Exceptionally unexceptional cars for unexceptional prices

Hundreds of mundane classics will converge on Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire for the Festival of the Unexceptional – Britain’s biggest celebration of ordinary motors. Later this year, Beaulieu will showcase Forgotten Favourites at the annual International Autojumble.

We’ve assembled 20 cars that would be eligible for the Festival of the Unexceptional, either this year as a spectator, or next year as an entrant. These pre-1997 classics are in relatively good supply and should cost less than £5000. To keep things interesting, we’ve selected no more than one model per marque.

Data from the Hagerty Price Guide reveals that ordinary, everyday cars are enjoying a boom in popularity, with values rising as much as 20% year on year. Pick of the crop is the Triumph 1300, with prices up 20.4% to an average of just over £4000.

Though less desirable than the Dolomite and Toledo, Triumph’s first front-wheel drive car featured crisp Michelotti styling and the engine from a Herald 13/60. The 1300 TC, with its twin-carb engine from the Spitfire, had extra poke, and was a prelude to the rear-wheel drive Triumph 1500.

The Morris Marina is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, so is it time to bury your preconceptions? Much has been written about the Marina, and while a lot of the criticism is warranted, some of its faults have been blown out of proportion. It certainly didn’t deserve Top Gear’s ‘death by piano’ treatment.

It’s made our shortlist as it’s the reigning champion of the Festival of the Unexceptional. A 1977 Morris Marina 1.3 Deluxe Estate was named Best in Show at the 2019 event, so you’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants if you buy this Cortina-beater. Spoiler alert: the Marina wasn’t better than a Cortina.

DAF started working on Project P900 in 1970, with the Dutch company talking to several manufacturers about a potential partnership. Discussions with BMW reached an advanced stage, but the fate of the 340 was sealed when Volvo took full control of DAF in 1975. Volvo’s compact three-door hatchback was born in, er, Born. A five-door hatch and four-door saloon would follow.

For years, this was the runt of the Volvo litter. Some saw the styling as awkward, while the rear-wheel drive configuration felt dated in the age of the front-driven hatchback. Today, these are viewed as plus points, so prices are on the rise. The 2.0-litre GLT would be our choice, but is it unexceptional enough?

What could be more unexceptional than a Vauxhall Astra? Forever in the shadows of the Ford Escort and Focus, the Astra has a rather humdrum image in the UK, which isn’t entirely justified. The current version is rather good and underrated, and exceptional value as a nearly-new car.

The Mk3 is the Astra to choose for maximum unexceptional points. The Mk1 and Mk2 are on the path to classic status, while the Mk4 is too new. Buy an Astra Merit, remove the wheel trims, and leave the black bumpers to turn ‘George Clooney’ grey for the authentic ordinary experience.

The Ford Sierra looked anything but ordinary in 1982. Motorists who grew up on a diet of four-door saloons turned away in horror as Ford unveiled the futuristic Sierra, which resulted in some dyed-in-the-wool blue oval loyalists defecting to the Vauxhall Cavalier. It’s hard to believe that it went on to define the shape of motoring in the 1980s.

If the L trim is a bit too lavish to be considered unexceptional, see if you can find a base model. Known simply at the Sierra saloon, it featured 13in exposed steel wheels, no passenger door mirror and, on the earliest models, a grey plastic grille. You’d be the ‘star’ of a classic car show in this aerodynamic slice of base-spec brilliance.

‘A British car to beat the world.’ A bold and optimistic claim, but while the Austin Metro’s world-beating credentials are in doubt, it certainly left its mark on the British landscape. And no, we’re not talking about the little piles of rust beneath a parked Metro, although this is a reason why numbers are dwindling.

Thanks to a brilliant publicity drive, Metro mania swept the nation in the years following its launch in 1980, with none other than Lady Diana being swept along on the mini Metro tide. The unmistakable sound of the A-series engine will ensure that everyone hears you coming.

The epitome of unexceptional motoring. Launched in the UK in 1991, this was the last Sunny before it was replaced by the Almera, with Nissan hoping to steal sales from the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra.

“It’s difficult to find a lot to say about the Sunny,“ Chris Goffey claimed when he reviewed the car in 1990, which makes it a prime candidate for the Festival of the Unexceptional. It’s reliable, well-built and, for now at least, relatively inexpensive. The three-door (pictured) looks a little glamorous, so opt for the five or four-door variants.

Don’t be fooled by the posh Weybridge backdrop – this is about as unexceptional as things get. The Toyota Corolla has become a byword for mundane motoring, which led to it being rebranded as the Auris. Buyers, though, saw through the smoke and mirrors, so the Corolla name is now back in the UK.

Prices are at rock bottom, but you’ll get the most unexceptional points for your buck by opting for a Corolla from the 1990s. That’ll be the E100 or E110 models; the E120 is cheaper still, but it wouldn’t qualify for the Festival of the Unexceptional. These cars are better than their reputation for dullness would have you believe.

Finding an unexceptional Lancia for £5000 will be tricky. Desirable Lancias are too expensive (and not in the least bit unexceptional), while the more humdrum models are on the brink of extinction. All of which leaves the Lancia Dedra.

Even the name sounds grim, conjuring up images of desolate wastelands and grey concrete. No jokes about Lancias rusting in a compound, please. Besides, the Dedra’s galvanised body provides hope that you’ll be able to find one. This was the last Lancia sold in the UK before Fiat pulled the plug on the ailing brand.

A decade ago, there were around 12,500 Citroën AXs on active service in the UK. Today, that number has dwindled to the point at which we need to start considering its extinction. Time is running out if you fancy saving an example of Citroën’s lightweight and efficient small car.

It was a surprisingly clever car, with Citroën combining lightweight construction with economical engines to deliver motoring on a budget. An aggressive sales strategy, low prices and a series of special editions meant that there was always a ready supply of punters.

The Maestro wasn’t a bad car, but it already felt a little dated by the time of its arrival in 1983 – though it offered class-leading visibility and spaciousness. Only the most patriotic motorists would have chosen a Maestro over a Ford Escort or VW Golf. Which one should you choose? The Vanden Plas for an exceptional slice of unexceptionalism. Or a Ledbury for some Bulgarian charm?

Designed as a replacement for the Talbot Horizon, the Peugeot 309 was destined to be called the Talbot Arizona. Instead, it was the first Peugeot to be built in Britain, and yet another rival for the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra.

It was, if you like, a kind of four-door saloon version of the Peugeot 205; it used a lengthened and widened version of the 205’s platform. We should point out that the 309 GTI is better to drive than the 205 GTI, but that would be to venture beyond the realms of the unexceptional.

If only everything in life was as reliable as a… Honda Accord. The mechanicals have never been a problem in the Accord, but rust has sent many of the earliest models to an early grave. Which is a shame, because the engines probably had a lot of life to give.

An Accord from the 1970s or ‘80s could command a strong price, so it’s worth considering one from the 1990s. They tended to be owned by older, more considerate drivers, and they’re more than capable of keeping up with modern traffic.

With prices of the ‘proper’ Saab 900 continuing to rise, the GM or NG 900 is your best bet if you fancy an unexceptional Swede. It might be a Vauxhall Cavalier underneath, but the 900 retains some of Saab’s famed eccentricity. Yes, the ignition switch is between the front seats.

The styling is ageing remarkably well; it looks like an evolution of the old 900, rather than a new model. We see that as a good thing. Prices start from around £500, but you should find a local Saab specialist to help with servicing and parts.

Nicole is to the Renault Clio what Princess Anne is to the Reliant Scimitar. You can’t mention one without the other, and we reckon the first Clio is on the verge of classic status.

Forget the sporting variants: the Williams is far too exceptional, while the others are almost extinct (not to mention out of budget). Instead, opt for one of the everyday versions. Alternatively, if the Clio is too modern for you, find a Renault 5.

The Reliant Motor Club says that of all the later Reliants, the Rialto is “one of the most underrated despite its performance and stability”. This underrated status makes it a prime candidate for the Festival of the Unexceptional.

Power was sourced from an 850cc water-cooled engine, with the Rialto 2 capable of hitting a dizzying 100mph. Buy one, then prepare to spend the rest of your life correcting people who call it a Robin. Or worse still, a ‘Robin Reliant’.

Before the arrival of Dacia, the bottom end of the UK car market was dominated by names like Skoda, Lada, Yugo and Proton. The Skoda Favorit was one of the best, with smart Italian styling, reliable engines and Sandero-like cheap prices.

Build quality wasn’t a strong point, although things improved following the takeover by VW in 1991. The later Felicia was a reworked version of the Favorit, albeit without the charm and quirks of the original car.

We might be getting a little carried away here, because the styling of the Mazda 323 (pictured) is far from unexceptional. We even considered featuring the version with the pop-up headlights, but that would send the unexceptional-o-meter into a meltdown.

The 323F is like a cross between a four-door coupé and a five-door hatchback, with styling that sets it apart from any other family hatch of the 1990s. Standard hatch and saloon versions are available if you find this image a little racy.

Some claim that the Hillman Imp was a superior product to the original Mini. That’s as maybe, but the little Imp was hamstrung by patchy build quality and an unreliable engine. Rust was another issue, but most of the surviving cars should be in rude health.

According to Hagerty, prices have risen 10.1 per cent since 2020, with the Imp costing £4625 on average. Come next year, the Imp might be beyond our £5000 budget.

A car far too good for the ‘unexceptional’ tag. Some 8.8 million Fiat Unos were built, but while it was formerly a common sight on Britain’s roads, you might be questioning when you last saw one in the wild – there are just 140 or so surviving here.

It’s one of Giugiaro’s most underrated designs, arguably better in its overall execution than the celebrated Panda. Rust has seen off many of the survivors, so play the Uno card while you still can.

Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional 2021 is on Saturday July 31 – click here for more information