Let’s start with a few models which will pass the 30-year mark, and will therefore officially become eligible for old-timer registration. There will be the excellent E39 generation BMW 5 Series, the one before the “Bangle era” and that of gentrification. But above all it will be a prosperous year for fans of nice little roadsters, with the milestone for the Fiat Barchetta, the BMW Z3, the MG F, the Alfa Spider (and its GTV coupe sister), and again the very original Renault Spider. We could add the Ferrari F50 to the list, but we are obviously no longer in the same league.
It will celebrate its 40th anniversary but still remains up to date as it was technically advanced: the Porsche 959, the first German supercar and true technological showcase, appeared in 1985.
Half century
We jump two decades to arrive at those which will celebrate their half century of existence. There are those that don’t do them at all, like the still very sexy Ferrari 308 GTB (note that its descendant 328 will celebrate its 40th anniversary). In another style, the XJ-S brought Jaguar into the modern era, since it was “only” 50 years ago that it took over from the E-Type. Other jubilaries are aesthetically more dated, but are no less important in the history of the automobile: 50 years also for the first generations of the VW Polo, and the BMW 3 Series.
You still have to go back a decade to find the first anniversary of a brand, or at least of its resurrection. It was in 1965, with the 75 sedan, that Volkswagen relaunched the Audi name, whose fabulous destiny we now know. On another note, we will also celebrate the 60th anniversary of a model which has truly influenced the entire automobile industry to this day: the Renault 16, the first hatchback in history.
1955, the French year
We remain in France for the following decade, since in 2025, two illustrious names in the French automobile industry celebrate their 70th anniversary. First a model, an icon, even, we named the Citroën DS. Then a brand, which seems in very good shape and is preparing to develop its range like never before: Alpine.
Finally, this year there will be an anniversary of which we hope that the next one will not be… posthumous. Even if the manufacturer already existed before that, it was 90 years ago that a model was born which would soon give its name to an entire brand: Jaguar.
This list is obviously not exhaustive, and other events will mark this busy year.
