10 winter classics to see you through the snow

Reliable motors, whatever the weather

Think classic cars are a summer pursuit? Don’t be such a fair-weather enthusiast.

While the first sign of snow might see most roadsters consigned to the garage until spring, there’s a whole crop of capable classics that are more than hardy enough to handle the challenging conditions of winter.

We’ve picked out 10 all-weather classics you can enjoy in the rain, sleet or snow, from rally-derived hatchbacks to proper off-roaders.

Just don’t get too carried away with the powerslides, OK?

Jensen FF

Price from: £50,000

What do you mean, you don’t want to risk flinging a £50k classic around on snowy roads? It’s surely the right way to celebrate the first production car fitted with four-wheel drive and ABS – the Jensen FF, or ‘Ferguson Formula’ (for the man who created the system).

Admittedly, you might have a hard time finding one, given that a mere 320 were built between 1966 and ’71 – largely because high prices and a right-hand drive setup throttled sales – but that doesn’t detract from the fact that the FF was both innovative and adept on ice.

Porsche 959

Price from: £800,000 (and a lot more)

A technological tour de force of the late ’80s, Porsche's twin-turbo 959 wasn’t just the fastest production car of its day, it also deployed four-wheel drive to outstanding effect, making it a very valid choice for winter driving. Albeit an absurdly expensive one.

Porsche’s masterpiece didn’t just fling its power at every wheel, either: the all-wheel drive system could vary the torque sent to every corner, reducing slip and increasing grip as conditions changed. Great news on the race track, even better on an icy cul de sac.

Alpine A110

Price from: £25,000

If you’re going to get sideways in the snow, you might as well do it in style – and few rally legends look as lovely in a drift as the Alpine A110.

A staple of the winter stage in the early ’70s, the Michelotti-designed French coupé came with a variety of engine options – but all were rear-mounted and sent power to the rear wheels, so the 706kg A110 was one tail-happy wagon. Better yet, that glassfibre shell means no salt rot when things get snowy. Enjoy responsibly.

BMW E30 325ix

Price from: £8,000 (if you can find one)

Forget the mighty M3: for winter fun, it’s a 325ix you want. While almost every E30 3-series offered superb handling, brilliant balance and sturdy reliability, it was only the six-cylinder 325ix that brought all-wheel drive to the field.

More than just four-wheel drive, the late-’80s saloon – built for just three years – was the first to carry BMW’s variable torque system, now known as xDrive, which meant bags of grip even in the toughest conditions.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Price from: £40,000

A pure homologation special, the four-wheel drive Escort RS Cosworth was sold to qualify the model for competition in Group A of the World Rally Championship – so it stands to reason that the fast Ford would be a stellar classic for slippery conditions.

Yes, you’ll pay a pretty penny for the limited-run machine today – but bag one of the early 224bhp versions and you’ll have all the ingredients for a whale (tail) of a time this winter.

Peugeot 205 T16

Price from: £85,000

OK, we agree that this might be pushing the boat out a little too far – but for festive fun with a turbo hatchback, you can’t beat the Group B T16. In fact, nothing could beat the T16 in the mid-’80s: it won the World Rally Championship twice on the trot.

Another rally special, the all-wheel drive Pug was good for almost 200bhp in road trim, which made it quicker than a sledge down a snowy mountain and more fun to boot.

Mini Cooper S

Price from: £16k

All-wheel drive might offer better traction, but when it comes to the fluffy white stuff what you really want is a featherweight – and classics don’t come much lighter than the diminutive Mini Cooper S.

The Mini was no stranger to the Monte Carlo rally, and with good reason: stick snow chains on its tiny tyres and you’ll float over the snow like you’re on skis, while the magic handling and fabulous chassis of the John Cooper-tuned two-door should make it a cinch to control any surprise Scandinavian Flicks. 

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

Price from: £15,000

As with many others on this list, the HF Integrale was bred to rally and released for the road. It was itself evolved from the Group B 4WD machine, and was further developed first into the 8v, then the turbocharged 2-litre 16v – which was good for 200bhp. Across all models, it won the World Rally Championship five years in a row, between 1988 and 1992.

In road trim, such as on the Evo 2 version pictured, it was almost as magnificent, putting its power through all four wheels and doing the 0-60 dash in 5.7 seconds – though perhaps not in the snow. Then again, with nifty differentials deploying torque to the wheels with more grip, it’s unlikely to ever get stuck in an icy supermarket car park.

Land-Rover Series II

Price from: £10,000

You can’t get more grip, ground clearance and all-round utility from a classic than with the Land-Rover – the definitive off-roader and enemy of slippy surfaces the world over.

Any well-maintained classic Landie will be a treat come the winter – if a little chilly – but the hardy Series II/IIA variant isn’t a bad place to start, particularly in 2.25-litre petrol guise.

Audi Ur quattro

Price from: £15k

What else could it be but the quattro? A champion of four-wheel drive on the road and in rallies, it changed the motoring game forever when it launched at Geneva in 1980 – pairing turbo performance with astonishing all-wheel grip.

Naturally, it was a force to be reckoned with on slippery stages and, in roadgoing guise, arguably the ultimate tool for enjoying snowy roads – as much today as in the ’80s.