C&C’s head of editorial Chris Pollitt points to the youngtimer class of modern classics, from the 1980s and 1990s, as a cover-all for the highest risers, “the cars that they either lusted after as a kid with the bedroom poster scenario, or had as a young professional and want to cherish again”. From the Jaguar XJ in the fifth-place spot, with a rise of 50 per cent between 2019 and 2020, through the Aston Martin Virage (53 per cent), Toyota Celica (62 per cent), and Volkswagen Corrado (69 per cent), we arrive at the Ford Cortina, which has jumped a massive 104 per cent.
As for the most popular nationalities and models, C&C reckons it’s the German youngtimers that came and went the most in 2020, with the Mercedes SL proving most popular. “That said,” Chris says, “it could be down to the accessibility of the SL as well as the 50th anniversary of the R107 variant this year.”
There’s also been a ramp-up in the number of part-finished and project cars moving on the platform. With time on our hands, British classic buyers have seemingly been more open to making the commitment.