We got it wrong: the Autocar team's misjudged motoring gems

James Ruppert

BMW Z3 M

It’s not so much that I got it wrong at the time, more a case of realising now that although it was flawed, it was almost the last of a breed. Or, to put it more simply, if it was made new today, we’d all love it. I’m talking about BMW’s Z3 M Roadster. A simple car with hardly any electronics, and a lovely straight-six engine with more than enough performance. It looked way better than the standard car thanks to blown-out wheel arches and wide rims. The chassis wasn’t brilliant and the steering a bit soggy. If you own one today, I’d suspect you love it.

Colin Goodwin

Porsche 911

When I was new to this game, I struggled with the appeal of a car that, conceptually, was deeply flawed. We don’t think about the Porsche 911’s seriously unhelpful weight distribution much now, because Porsche long ago defeated the urge of its rear-hung powerpack to initiate unwanted gyrations. Back in the mid-1980s, said flat six could quite easily tip the 911 into a spin if you were rashly indelicate with throttle, wheel and a bend. And if you braked hard while travelling downhill on a wet road, a lock-up might follow. It was an intimidating car. I didn’t realise you had to master the 911, this the key to its appeal. I do now. 

Richard Bremner

BMW Z8

The most obvious car I got wrong was the BMW Z8. When it came out 20 years ago, I noted its 5.0-litre V8 motor, 400bhp output and the fact the engine came from the BMW M5 and concluded this must be a thoroughbred sports car. So when I discovered it was actually quite a soft and comfortable grand tourer, I sharpened my pen and wrote about what a missed opportunity it represented. In fact, the only miss was me missing its point. I drove one a couple of years back and loved its languid gait, dead cool interior and effortless performance. No wonder prices are now nudging £200,000.

Andrew Frankel

Audi A2 & Smart Roadster Brabus

‘Wrong’ is a harsh word in this context. I was honest about the Audi A2, and later about the Smart Roadster Brabus, because they were both fundamentally flawed cars. The A2 had poor visibility, the Smart a poor gearbox, and neither particularly clever ride comfort.

Both, though, are cars I could quite happily own today – they’d make a great two-car garage – because their pursuit of an ideal has outlived and outshone their drawbacks. So, in a sense, mea culpa. I’ll tell you what, though: I remain spot on about the one-star-at-best BMW C1 Scooter.

Matt Prior

Jaguar I-Pace

Last summer, I was given the keys to a late prototype Jaguar I-Pace and decided to drive it to the British Grand Prix on qualifying day. Given the potential for traffic snarls, it was possibly brave, but the return journey was only 170 miles and its real range beyond 200. The first worry came when the car started emitting a loud buzzing sound at around 4am. Not looking my best, I ran outside and unplugged it from the charger, reasoning it should have been full by then.

Alas, fully clothed and behind the wheel at 6am, I discovered it was saying it would hold only 190 miles of charge. As a result, I drove at a constant 55mph and got home with little to spare. How could this possibly be the future? Then something amazing happened. The same week, Jag’s folks held their hands up and asked to do a software update to put the car in final production spec. I held out no hope that plugging a laptop in could elicit more range… and then spent close to 250 miles driving non-stop. The Achilles heel was no more and the I-Pace was duly – and rightly – proclaimed a world leader. 

Jim Holder

Porsche Cayenne