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In1964, the all-newRover P6 2000 became the very firstEuropeanCar of the Year.Its award wasbased on criteria still employed by thejuryof acclaimed motoring journalistsfrom across the UK andEuropethatjudges todayʼscontest. Uniquel y, each past victor hasbeen chosen irrespective of itsclass or category–itʼssimplybeenthe most complete all-round car.So, to mark60 yearsofthe contest, weʼvebroughttogether 15 of the best CotY winners from across the decades to decide whichisthe greatest of them all.And,justtokeepushonest, points will be awarded by three former CotY judges. Notebooks at the read y, team…
MEET THE JUDGES STEVECROPLEY Editor-in-chief of our sister title, Autocar, Stevecut his teeth as a cub reporter at Wheels magazine in his native Australia more than 50 years ago.Now widely acknowledged as one of the world’smost respected motoring journalists, Steve becameaCotY judge in 1994,only handing overthe mantle to MattPrior in 2013.
MATT PRIOR Autocar’s editor-at-large, Mattwasagraduate automotiveengineer who turned motoring scribbler in 1997,and has been writingand presentingfor theUK’s leadingmotoringweekly since 2005.Matt(with Steve) alsohosts the popular My Week in Cars podcast. He replaced Steveonthe CotY jury in 2013 and remained ajudgeuntil 2022.
RAYHUTTON Raystartedhis career at Autocar in 1970,and servedasits editor between 1975 and 1984.Since then, he has contributed to national magazinesand newspapers around the world, as well as writing and editinga number of motoringbooks. Ray servedasaCotY judge from 1979 to 2009,and wasjurypresident for his final 11 years.
Thanksto BicesterHeritage forthe use of its demonstration track and hangar (bicesterheritage.co.uk)
THE METHODOLOGY Our tribute to the European Car of the Year takes in 15 former winners from the past60years. Nomineeswerechosen by the C&SC team, taking three cars from each decade,startingwith the 1960s and goingthrough to the ‘90s, plus a further three cars encompassingthe winners from 2000 to date.Inevitably,that selection in itself sparkedaheated office debate,but it also acknowledged that perhaps CotY jurors, with the benefit of hindsight,didn’t alwaysback the best cars–hence our choice of some wild-card alternatives that we think perhaps should have won. And, while the criteria forchoosingaCotY winner quite rightly embracesmanyprosaic attributes, we have to admit that we skewed C&SC ’s final listalittle towards some good, old-fashioned driver appeal.
But whyinclude 21st-centuryplayers, such as the 2019-winningJaguar I-Pace,ina classic car magazine? Actually,findingour very best CotY car is not about comparingsomethingnew with somethingold–that would be pointless and unfair–but findingthe car that made the most impactinits given decade and, ultimately, movedthe dial forward the furthest fordrivers, regardless of its age.Sowithout the presence ofafew carefully curated moderns here,we would lack the complete picture.
Foreach decade (treatingthe 21stcenturyas one,with only three nominees) our judges will apply standard CotY criteria–design, comfort, econom y, handling, performance,functionalit y, safetyand value formoneywhen new–torank each car within its group.The five top-ranking cars will then go through to our final, much like the sevenfinalists in the real CotY,and judges will be given 25 points to award across all cars, withamaximum score of 10 forany one car.
What we will end up with is the most important CotY car of all time–and perhaps the best real-world car made in the past60years.
Left-right: Matt, Rayand Stevegivetheir verdicts to moderator Simon, followinganintensive dayoftesting ourvaried contenders–manyof them forthe firsttime
February2024 Classic&Sports Car 77
