They’re slick, they’re comfortable, they’re fast – and more affordable than you might think. Giles Chapman reveals the best grand tourers for £10k.
From the Le Mans-winning ferocity of the Ford GT40 to the insipid trim levels of the Morris 1300GT, 'GT' is an acronym that can be stretched in all sorts of directions, but we've decided to take it literally here. We've chosen 10 great cars - most of them familiar, but with a few surprises - that we feel tick all the boxes for long-distance driving at sustained higher-than-average speeds, but which don't compromise on the creature comforts we all secretly love (OK, the MGB GT V8 isn't quite a mobile daybed, but it sure is quick, and it's quirky enough to join our multi-cylinder pack).
These are powerful cars that would all be easy to hustle around town and fit on the average British driveway (so everything American pretty much excluded itself automatically from our shortlist), yet would react forcefully at the first sight of an open road.
As they're almost all built for comfort, they offer classic motoring as an experience to share rather than tackle solo. Each is also versatile, so they're usable for summer touring in the grand manner, weekend breaks with the other half, and dependable for getting to and from events in comfort.
You’re also going to get admiration by the bucketload. And some of those wistful looks from fellow motorists will be because you’ve chosen something that many have been deterred from, due to legendary tales of rust, complexity and running costs.
True, there isn’t a car here that’s going to return more than 24mpg even if driven with vicar-like timidity. And they all need to be chosen well, brought up to mechanical health and sustained there by a rigorous attention to their (for the most part) well-known mechanical weaknesses. But choose and run them scrupulously and there’s not a car here that you’ll regret owning. In theory, anyway…
1977-81 Volvo 262C
What to pay: Project £1500-2500, Usable £4-6k, Good £7-9k, Concours £10k-12k
You used to either love it or loathe it, but as the years have rolled by this most ridiculous of Volvos has more and more appeal as a period piece from the kipper tie, executive toy and cabaret-night-out era. After all, it does have a vinyl roof with chrome crowns on the C-pillars and a buttoned black leather interior!
Volvo engaged Italy’s Bertone to transform the hefty 264 into a desirable luxury coupé. The Italian tinsmiths chopped an amazing 10cm out of the roof height to make the Swedish tank more racy. Colours were limited to silver initially, and later gold or blue without the vinyl top.
People are really going to stare at you as you ooze past, but inside you’ll be pampered with electric everything, including mirrors, windows, central locking and radio aerial. That soft Italian leather upholstery will keep you looking smug, along with an air-con and heated front seats. Yes, there’s a lot to go wrong or fix, so good luck, but it’s a scarce beast with just 6622 made.
1978-88 BMW 635CSi
What to pay: Project £1500-3k, Usable £4-5k, Good £7500-9k, Concours £11k-12k
The fantastic 3.5-litre straight-six engine was always the peach in the original 6-Series line-up, but for 10 grand you won’t be going near the specialised – and highly prized – M635CSi, rather the standard offering. That’s no sacrifice, though, because this is one fast motor, with rapid acceleration. It’s quite a big car, but it handles with BMW’s trademark panache thanks to lovely steering, excellent all-round independent suspension and big disc brakes.
The sharply focused BMW performance image should dispel any idea that you’re an ageing lothario. And being an older Beemer means that common people might occasionally let you in to the traffic from sideroads.
The interior exudes the pared-back comfort of 1970s BMWs, with very comfortable and supportive front seats. Electric windows all round are a boon, albeit a bit doddery, but electric seats could be perplexing things to repair. Only if you’re very unlucky will your car have velour upholstery – most have leather. A tasteful machine as long as you can find one that’s not been thrashed.
1986-91 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC
What to pay: Project £1000-2500, Usable £3500-5k, Good £7500-9k, Concours £12k-14k
Here we are in 1980s Mercedes-Benz country, when the cars were exquisitely built and manufactured, and the customers – content with Stuttgart’s awesome reputation – had no problem with digging deep.
They certainly got an aching hand from writing the cheque for one of these. The factory had put most conceivable luxuries into the sleek, elegant and spacious W126 four-seater coupé: heated/electric front seats, an electrically adjusted steering column, self-levelling suspension and a full leather interior were all included. But an additional small fortune could be – and often was – splurged on other options, to bring the bill up to Rolls-Royce levels.
For the top-notch edition of this pillar-less cruiser, Mercedes-Benz loaded up the horsepower with the biggest V8 engine in its corporate arsenal, a pointlessly enormous 5.6-litre intended to make this the most effortless car on the planet, if not the most vibrantly responsive. Plus, flared arches and meaty rubber.
Thanks to monster running costs and eventually sliding depreciation, today you can drive like minor Arab royalty for the cost of the dullest of new family saloons.
1981-91 Jaguar XJS HE
What to pay: Project £1000-2500, Usable £3500-5k, Good £6.5-8k, Concours £10k-13k
We want you to enjoy your grand touring as much as possible, which is why our recommendation for the XJS starts at the HE model that came along for the 1982 model year. With its ‘High Efficiency’ Fire Ball engine head redesign, fuel economy was made less, ahem, daunting.
A mild visual makeover and different alloy wheels and bumpers slightly alters the rather scientific-looking aura of the 1975-82 original, whose final design was a finale to the William Lyons/Malcolm Sayer partnership that began in the 1950s. But this XJS is a quantum leap in build quality, with Friday afternoon cars now only a one-in-five chance, instead of the depressing norm.
The snug cabin, long bonnet and that unbelievable smoothness from the V12 engine will never fail to enthrall. Once you’re absolutely sure your XJS is sorted, serviced and rot-free (doing up a 15th century Tudor manor house is easier, of course, but never mind), you’ll be champing to set off on the long, smooth roads of France to drive it as God (Lyons) intended.
1986-92 Porsche 928 S4
What to pay: Project £1500-2500, Usable £4-6k, Good £7-9k, Concours £10k-12k
Let’s face if, if you’re a Jag sort of person then you’d simply never countenance stepping over the threshold of a 928’s door sill. This was the alternative to the XJS from the land of bier steins and lederhosen, but if you’re a best bitter and roast beef chap then you just won’t go there.
Nonetheless, contemporary 1980s Jags don’t offer the choice of manual or automatic like Porsche did. And, it must be said, the 928 is a simply fantastic car for covering huge mileages at storming speed and in astonishing civility.
We’ve picked the S4 here with its 5.0-litre engine, twin camshafts and 32 valves, plus the excellence of Mercedes-Benz’s four-speed auto if you don’t want the five-speed, close-ratio manual. The electronic limited-slip diff is desirable, too.
It’s the epitome of the 1980s grand tourer. Nothing else looks like a 928 and, once you get the big bills of early ownership behind you and an attentive maintenance schedule in place, they can be surprisingly reliable.
1970-77 Triumph Stag
What to pay: Project £1800-3k, Usable £5-7k, Good £8-10k, Concours £14k-16k
The Stag has been a gold-plated classic pretty much from the time the last one was made in 1977. They’ve been long cherished and there’s masses of accumulated experience in owner circles which means that the car’s notorious original engine flaws – primarily relating to overheating problems and blown head gaskets – are well understood and easy to avoid.
There’s no other British car quite like it for style, noise or character. The 3.0-litre V8 is as individual as the four-seater convertible body with T-bar roof, and it’s an eager performer with barrels of low-down torque.
The Stag’s status as a long-standing classic totem is evident by the fact that our £10,000 upper budget limit will only see you into a very decent car, not an outstanding specimen. Still, most Stags still at large in the UK will probably have been restored more than once, so there’s plenty of choice at all levels.
1974-81 Ford Capri MkII/III (2.8 and 3.0)
What to pay: Project £2000-4k, Usable £5-10k, Good £10-15k, Concours £15k-30k
Really good Capris are getting quite expensive, such is the evocative appeal of the rubber-burning British legend. The MkII, of course, is a highly practical car with its tailgate and folding back seats, while the four-headlamp MkIII from 1978 onwards has some 150 small improvements, notably the more aerodynamic nose that aids stability at high speeds or in crosswinds.
All the niceties that came packaged in the Ghia treatment, including the warm tones of the velour interior, the vinyl roof and the historic livery that – you fondly supposed – had been created on a sun-kissed drawing board in Turin, tended towards a calming effect on Capri customers. So most 3.0-litre Ghias were ordered with automatic transmission and power steering. The four-speed manual is a fine device, though.
These days, such a machine is a great classic for daily or semi-regular use. In terms of usability, it combines a copious amount of cheesy opulence with a handsome shape and pretty good rear accommodation.
1973-75 MGB GT V8
What to pay: Project £2500-4k, Usable £5-7k, Good £9-11k, Concours £12k-14k
If it’s a mixture of performance, classic cred and discretion that does it for you then this GT truly hits the spot. The B GT V8 has blistering performance by old-school MG standards, but only the ultra well-informed enthusiast will spot the alloy wheels and subtle badges that indicate this is something rather more special than a standard car.
Unlike most confections that emerged from British Leyland in the early 1970s, this is a cracking machine. MG old-timers said the engine transplant couldn’t be done, but Spen King knew otherwise and the transformation was neat and easy – the standard MGB’s gearbox was retained – thanks to the ex-Buick motor’s compact dimensions and all-alloy lightness.
An abundance of torque, surging acceleration and, in careful daily use, not unreasonable fuel economy mark the car out. And, oh, the gorgeous noise it makes! Just a pity that the fits-like-a-glove interior is rather workaday. Only 2591 were made, with both chrome and later black rubber bumpers, over three years.
1986-92 Maserati 228
What to pay: Project £1800-2.5k, Usable £3-4k, Good £6-7.5k, Concours £9k-11k
Overlooked, misunderstood, eschewed, whatever. This stylish four-seater designed for rapid and luxurious long journeys is the least known of Maserati’s already bewildering Biturbo clan.
With the 228, the company tried to create a successor to its large GT line that reached back through time via the Kyalami to the early Mexico and 3500GT. To do this, it built the two-door car on the longer wheelbase of the four-door Biturbo, and clothed it in rakish style with long, low looks. Indeed, not a single panel is interchangeable with any other Biturbo.
The three-valves-per-cylinder, fuel-injected, twin-turbo V6 is the usual Italian masterpiece –albeit both stirring and frustrating – and while the car can manage an awesome lick on the autostrada, there’s masses of mid-range torque from the 250bhp powerplant.
The subdued exterior is matched by the ultimate in Biturbo lusciousness within: rich gathered leather and wood inserts abound, and a fertile Latin dad could easily squeeze three strapping offspring in the back. Once you’re over your Maserati prejudice regarding unreliability (it needs a disciplined, but not unpleasant, regime), you’ll love it. There were only 469 of them, with 49 coming to the UK.
1978-87 Opel Monza
What to pay: Project £400-600, Usable £1000-1500, Good £2-3k, Concours £4k-6k
Here is one of those excellent cars that does almost everything right, yet gets scant recognition.
The Monza is a beefy 3.0-litre barge with the best of late 1970s crisp German lines and an interior bulging with Euro-opulence. It’s also quite a sophisticated bit of kit, with all-independent suspension and cam-in-head valves on its straight-six engine. A five-speed manual gearbox arrived in 1980, but most of these trip-shrinkers came with GM’s excellent four-speed autobox.
There’s a lot of car here for the modest money, although much time will be spent in an exhaustive search for an example that’s relatively free of rust. However, don’t forget that the pool of available cars is slightly boosted by the few hundred examples of the Vauxhall Royale coupé, a near-identical car bizarrely given its own Vauxhall identity.