Whether you love the intricacies of design or the intriguing pull of futuristic innovation, it’s always great to see your favourite models receive an overhaul that helps them take another giant leap forward. Here we take a look at six cars that achieved that in style, with a nod to the future thrown in for good measure.
BMW M3
We start with possibly BMW’s greatest ever car, the all-conquering
M3. The original E30 was released to satisfy the needs of German touring car championships, which required manufacturers to produce a certain number of roadworthy models. Although we love the boxy style and raw power of the early E30, the M3 has transitioned over the years from being a road legal race car to a luxury sports Coupé that now has an M4 badge attached to it.
VW Scirocco
While the original
Scirocco first released in the 1970s was sleek and sporty for its time, just take a look at how beautiful the updated model is, which came out in 2008. The facelift model six years later brought even silkier lines to what was already a great design, but there was more heartbreak for Scirocco fans just around the corner. The car was canned for the second time in 2017, meaning you’ll have to shop the second-hand market if you want to get your hands on one.
Mini
You might question the presence of one of the most iconic cars of all time on our list, but there's reason behind this particular rhyme. Yes, the original Mini - which celebrates its 60th birthday in 2019 - is a true British classic, but most of us these days want a little more space, safety and luxury in our cars. The current
Mini Hatch, with its Cooper and Cooper S variants, offers all the mod cons and with endless ways to personalise your ride, you can stamp your own style all over it.
Audi A6
Similarly to the Mini, the A6 was no mug when it first came out back in 1994. The German manufacturer’s executive saloon was born from the previous Audi 100, and was an instant standard bearer for travelling in luxury. The latest model, however, has taken driving to a whole new level. The
fifth generation A6 was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, and as well as electric power, offers some 37 driving assistance systems and Level 3 autonomous driving - although you can’t legally use that on UK roads just yet.
Toyota Prius
When it was first released in 1997, it’s fair to say the Prius wasn’t the most appealing of cars out there. The four-door saloon styling was hardly cutting edge, and the idea of driving a hybrid electric vehicle was a new concept that many people thought would never take off. Fast forward to the present day, and the
fourth generation model is a much better looking beast, while in an age where electric power is becoming increasingly prominent almost by the day, the Prius is now regarded as a bona fide trailblazer.
Jaguar F-Type
Continuing on the electric theme, we move to a slightly different area of the motoring industry from the Prius. The Jaguar
F-Type was first mooted as a successor to the iconic E-Type in the early eighties, but problems and timing meant it never happened. More concepts followed at the turn of the millennium, until the F-Type finally saw the light of day in 2013. It was well worth the wait, and now it’s been confirmed that the successor to the current model is going to have an electrified engine.
