display
Whether drivers want it or not: As soon as it was first registered 30 years ago, a car is considered a classic car according to the official definition.
Whether it receives the H license plate, which brings tax breaks and free travel in environmental zones, is another matter.
Because this requires an official report.
Here is a selection of ten models that will soon qualify officially for the coveted license plate, because they will be 30 in the coming year, including pragmatists and expensive exotic cars as well as “the best car in the world”.
The price assessments are made by the market observer Classic Data, who distinguishes between 2 ("Good condition. Free of defects, but with slight signs of use") and 3 ("Used condition. Vehicles without major technical and visual defects, fully roadworthy and roadworthy").
VW Golf III
display
17 years after the first edition of the millionaire Golf I and eight years after the Golf II, VW brought out the Golf III in 1991.
More rounded than its predecessor, but the same concept as a compact car with either three or five doors.
Airbags were available for the first time in the Golf.
Third generation: VW designed the Golf III a little more rounded than its predecessor
Source: dpa-tmn
With the VR6, a six-cylinder came under the hood, which is also a novelty alongside the turbodiesel TDI.
However, oldie fans have to be patient until the station wagon version (Variant), which only followed in 1993.
The price for the hatchback five-door 1.8 l with 55 kW / 75 PS petrol engine in condition 2: 2600 euros (condition 3: 1500 euros).
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W 140)
display
For “the best car in the world”, so the advertising message at the market launch, there were two dampers right from the start.
On the one hand, some well-equipped models exceeded the gross vehicle weight rating when a fourth person got on because of the low payload.
And then the Stuttgart limousine, well over two meters wide, did not fit on the Deutsche Bahn car train.
Mercedes made improvements in both cases, solving the latter problem with folding exterior mirrors.
At the beginning of its construction period, the new S-Class of the W 140 series had to be ridiculed by some.
Some contemporaries found the dimensions too coarse
Source: dpa-tmn
In the course of the construction period, many technical innovations came on board the up to 5.21 meter long thick ship: ESP, voice control, parking aid.
Available from the start: again a twelve-cylinder.
display
A 300 SE with 170 kW / 231 hp 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder is available for 11,100 euros (condition 2) and 5,000 euros (condition 3).
Opel Astra F.
In the summer of 1991, the Kadett's time was up: Opel sent the first Astra into the race as the successor and Golf competitor.
The market launch was marked by the hatchback model, which could be ordered as a three- or five-door model, and the station wagon (caravan) followed in autumn.
The Kadett was gone: 30 years ago, Opel started the Astra era
Source: dpa-tmn
While the name Astra was intended to evoke associations with space travel, the compact model still rolled on the same technical platform as its predecessor with the outdated name.
The price for the 1.6i with 55 kW / 75 PS: 1700 euros (condition 2) and 1100 euros (condition 3).
Seat Toledo
The Spanish Toledo model came onto the market as a newcomer to the car.
The sedan, located in the lower middle class, was the first model under the Volkswagen umbrella that Seat had taken over almost 100 percent the year before.
Spanish subsidiary: The first Seat model under the wing of VW was the Seat Toledo
Source: dpa-tmn
The 4.30 meter long notchback car with the large trunk (550 liters) and Golf parts under the sheet metal replaced the Malaga model and was developed jointly by VW and Seat.
Price for the four-cylinder 1.8 with 65 kW / 88 PS built from May 1991: 2200 euros (condition 2) and 1000 euros (condition 3).
Bugatti EB 110 GT
display
After the last Bugatti left the factory in Molsheim in 1960, the traditional French brand celebrated its comeback in 1991 with a top-class sports flounder.
Under the hood was a V-mid-engine with twelve cylinders, which catapulted the car floor with a chassis made of carbon fiber and permanent all-wheel drive to 100 km / h in around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of almost 350 km / h.
Futuristic flounder: the Bugatti EB 110 GT was the first model of the revived brand after around 30 years
Source: dpa-tmn
The EB 110 celebrated its premiere on September 15, the 110th birthday of brand founder Ettore Bugatti.
The new EB 110 GT cost around 700,000 D-Marks; used, the prices for the Coupé with 414 kW / 560 PS from 3.5 liters are higher today: 800,000 euros (condition 2) and 520,000 euros (condition 3).
Mitsubishi Space Wagon
From the fall of 1991, the MPV pioneer was available in a completely redesigned second edition after its debut in 1983. Together with the Renault Espace, which launched in Europe a year later, the seven-seater made the category of larger family vans popular.
Japanese space travel: Cars like the Mitsubishi Space Wagon made larger family vans popular
Source: dpa-tmn
Compared to current vans of this class, the Space Wagon with around 4.50 meters in length and 1.60 meters in height looks more like a station wagon.
Price for the 1800 GLi with the once newly developed 90 kW / 122 PS petrol engine: 2600 euros (condition 2) and 1200 euros (condition 3).
Bentley Continental R.
The luxury coupé, which was brought to well-heeled customers as a new car for over 500,000 D-Marks, weighs 2.4 tons.
The four-seater of the British luxury brand got a V8 with 6.75 liter displacement and an exhaust gas turbocharger.
Power and comfort: The Continental R offered both in abundance, but only with a large bank account did the doors open to first-time buyers of the Bentley
Source: dpa-tmn
It had no problems with the comfortable colossus and enabled the performance of a more potent sports car.
No Bentley had been more expensive and faster before.
The convertible version followed in 1995.
display
The price for the 286 kW / 359 PS strong coupé is almost a bargain compared to then: 45,300 euros (condition 2) and 31,700 euros (condition 3).
Porsche 968
The model followed the 944 in an amazingly similar sheet metal dress.
But there was a superlative to report from the engine compartment: A three-liter V4 (not a six-cylinder) that was only redesigned was used.
But it had it all as the highest-torque production four-cylinder in the world at the time.
The Porsche 968 followed the similarly designed 944 for the first time in 1991 - Zuffenhausen also continued to use the transaxle principle for the drive
Source: dpa-tmn
It put a maximum of 305 Newton meters on the crankshaft - thanks to a modified intake system and variable camshafts.
The top of the 176 kW / 239 hp rear-wheel drive vehicle was over 250 km / h, the sprint to 100 was achieved by the last transaxle model from Porsche (engine in front, transmission on rear axle) in around 6.5 seconds.
Porsche Coupé and Cabrio were offered.
The price for the coupé: 24,000 euros (condition 2) and 14,000 euros (condition 3).
Audi 80 (B4)
With the fourth generation B4, the Audi 80 reared itself again before Audi changed the nomenclature of its middle class to A4 in 1994/95.
And he reared himself mightily: For the first time, the Audi 80 was available with a six-cylinder that generated up to 128 kW / 174 hp.
Farewell to the 80: With the B4, the middle class from Ingolstadt was called the Audi 80 for the last time - then it mutated to the A4
Source: dpa-tmn
Some petrol engines could be ordered as Quattro with all-wheel drive.
The turbodiesel - the more powerful with direct injection - was only available as a front-wheel drive.
Practical: The rear seat backrest could be folded down, which increased the storage space to 1100 liters, a considerable value for a notchback.
display
The price for the four-cylinder 2.0 E with 85 kW / 115 PS: 2500 euros (condition 2) and 1200 euros (condition 3).
BMW 5 Series Touring (E34)
The 5 Series was already available as the M5 sports version, but the Touring was the novelty of the year in BMW's upper middle class series.
BMW had thus discovered the large station wagons as an offer for families.
Larger sports field: the BMW 5 Series Touring combined the dynamism of a powerful sedan with a larger cargo space
Source: dpa-tmn
They should be more than just a vehicle for craftsmen like the T-models from Mercedes once were.
However, compared to the competition from Mercedes and Audi, the space was a bit more cramped, but the tailgate could be opened separately.
The price for the 520i with 110 kW / 150 PS: 6400 euros (condition 2) and 3300 euros (condition 3).
In the case of a classic car, it depends on the report
A classic car report is a prerequisite for the H license plate.
This is issued by an officially recognized expert from a monitoring organization such as Dekra and GTÜ or a TÜV.
For example, the condition and originality of the vehicle and parts are assessed.
This is how the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) stipulate it in Section 23.
According to TÜV Nord, such a report costs between around 80 and 200 euros, depending on the type of vehicle.
Cars with an H license plate do not need an emission sticker in environmental zones.
According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the vehicle tax is a flat rate of 191.73 euros per year, regardless of engine size and emissions.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the number of oldtimers with an H license plate in Germany was 390,640 vehicles on January 1, 2020, and 189,095 vehicles without.
The new statistics are expected for March 2021.
The Bulli celebrates its 70th birthday
The first VW bus rolled down the streets 70 years ago.
The car quickly became a cult.
The Bulli is now even available in an electric version.
Source: WELT / Christoph Hipp