Cars Celebrating Two Decades on Our Roads in 2018

Ah, the 3 Series. The E46 model was released first as a 4-door saloon in June 1998, then a 2 door coupe came in June the next year, closely followed by the convertible, the estate and finally the hatchback. The E46 offered a sophisticated alternative to more regular family vehicles like the incredibly popular Ford Escort. You’ll still see plenty of E46s on the road nowadays because they were built from 1998 right up until 2006, with 2002 being the peak year in terms of sales as they shifted 561,249 cars across the globe

It does seem that the Ford Focus has been around for most of eternity, but in fact the first model of the Focus was only released in 1998 as a replacement for the Escort. The idea was to shift more mainstream buyers into hatchbacks, which utilised their size better in terms of space and practicality. Since then there has only been two new generation of the Focus, albeit with a handful of facelifts in between. Who would have thought that 20 years later the Focus would be one of the best selling cars our little island has ever seen?

The Audi TT is another much-loved car that exits its teenage years in 2018, and looking back at its growth and development over the years it is great to see just how far the TT model has come. First beginning as a sports coupe/ roadster on the platform of the mark 4 Golf, it had distinctly feminine looks for the time so although it sold well, there was a stigma that perhaps limited its sales potential. Then the Mark 2 model came in 2006 which changed the game completely. The Audi TT became more aggressive, better to drive, more refined and more luxurious. This really set the benchmark high for the rest of the market and the TT outsold both the BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK at the time. Now, we’re on to the 3rd generation of the TT and it’s almost unrecognisable from the first model. Now capable of 0-60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which is faster than some Ferrari models and even the first Audi R8 V8. Prices for the non-RS model start from £28,855 and they are available with some really agreeable engines, such as the 2.0 TDI unit which will return over 60 mpg!    

The Leon hit the streets in 1998 as the first C-segment SEAT since VW took control of operations. This was one of the first VWs to be told ‘it’s basically a VW underneath’ - a rhetoric which hasn’t changed to this day. The Leon shared its platform with the Golf and Audi A3, while boasting similar engine choices too. What a success this model has been. They shifted 6,080 in the first year of production which isn’t marvellous but compare that to last years figure of 160,900 and it’s easy to see how fondly the world thinks of the Leon. In total, there have been nearly 2 million Leons sold throughout its 3 generations.

The Porsche 911 is actually much older than 20 years, with the first model being released back in 1963. 1998 was a key year, however, in the 911s lifetime and for a very geeky reason. The Porsche 996 of 1998 was the first 911 to use a water-cooled engine instead of the (sometimes problematic) air-cooled system Porsche had become famous for. This also meant a significant redesign of the body shape.The 996 really brought the 911 into the future, and it went on to be the basis for over 12 derivatives, such as the Carrera 4, 4S, Turbo, GT2 and GT3. A total of 175,164 models were made of the 996 911 over the 7 years of production, which is simply staggering when you remember that it costs in excess of £80,000…