Class of 2003 | Six of the Best
Arguably the best year ever for interesting fast cars, 2003 is an ideal place for any modern classic search to start
Renaultsport Clio V6, 2003, 40k, £49,980
It says a lot about just how good 2003 was for fast cars that we can kick off with the second generation of the two-seat, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, V6-powered Renault Clio. Because of course we can. The first generation was infamously tricky to drive, not as fast as might be hoped for a 2.9-litre Clio, and odd looking; nobody would have blamed Renault for parking their laudably zany concept there. But this was early-2000s Renault, makers of the Megane II, Vel Satis and Avantime, so obviously they had another go at the Clio V6. Take two was faster, better sorted dynamically, and more pleasing on the eye, if still wonderfully wacky in best French tradition. In a theme common throughout this list, values have risen for Phase 2 V6s of late as the barminess (and friendlier handling) has been properly appreciated - this stunning 40k-mile car is £50,000.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 2003, 15k, £169,900
Oh yes, and 2003 was also the year of the first 911 GT3 RS - quite some 12 months. There had been stripped-out 911s before, of course, and now the range wouldn’t be complete without an RS, but the 2003 car was important for showing that the water-cooled 996 could most certainly do hardcore. It was lighter than the GT3 thanks to a carbon bonnet and polycarbonate windows, lower and stiffer as well, with more downforce thanks to the giant rear wing. Ruthlessly track-focused while still just about usable on the road, the 996 perfectly outlined the template for future GT3 RS generations. Only now it’s with PDK, and a few more colour options than just red or blue for the wheels. This must be one of the best out there, a one-owner UK car with just 15,000 miles. Yours for just a little less than a 992 equivalent…
Jaguar XJR, 2003, 102k, £7,495
It wasn’t just track cars and mad cap hatches in 2003 (though we aren’t done with those just yet). It was also the year of a new Jaguar XJ for the 2000s, complete with an all-aluminium chassis and body (and the slender kerbweight to go with it), a new V8 and six-speed auto, plus adaptively damped air suspension. It was a thoroughly modern Jaguar flagship, the X350, even if it didn’t look it. As had become XJR tradition by then, a supercharger provided the requisite power for a top-of-the-range car, the AJ-V8 boosted to an M5-rivalling 400hp. As was also XJR tradition by the earliest 21st century, favourable reception couldn’t prevent catastrophic depreciation. Maybe the electric revolution will change things, but the fact a car as good as the XJR can be bought for £5k is incredible; this blue over cream example was once £80k, and is for sale at £7,495.
BMW M3 CSL, 2003, 36k, £99,500
The ultimate version of perhaps the best M3 ever made was launched in 2003, too. At the time, many grumbled about a frustrating SMG gearbox and a negligible performance gain over standard for a near-£20k price premium. That’s all been forgotten in the 20 years since, though, the CSL’s stunning good looks, heavenly straight-six and sublime handling balance - helped by advances in tyre tech - combined to make it modern classic manna from heaven. The days of investing in a CSL seem long behind us now, and a six-figure value might limit your enthusiasm for hooning it around at 8,000rpm, but it’s an M car icon for good reason and yet another superb driver’s car from 20 years ago. This UK car is in the rarer black paint, and has had the brakes upgraded from the sub-par originals. It’s yours for a whisker under £100,000…
Rolls Royce Phantom, 2004, 41k, £74,995
Strange to think that one of the most significant Rolls Royces in history can be bought for £25k less than a stripped-out M3 of similar age and mileage. Two decades on from the Phantom’s introduction, there's no question it was a truly revolutionary car in 2003, the first Rolls developed entirely under BMW’s tutelage and with the sophistication to show why that was a good thing. Going from the Silver Seraph to this was like going from a biplane to the A380. It was undoubtedly a new kind of Rolls Royce, bristling with innovation and technology, but just as emphatically a proper Rolls Royce as well - take away the Spirit of Ecstasy and everyone would still know. Just one of the reasons why the seventh-generation Phantom sold so well, and the Maybach of the time did not. There aren’t any 2003 cars on PH currently, but this 2004 example shows off the Phantom perfectly; what a spectacular way to spend £75k.
Vauxhall VX220, 2003, 25k, £20,995
It goes to show what a year 2003 was that there are dozens of contenders for this final slot, from 360 Challenge Stradale to Nissan 350Z and Lamborghini Gallardo to Mazda RX-8. In the end, we’ve settled on VX220 Turbo because now, as then, nothing else quite offers the same level of sheer fun for the money. Though it has appreciated over time, with plenty of VXs crashed and the values of Elises soaring even faster, the Turbo still presents a compelling case. Two hundred horsepower from the 2.0-litre turbo was more than enough to scare supercars in less than a tonne of VX220, and so much common with the Elise ensured, by and large, joyous handling. Still looks brilliant all these years later, too. And yet £20k remains enough to buy a great Turbo, proven by this 25,000-mile example. As a reminder of how good 2003 was and still can be in the new year (without spending £100,000), it’s hard to think of much better.
Hands down the 996 gt3 rs for me in my lottery win!
For now, searching for a 1:24 scale model to buy and can't even find one anywhere.
Seems like since this time - the political agenda against ICE cars has gathered powerful support. Up to and including the removal of ICE all together.
I feel most people have just ‘sleep walked’ into this position, no shots fired or needed - there has been no resistance at all.
Dubious ‘scientific’ models offered as ‘evidence’, prices sky rocketed for BEV transit devices, and all the while the ‘stop it - ban it’ lobby for ICE have become more unassailable.
Shame, just like diesel - they will pivot in a second, but once ICE is gone - it will stay gone…
No one on PH is going to buy that Rolls so that can be discounted, and the old 'jag is pensioner plodding fodder, not sure if anyone on ph would take a punt on wafting around in one given the price of fuel now. Those days long gone I believe!
As a person of 'advanced' years, my solution is to run a 2003 XJR for winter and long (comfortable) trips and a 2006 XKR convertible in the summer.
Seems like since this time - the political agenda against ICE cars has gathered powerful support. Up to and including the removal of ICE all together.
I feel most people have just ‘sleep walked’ into this position, no shots fired or needed - there has been no resistance at all.
Dubious ‘scientific’ models offered as ‘evidence’, prices sky rocketed for BEV transit devices, and all the while the ‘stop it - ban it’ lobby for ICE have become more unassailable.
Shame, just like diesel - they will pivot in a second, but once ICE is gone - it will stay gone…
The worst of it is that rather than lobbying against it, the manufacturers have leapt on the govt sponsored bandwagon as they can charge so much for their tedious range of EVs.
I think the jag and rolls offer incredible value vs everything else there, if value was your measure..
I had an M3 CSL in the day and it was epic, £100k for one is laughable though.
Might add the V6 clio this year if i cant find a decent R5 T1.
996 GT3 RS
M5 (they were still making the E39)
M3 CSL
Range Rover
with the exception of the RR, in terms of driver appeal there hasn't been much progress since. peak cars really, and 20 years ago...
The worst of it is that rather than lobbying against it, the manufacturers have leapt on the govt sponsored bandwagon as they can charge so much for their tedious range of EVs.
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