ONES TO WATCH

We’ve kept our nose to the ground, watched the market and eyed the classifieds to bring you the next crop of future classics to look out for.

Porsche Boxster (1996-2005)

As classic Porsche prices continue to rise, albeit on a slightly less acute trajectory of late, we reckon diehard fans of the iconic brand are missing a bit of a trick with early Boxsters because values are rock bottom, they’re easy to own and we reckon they offer much more bang for your buck than the firm’s extortionately priced aircooled models.

The original Boxster emerged from a 1992 Harm

Lagaay prototype with the first production examples, codenamed the 986, leaving the old Porsche 928 production line in Stuttgart in 1996. In 2000, engine capacity for the base model grew from 2.5 to 2.7-litres and the new Boxster S variant appeared with a 249bhp 3.2-litre engine. There was a minor makeover in 2003 when glass replaced plastic in the rear window, and power from the 2.7 and 3.2 grew to 225bhp and 258bhp respectively.

You’ll be thrilled to know even the 2.5 will feel quick. Like Reader’s Digest, it had plenty of issues though, including intermediate shaft bearing failure, cam chain rattle, porous cylinder heads and leaky rear main oil seals so read up on these before viewing. In reality though all these things will have been sorted ages ago, so buy with confidence, especially if it’s been looked after by an enthusiast. Incidentally, keeping an early Boxster will be a doddle because everything’s available from the independent parts specialists. Price-wise, if you were after a project we spotted a 2001 2.7 for sale at – wait for it – £1795! If you weren’t brave enough for this, expect to pay from around £4000 for a tidy 2.5. A car that caught our eye online was a really clean looking 252bhp 2000 Boxster S with 106,765 miles under its belt in an attractive gunmetal metallic being sold by a dealer in Wales for bang on £5000. Seriously, at this price, why bother with a 911?

Fiat Coupe (1995-2001)

The scaled-down supercar lookalike was a child of the nineties, styling was done in-house and it sat on the Fiat Tipo platform. Due to low production numbers, Pininfarina hand-built the body at its own factory, fitting the interior and mechanical items alongside Peugeot 306 Cabriolets and the occasional Ferrari.

The first ones appeared here in June 1995 with either a normally-aspirated 16v 142bhp or 195bhp 16v turbocharged 2.0-litre, the latter being borrowed from the Lancia Integrale. The five-cylinder 20v engines arrived in 1997, bumping up power to 147bhp and 220bhp respectively, the Turbo also getting a Viscodrive limited slip diff and four-pot Brembo brakes. Oh, and there was a six-speed Limited Edition version of the 20v Turbo from late 1998, featuring a bodykit, suspension strut brace and two-tone red and black leather Recaros – as well as air conditioning and titanium finish trim.

Unfortunately, despite punching way above its weight in virtually every respect, the Fiat Coupé was never a massive seller and the last one rolled off the production line in 2001.

Those Ferrari-like cowled headlamps and wedge-like profile will still turn heads today and Pininfarina’s involvement designing the interior certainly adds classic kudos. It handles nicely too, and because the steering’s the same as on the Alfa GTV, all the parts are available to make a tired car feel like new again.

Not so good is the fact they can use oil, perhaps as much as a litre per 1000-miles. On Turbos the oil cooler pipes are prone to rust, especially in the vicinity of the aperture in the undertray for the towing eye, and the red turbo return pipe can also burst. Cracked manifolds on the 20v Turbo are common too – you’ll hear a ticking noise when starting the engine from cold. Oh, and having all three keys (silver, blue and red) is always a bonus when buying.

Regarding values, surely they can’t get much lower than now with £3000 being a realistic starting price, though we’d be inclined to spend £7500-£8500 on a really nice, looked after example.