10. Ford Focus
A controversial entrant that raised more than a few eyebrows when it appeared on the show field. Why though? It's a cherished survivor of a once-everyday car that's disappearing rapidly but almost imperceptibly. It deserved its place far more than the hideous matt black modern Jag alongside.
9. Morris Marina
It's a Marina, one of the most infamous and derided cars of its era. It's beige, well Sandglow to be precise. If that isn't unexceptional, I don't know what is.
8. Fiat Tipo
Nostalgia plays a huge part in the appeal of the unexceptional. My middle school best friend's dad had a couple of Tipos and seeing this one immediately made me think of all the good times I spent with him when I was young.
7. Peugeot 605
French executive cars have never made much impact in the UK. This 605 is a case in point, mostly ignored as it just looks like a slightly inflated 405 and wouldn't merit a second glance if you saw it in the street. Yes it's bland, but isn't that the whole point?
6. Nissan Prairie
The first-generation Prairie was genuinely innovative with its high roof and pillarless sliding doors and could be the first ever mini-MPV, yet it's now rare and forgotten. Besides, it's one of only a few other cars apart from the Maxi I know of whose seats can be folded into a bed.
5. Seat 1500 Funebre
This one is actually quite exotic by unexceptional standards and probably unique in the UK. The Spanish do hearses in so much more style than us, and I'd love to make my final journey in something like this.
4. Toyota Corolla
A grey 1990s Toyota Corolla automatic, transport of choice for countless pensioners. It's so bland it's practically invisible - how much more unexceptional can you get? Its owner didn't think it worthy of a place but the organisers basically insisted he entered it!
3. Lancia Delta
You're thinkiing of the fire-breathing Integrale now, aren't you? That's far too exceptional and this one is an everyday 1.5-litre version. It's a really early example too and I didn't even know the Delta went back that far.
2. Bedford Astramax
Unexceptional cars may be rare but their commercial vehicle sisters are even more so. They're built to be used and abused by tradesmen so very few survive that kind of treatment. The Astramax was once declared the fastest vehicle on the road by Jeremy Clarkson, but I bet few of you remember that.
1. Dacia 1310
Some people go to extraordinary lengths to import very ordinary cars. None more so than Ian and Rich of HubNut, who went to Romania to buy this Dacia that got an MOT the day they arrived after being off the road for years. Then they drove it 4000km home while filming the whole adventure for YouTube. It certainly justifies its nickname of the Mighty Dacia.
So that's my personal top ten from the classic parking, not even counting the delights of the concours and invitational class, which will be covered later. It was a very hard decision though and as it proved so difficult to choose only ten favourites from such an incredible field of entrants, here's a few more honorable mentions that didn't quite make the final cut as a bonus.
Daihatsu Move
Childhood nostalgia strikes again. My home economics teacher had a Move exactly like this and everyone at school laughed at it I don't think I'd seen another one of these tall and boxy kei cars since.
Fiat Croma
Another bland late eighties/early nineties exec. The Croma always seemed to live in the shadow of its Lancia, Saab and Alfa Romeo sisters and its reputation hasn't been helped by reusing the name on that weird dumpy 'hunchback' in the mid 2000s.
Vauxhall Cavalier estate
A favourite of sales reps and family men, Cavaliers used to be everywhere but now they've almost all gone. The estates were interesting as the rear panels were made in Australia by Holden and shipped to the UK to be grafted on to the rest of the car at Luton.
Subaru L Series
Today's Impreza fanboys might not realise the humble origins of Subaru in the UK. Sensible family cars and pickups with the novelty of four-wheel drive, sold mainly through agricultural machinery dealers. Sadly that meant very few survived the harsh reality of life on a farm and most quickly ended up rotting away in fields.
I hope you enjoyed my top ten but what do you think of my choices and what would you have chosen? That really is just a tiny selection of the many amazing cars at this year's Festival of the Unexceptional that do little more than give a brief flavour of the event. Stay tuned for more unexceptional content...
The 605 belongs to me. It's a top spec SVE model. Indeed, you could pass it on a street if you weren't a massive Peugeot nerd or an ardent 90s barge fan. It's my second one, and we spent three years looking for a replacement - my first was also an SVE but too far gone to really do anything with.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it. We nearly took our 405 instead!
Nice festival! I also want to mention a tip for you. If you want to travel from the UK then you should pre-book your airport parking as well as meet and greet Heathrow. In this ways, you can save your money and time at one place.
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