Today’s cars are likely to be the last of their k ind. So which of them will our ennui-filled future selves long for most from the self-driving techno-pods of 2071?

There are plenty of great cars on the road today, but only a handful will become true classics. And trying to work out which will earn a spot in the history books is no easy task.

Autocar has teamed up with the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu to try to solve that problem. We’re hunting for five future classics that will be part of a special exhibition later this year. The idea is to find the cars that will be remembered 50 years from now.

We’ve compiled a longlist of 100 cars with future classic potential for you to choose from, and for some extra inspiration, over the next five pages, Autocar’s writers champion their own personal picks from those contenders.

To view the Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics longlist and have your say, visit bit.ly/35vewbf.

FERRARI ROMA

Safety regulations, fussiness, aggression and the SUV craze: so many things today combine to make a classically beautiful new car an ultra-rare thing, even from the most exclusive marques. Harking back to the days when manufacturers regularly had swooping, elegant bodywork created for their cars by Italy’s many carrozzeria, the Ferrari Roma is one of those ultra-rarities. Of course, with a V8 sending power to the rear and a prancing horse on the nose, you just know that it’s also going to have outstanding performance and handling. But even if it weren’t a Ferrari, it would still be a nailed-on classic.

KC

PORSCHE 911

The 992-generation Porsche 911 need not strive for future classic status: it was all but guaranteed such an accolade from the day it was launched.

Save for perhaps a bit of lingering dissent at the adoption of water-cooling for the engine of the ‘fried egg’ 996 car and maybe the option of a Tiptronic gearbox for the older 964, each iteration of Porsche’s coupé f lagship has won over even the most ardent critics with a near-faultless ability to blend refinement, usability and stunning dynamics in one handsome and ever-recognisable package. The sheer (and admittedly sometimes overwhelming) variety of 911s on sale today (Carrera, S, 4S, Turbo, Turbo S, GTS…) only serves to enhance the appeal of the latest, 992-generation 911. And if you’re careful with the configurator, you can end up with a blisteringly quick and infallibly composed sports car that will do 40mpg and blend in to traffic effortlessly – qualities that will sustain its allure right up to (and probably past) its centenary.