Bora emerged at the Geneva show in March 1971, with Ferrari’s 365GT4 Berlinetta Boxer also breaking cover (in prototype form) at that year’s Paris show.

We didn’t need telling twice to arrange a Ferrari 365GT4 Berlinetta Boxer vs Maserati Bora twin test, which you can read here.

A patriotic trio gathered for our Alfasud celebration

It wasn’t just high-end metal hitting the headlines in Italy in 1971, because this year we’ve also had the pleasure of marking 50 years of the Alfasud.

Our Martin Buckley called it ‘probably the last really great Alfa Romeo’ and it certainly still has the ability to win over new fans.

‘With its slippery four-door, two-box body styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s newly formed ItalDesign and a drivetrain by engineer Rudolf Hruska, the human pedigree alone behind the Alfasud must have had Fiat rattled,’ Buckley continued.

You can reacquaint yourself with the model and read our celebration here.

The 107-series Mercedes-Benz SL was sold from 1971 right through to 1989

1971 was also the year Mercedes-Benz launched its latest addition to its hallowed SL line, and the Pagoda was a hard act to follow.

But the R107 that replaced it was more than up to the task, proving so popular it was on sale until 1989 – and adoration for it still grows today.

You can enjoy our tribute to this long-lived – and now 50-year-old – three-pointed star here.

And in England, 1971 was the year Jaguar’s V12 engine finally became a production reality, the company having experimented with the configuration since the ’50s.

Of course we had to sing its praises, as you can read here.

Bertrand Gachot, Johnny Herbert and Volker Weidler steered the Mazda 787B to victory at Le Mans 30 years ago

On 22-23 June 1991 at Le Mans, something unexpected happened.

No one anticipated that Mazda would win, becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to take top honours at the world-famous 24-hour enduro – which, 30 years on, makes it a story well worth retelling.

Which brings us on to a cluster of 25-year anniversaries, starting with the Porsche Boxster, which we find hard to believe has hit this milestone.

It was the Stuttgart firm’s first all-new model in nearly two decades and introduced it to a fresh audience – well worth celebrating, then, as we did here.

25 and out for the Lotus Elise

The Elise is another model we’re struggling to believe is a quarter of a century old, especially because Lotus has now called time on it.

Without the Elise, in 2021 we might not have Lotus. A masterpiece of less-is-more design that still puts grins on owners’ faces, you can check out our tribute here.

When you’ve done that, we’ve one more British favourite which turns 25 this year – the Jaguar X100.

A model that has finally realised its classic potential, its anniversary was a welcome opportunity to sample XK8, XKR and XKR-R on track, as you can read here.

The Jaguar XK8’s shape is ageing gracefully as it hits its quarter century

Finally, we come to our most recent anniversary.

A decade ago, in 2011, McLaren Automotive’s first production MP4-12C was completed.

Muscling in on the supercar sector was no small task but, as McLaren proved, it helps if you start with a good name and the right expertise – and it has certainly paid off.

To reflect on 10 years of development, we brought an MP4-12C together with its 720S successor, as you can read here.

And we look forward to celebrating more big birthdays in 2022.

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