Let’s meet in the year 2000 | Six of the best

Apologies, Pulp fans, the full text wouldn’t fit in the headline. But it felt like the perfect way to celebrate turn-of-the-century classics, especially with Disco 2000 celebrating its 30th anniversary this week (and still being a great song). It’s easy to imagine that the millennium is still twenty years ago, but in reality it’s been a quarter of a century – almost 26 years, of course. While not every car here was launched in 2000, they all date back to that famous year, hopefully now with some classic car advantages when it comes to driving them. They’re all great driver’s cars too (because that’s how we drive), so it seems fitting to kick off with a 911. In 2000 the 996 really cooked on gas, and a GT3 and Turbo received much acclaim. That said, the Carrera 2 was a great 300 horsepower sports car, and still looks like one to this day. This has been owned by a father and son duo for more than 20 years, while the BBS alloys and brown interior ensure that it is not just any black 911. The auction starts tomorrow…

When talking about iconic sports cars from the 90s, the discussion is incomplete without mentioning the Lotus Elise. The ultimate sports car of the decade, to some extent the performance car of the era, completely redefined what you could expect from Lotus – and what around £25,000 or so bought. It was so exotic, so innovative, so beautiful, a car that brought together all the expertise of its maker in one stunning package. No wonder there was a queue around the corner when they were new, and the very best S1 Elises remain highly prized indeed. They are all great of course, but the ones with the spicier K series in the middle are very special indeed. This Sport 160 is one of those; actually the most powerful S1 offered at the time. After being owned by the previous owner for over ten years and now for sale by the dealer who sold it to him, it seems to be a wonderful example of an icon.

What a time this was for lightweight British sports cars. The turn of the century saw TVR in all its splendor, with charming V8 roadsters and vibrant straight-six sports cars carving their way around the motorways and byways of Britain. Now, a quarter of a century later, some of those cars are crossing the Atlantic, giving American enthusiasts a taste of a true sports car they were denied at the time. Now that some are eligible, there will likely be a demand for the best; If you’re craving a TVR, nothing else will do. Sold by Str8Six, the company that helps TVR Garage source cars in the United States, this Tuscan looks ideal for a customer on either side of the pond: not least because it’s about to complete a light recommissioning, with an engine overhaul and a suspension overhaul. 2026 could be a great summer.

So here we are, 25 years later: an E39 M5 costs what it did new. £59,995 would have been the recommended retail price at the turn of the century, and that’s what this Carbon Black example now costs in 2025. Interestingly, too, that £60,000 figure, adjusted for inflation, is £115,000 today – and a new M5 £114,000. These days you get a lot more M5 for your money – more power, more weight, more technology – but nothing shows how less can be more like an E39. By modern standards, it’s super simple and extremely subtle, yet perfectly suited to going very far away very quickly. Add a smarter screen and it would still be a nice everyday car, such was the quality and consistency of the third M5. It’s probably just that price that will put you off using an E39 for everything – it was and remains one of the great all-in-one super sedans.

For a long time, and somewhat inexplicably, the 550 Maranello wasn’t worth much money. At least by Ferrari standards. This was a car that revived the great front-engined 12-cylinder Maranello super GT, which was adored by the media at launch and offered exclusively with a manual gearbox, yet didn’t really seem to be on many radars. Maybe the running costs were too scary, maybe the mid-engine classics still seemed more exotic – who knows. But the days of £50,000 550s are long gone, as its status as one of the modern greats is cemented. Because 800hp Ferraris, a bit like 700hp M5s, can seem a bit OTT; the best part of 500 hp, the best part of 200 mph and an open-gate six-speed gearbox are more than enough. Especially in blue over brown, with a lot of history of the selling specialist. Simply delicious.

Another famous four-door sedan, back to what it cost 25 years ago. In 2000, the original GC8 Impreza was about to be replaced, with the bug-eye car looming, and there was still work to be done. Since its introduction to British roads in the early 1990s, the Impreza Turbo had made a huge impact: compact dimensions, punchy turbo power and all-wheel drive meant there was a new B-road hero to lust after. When hot hatches still had around 150bhp and sports cars were much more difficult to drive, little could match a well-handled Impreza on a bumpy British road. Add the Colin effect and the Impreza became a cult hero faster than you could say Wales Rally GB. This, incredibly, has had one owner since it was first registered on January 5, 2000, and has covered less than a thousand miles per year since then. The world has changed quite a bit since then; the desire for a good Impreza has not changed at all…