Our Top 10 Most Loved Cars

There’s something incredibly heartfelt about classic cars - the unmistakable roar of the engine, captivating design lines and vintage feel can transport us back in time to a simpler era. Whether cruising around country lanes or simply appreciating these gems from afar at car shows, classic cars capture our hearts in unique and powerful ways. Today, we’re sharing our top 10 most beloved iconic classics that we insure and have been enjoyed for generations - from a collectable DB5 to a charming Daimler Dart and everything in between. Get ready to appreciate these timeless beauties all over again!

All images have been provided by our clients, so special thanks to everyone mentioned below.

Ford Capri 2.0 S

Mark bought this car with his dad with the original intention of breaking the car as it came complete with a lamp post embedded into the front end.

However, upon inspection, the car was too good to break and between Mark and his Dad, they restored the car over a two-year period. The car has since gone on to win numerous awards at various shows across the country and is a regular exhibit across the car scene.

This is a perfect example of a rags-to-riches story for this Tibetan Gold Capri and Mark loves enjoying the car as it should be.

Porsche 911

Back in the 1980s there were two poster cars that adorned bedroom walls. They were both iconic cars of the era and both had loyal supporters. On one wall you had the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari Testarossa on the other.

This particular policyholder, Prentis, favoured the Porsche 911, “I have always loved 911s. I was the boy with the poster on the wall and now I have the real thing.” Prentis is now lucky enough to open his garage door and admire his iconic poster car, both to just look at like when he was a child staring at the poster on his wall, but this time he has the option to experience the flat-six engine note as he disappears down the road too.

Daimler SP250 Dart

Paul told us a real love story we had to include in our top ten most loved cars by our clients. “I fell in love with Daimler SP250 Darts when I was a student at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth and used to see a beautiful black one with tan trim when I was hitchhiking home through Rhyader.

I've longed for one ever since, admired them from afar and close up, talked and fantasised about them endlessly until - in 2021, some 55 years after I first fell in love - I proposed to Darcy the Dart and she accepted. We will have been together for 20 months this Valentine's Day and we couldn't be happier.

She looks beautiful and sounds beautiful and our drives out together are a joy. She is everything I dreamed she would be. I think she feels the same about me.”

Austin Healy 3000

John told us about his love for his Austin Healy.“I acquired my Austin Healey 3000 Mk1 BT7 in 1983 when it was in a well-used and uncared-for condition. During the years since, I have restored most of the car (bodywork, engine, gearbox, steering, brakes etc) but still find jobs to do to improve the overall condition of the car. It has, to be frank, been an expensive but satisfying adventure.

When I first acquired the car my son was not even born. Now he is a grown man and, like his father, he loves and enjoys the car as much as I do. After forty years of ownership, the car is now part of the family and there is no way that I would part with it. Indeed, my son is committed to continuing ownership once I am no longer able to continue with it.

The car is difficult to drive compared to today's vehicles but it is extremely exciting and immensely enjoyable to drive around the country lanes in fine weather. On examination, purists would say that it is not a standard Healey but no matter, it's my Healey.

Jaguar XJR-S

Allan has had a love of Jaguars for years and has been lucky enough to own many Jaguars, some classic, some modern classics. However, he had one itch that hadn’t been scratched that was niggling away, the Jaguar XJS.

Back in 2016 a rare TWR-built, XJR-S was sourced and although he wasn’t looking for this particular model, it was too good of a car to pass up and Alan’s XJR-S journey began. Driving the car home had given Allan all the time needed to become smitten with the car, a feeling that hasn’t changed since. The car has since been restored by KWE to the stunning level it's now at, but it’s not a trailer queen and gets driven and enjoyed as it should.

Alan’s love for Jaguars continues and is one lucky guy getting to drive this puuuurrrrfect example.

Ford Sierra Cosworth

Back in the 1980’s Ford came up with a concept of giving an everyday family saloon car a supercar performance. With the help of race engine specialist Cosworth, the 150 mph family car was born. It gained notoriety in the ’90s for being uninsurable due to the theft rate of these cars, however, things have now moved on and they sit very nicely on a classic car policy.

Mohammed has owned this car since 2017 and enjoys driving and showing the car. The reason he bought it was described as “I love that whale tail”. The car sits alongside other cars in his collection, all sharing one common thing – Mohammed’s love for 80’s performance cars, the type of cars he dreamed of growing up.

Subaru Impreza P1

Taking a break from the traditional classic car, lets now look at one of our modern classic owners and his story behind the beautiful example of Pro-Drive’s development of the Subaru Impreza. Mervyn told us “My love of Subarus came from watching Colin McRae and the Irish road rallies as a young boy. I always aspired to own a P1 Subaru since then and in 2019 my dream became a reality.”

After finding the right car, he brought the car home and soon realised he could make the P1 a bit more fun, without going crazy and a few simple modifications. This P1 is straight piped, has anti-lag and runs around 340bhp.

Ford Escort XR3i Cabriolet

The hot hatch era gave us cars that were both practical and offered performance. The first hot hatch out the blocks was the Golf GTi which the bosses at VW said would never take off. How wrong they were. Ford were quick to introduce the XR3 in 1980 to compete with the Golf GTi and became a mainstay of the ‘Hot Hatch Era’.

The owner Sam loves this car “You can’t beat old school cars, just you and the engine, no power steering, no fancy computers just old school reminds me of my childhood, like stepping back in time to when you get behind the wheel.”

Corvette Z1R

Alan blames his Dad for his love of Corvettes. When Alan was a lad, he had a Corgi model of a Corvette which covered some miles on those tough carpet roads.

Moving forward to the early 2000s, Alan had been looking for a couple of years to upsize his Corgi model to the real thing when he tracked down the perfect Corvette at a dealer in Rotterdam. It was a model that had been imported by a US serviceman to Germany but never registered and kept in a museum for 5 years. A deal was done, and the car was driven home.

Since then, the car has regularly been all over Europe and has put many a smile on Alan’s face and continues to do so. This is one Vette that is enjoyed and loved to the max.

Aston Martin DB5

This has to be one of the most instantly recognisable cars ever to appear on our tv screens even to this day.

Stephen, when asked the question what do you love about your car, replied with a light-hearted laugh “Do you really need to ask? Everybody loves James Bond and of course the car. It’s got to be the most famous and iconic car.”

Making its first appearance in 1964’s Goldfinger, the DB5 was more than a match for Sean Connery’s chiselled good looks, suave and sophistication, plus the DB5 had more gadgets than Mr Bond himself.

The most famous Bond car to date has been featured in 8 films of the franchise.

If you have any classic car love stories of your own to share, then please get in touch at info@abbeyfieldsinsurance.co.uk, we'd love to hear them and they may also get a feature on our blog!