17 of the best four-door classics

Here's a quick thought experiment. In your head, make a list of five to 10 of the most beautiful or iconic classic cars ever made. Done? Chances are that names such as the Jaguar E-Type, Alfa 33 Stradale, Citroen DS, Lamborghini Miura and Maserati Ghibli may have made an appearance.

Now – what do all these cars have in common? A few things, probably – but one obvious shared feature is their body style. Yes, these are all two-door designs. And that fact should tell you something about how we've tended to judge beauty in cars over the years.

Our appreciation of automotive elegance has centred around notions of svelteness, elegance, a certain lightness. It's an undoubted fact that two-door cars – comprising so many wonderful coupes, grand tourers, sports cars and supercars – have tended to occupy the aspirational end of the car market. Besides which, there's probably something about two doors that speaks of adventure. These cars are all about you and that special someone, riding off into the sunset for a luxury weekend unencumbered by little ones in the back.

However, over the decades there have been some incredibly handsome four-door cars – vehicles as worthy of the designation 'classic' and of the right insurance for your classic car – as those two-door legends we rattled off above.

Here's our pick of phenomenal four-doors that you could consider as your next classic purchase.

Maserati Quattroporte

Only in Italy could you name a car 'four-door' and still give it a whiff of glamour. But yes, there we have it: in a nation famed mostly for its sports cars, coupes and grand tourers, the notion of a handsome, foursquare family saloon actually has a sort of rarity appeal. And when the family saloon in question is styled by Maserati, always the most stylish of the Italians? Mamma mia, you've got yourself a design icon, and an easy entry into our list of favourite four-doors cars.

The Maserati Quattroporte is now into its sixth generation. Of all the iterations to date, our favourite is probably the very first, a wonderfully curvaceous and chrome-bedecked 1960s super saloon. That said, the short-lived second generation, from 1976 to 1978, is also a gem. Sharing its chassis with the iconic Citroen SM, the Quattroporte II is perhaps the archetype of the big, imposing, arrogantly handsome luxury saloon.

Peugeot 504

One of several Peugeots to be designed by those stylish Italians Pininfarina, the 504 manages that unusual combination of good looks and sturdy, go-anywhere abilities. Yes, beneath those nicely judged big-saloon lines lurked a seriously unflappable drivetrain and suspension.

A strong body shell, long-travel suspension and other ingenious features meant that the 504 was a cosseting ride even on the most unforgiving of terrains. That was why the car did years of service in such far-flung countries as Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, and Kenya. There was also an endlessly capacious estate and a rather gorgeous coupé version – but we quite like the saloon, thanks.

Ford Granada

Here in Britain, we got three generations of Ford Granada. All of them had considerable merits: the first, from 1972 to 1978, had some of that American-inspired, Coke-bottle styling that worked so effectively on the contemporary MkIII Cortina.

The second generation (1978-1985) was a much more straight-edged affair, in keeping with the general aesthetic in car design that dominated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In its clean, unfussy lines, the Mk2 came closest of all the Granada generations to that smart, understated look that German cars of the era had made their own.

Then, in 1985, Ford gave us the final generation of its executive-level car. This final Granada reintroduced some curves, and also featured a larger glasshouse than before, making for a welcoming, airy feel inside. It was also Europe's first high-volume production car to feature anti-lock brakes as standard right across the range, and was a deserved European Car of the Year winner for 1986.

Jaguar XJ

Ever since the Mark 1 from the late 1950s, Jaguar have had the inside track on how to make a handsome four-door saloon. They arguably hit their peak, however, with the effortless elegance of the first generation of their XJ luxury saloon. This soberly beautiful executive express was built for 24 years, with two major facelifts, from 1968 to 1992.

Conceived by Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons, the XJ was a big, comfortable, safe, sporty saloon. It was also available rebadged as the Daimler Sovereign, featuring a few extra luxuries.

For the final facelift (the Series III), the Mark 1 XJ got some input from legendary Italian designer Pininfarina. To be honest, though, all three series are seriously handsome cars: if pushed, we'd probably go for the first series from 1968-1973, where the smaller chrome bumpers leave room for a bigger grille.

Choose carefully when it comes to engines, however: over its 25-year career, the XJ was offered in 3.4-litre or 4.2-litre straight-six formats, plus (from 1972) a 5.3-litre V12. These engines demand regular maintenance, and we'd recommend some classic motor insurance to help shoulder those bills.

Mercedes W116

We're fairly spoilt for choice when it comes to good-looking four-door Mercs – but we're tempted to go for the first (W116) generation of the Stuttgart firm's legendary S-Class luxury saloon. This car has gone down in history for many things – its class-leading safety features, for example, and that deserved victory in the 1974 European Car of the Year award.

What we'd prefer to dwell on here, though, are the W116's imposing, Teutonic good looks – perhaps especially in SEL, long-wheelbase guise. That classic 1970s/1980s Mercedes look – the outsize chrome grille, the straked rear lights, the general air of calm authority – it all started here. Safety-wise, meanwhile, innovations included a padded door trim, steering wheel and dashboard. This was a car as safe to be inside as it was elegant to gaze upon from the outside.

Citroen CX

This is an interesting choice because, at first glance, the rakish CX looks more like a coupé or hatchback than a four-door. In fact, despite that long, angular swoop from the C pillars down to the rear bumpers, the CX was technically a saloon or fastback. The boot hinged from just above the rear lights, rather than from the top of the rear windscreen. That qualifies it as a four-door, rather than a five-door car. And, as such, the sharp, angular, futuristic and legendarily comfortable CX is a shoo-in for our list of classic four-doors.

The hydropneumatic, self-levelling suspension guarantees a pillowy ride at all speeds. We're particularly keen on the pre-facelift models, with their oh-so-70s chrome bumpers, before safety regulations and rubber bumpers kicked in on the facelift car.

Renault 12

The French outfit's mid-size offering throughout the 1970s, the trapezoidal Renault 12 has one of the most distinctive silhouettes of its era. And that, during a time when car designs were arguably at their most adventurous, is no mean feat.

It may have been a three-box saloon, but the 12's lines suggested a hatchback layout, while the mechanicals were also adventurous. For one thing, the 12 was a front-engined, front-wheel-drive car, unlike its rear-engined, RWD predecessors, the 8 and the 10. The attractive, practical and fun-driving 12 had a long life – it was produced in Europe until 1980 but, under licence to Dacia, remained in production in Turkey and Romania into this century.

Iso Fidia

'Rare as hen's teeth' is an expression that gets bandied around a little too often in classic car circles. However, it accurately describes the exquisite, and extremely scarce Iso Fidia sports saloon of 1967-1975.

Just 192 of these big, beautiful Italian luxury cruisers were built. That made them exclusive at the time (John Lennon purchased the second one off the production line) and hugely collectible today. The sinuous design was from the pen of the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, who was working at coachbuilders Ghia at the time. Inside, drivers were welcomed with a wonderful landscape of hand-stitched leather and polished wood.

All this finery made the Fidia an expensive car: indeed, it was priced higher than contemporary Rolls Royces. Given the choice, we just might go for this Italian stallion.

Alfa Romeo 156

You'd be forgiven for taking one look at the 156 and thinking that it doesn't even qualify for our list. As it is, Alfa's late 1990s sporting saloon was one of the first cars to employ that clever little design feature, the hidden rear door handles. The back doors open via some little levers hidden unobtrusively in the window surround meaning that, at first glance, the saloon version of the 156 looks like a two-door.

It's undeniable that that little design touch lends the car a little extra Latin elegance. This, when combined with all the practicality of a four-door saloon, makes it something of a have-your-cake-and-eat-it kind of a car. Away from the doors, the 156 boasts typically distinctive Alfa good looks. No wonder that, during its 10-year lifespan, the car successfully lured a small tranche of compact exec drivers out of their 3 Series, A4s and C-Classes.

Austin Montego

The square-jawed and very decent Montego was a replacement for not one, but two, cars. Yes, when it arrived in 1984 the Montego was stepping into the family-car shoes recently vacated by both the Morris Ital (formerly the Marina) and the Austin Ambassador. The latter, in turn, was the final incarnation of the Austin Princess. Confused?

Back to the Montego, though. It may have been more conservatively styled than its competitor, the 'jelly-mould' Ford Sierra hatchback, but to our eyes the Montego has a very pleasing sense of proportion, with that rear quarter-light window adding a certain sophistication to the car. In truth, the Montego struggled against the Sierra and the Vauxhall Cavalier, and now will be a much rarer used find than either. Protect any Montego you do track down with some collector car insurance.

Vauxhall Carlton / Royale / Viceroy

The naming can get a bit confusing here but yes, basically, we're referring to those good-looking flagship big saloons that sat above the Cavalier in Vauxhall's 1980s family tree.

The Carlton was the most widespread of these three cars, being a standard Ford Granada rival. We're particularly fond of the first-generation Carlton, from 1978 to 1986 – and, even more particularly, of the pre-facelift version from 1978 to 1982, which bore that distinctive 'droop snoot' Vauxhall nose also seen on the Chevette and Firenza models.

The Viceroy was basically a Carlton with a 2.5- or 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engine, while the Royale (aka Opel Senator) was a long-wheelbase, more luxuriously appointed version that took the car into BMW 5 Series / Merc E Class territory. All three cars made full use of Vauxhall's attractive 1980s design language, and were good examples of the large saloon at its most appealing.

Volvo 740 / 760

While they're undoubtedly better known for their cavernous estates, Volvo have produced some ruggedly appealing saloons over the decades. The saloon version of the 240, for instance, was a familiar sight on Britain's roads for many years. Here, though, we've opted for its successors, the tall, straight-edged and chrome-detailed 740 and 760.

Indeed, in their angular lines, imposing, chrome-heavy grille and general road presence, these 1980s Volvos seemed to draw on contemporary American saloons – glance briefly at a 760 and you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a contemporary Cadillac Fleetwood, for example. The 740's market niche was as a more luxurious alternative to the 240 family workhorse, while the 760 strove upward into executive car territory with its air conditioning, power windows, traction control and anti-lock brakes.

A car, in short, that can still keep company with today's models when it comes to safety and comfort features. Where it differs from contemporary cars, however, is that it will now be a surefire candidate for classic car insurance.

Saab 9000

The 1980s were the decade when the Swedes made some serious incursions into the executive car market. Alongside Volvo's imperious 760 saloon mentioned above, that ostentatious decade also brought us the Saab 9000, which rode into town on the back of the hugely successful 99 and 900 models.

An appetising fusion of Italian and Swedish aesthetics, the car was a joint project from Saab's own Björn Envall and legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Indeed, you can see some of Giugiaro's unmistakable angularity and folded-paper design in the 9000. It may not quite be a Lotus Esprit, but it's heading off in that direction. The car was a joint project with Fiat Automobiles: the designs gifted the Italian company no fewer than three new large saloons, in the shape of the Fiat Croma, the Lancia Thema and the delicious Alfa Romeo 164.

As it happened, by the mid 1980s British buyers were starting to eschew upmarket large saloons from non-prestige brands, preferring to put their faith in the German trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Given this landscape, it's a tribute to the Saab 9000 that it was the only car from the four-way Saab/Fiat partnership to make its mark in the UK market.

Rover P6

Before its demise in 2000, Rover gave us a quartet of eye-catching executive cars. The company's last big saloon was the elegant Rover 75, which the automotive press media famously called one of the most beautiful cars ever made when it launched in 1999. Before the 75 there had been the swoopy 800 hatchback, and before that again was Rover's boldly designed and very popular SD1 hatchback, which famously drew on the Ferrari Daytona for inspiration.

But the first in this quartet of distinguished Rovers was the shark-like P6 saloon from the 1960s and early 1970s. To understand how Rover came to produce a car this handsome and good to drive, we have to go back to the late 50s.

The company had identified a growing new market – medium-sized cars sited between standard 1.5-litre saloons such as the Singer Gazelle and Ford Consul, and the big, luxurious but somewhat ponderous luxury cars like the Vauxhall Cresta and Wolseley 6/99. A new generation of young, affluent drivers wanted a bit more luxury than the smaller cars, but better driving dynamics than the big barges.

Step forward the P6. Fast, safe, comfortable, good-looking and packed with tech, the P6 was a popular model throughout its long production run (1963-1977), and it's still seen in decent numbers today. Owners can join the friendly Rover P6 Club for a range of benefits. Remember, our classic car insurance here at Lancaster can cover you for historic rallies and shows.

Austin 1800 'Landcrab'

During the 1960s and 1970s you could buy effectively the same car under a variety of marque and model names. At first, the big British saloon was known as the Austin 1800, the Morris 1800 and the Wolseley 18/85. Later, buyers could get the Austin 2200, Morris 2200 and Wolseley Six labels. They were all the same designation for this sturdy and popular family car from the British Motor Corporation (later British Leyland). More informally, the Austin 1800 et al earned themselves the nickname the 'Landcrab' due to their unusually low, wide stance.

Like the Rover P6, this is another car which, despite its vintage status, still commands a devoted following here in the UK. And, again, the car has its own thriving owners' club, the excellently named Landcrab Owners' Club International. Lancaster works with a number of clubs in the UK to offer discounts on our classic car insurance, so make sure you ask when you get a quote.

BMW E30

You're probably not surprised to see the second-generation of BMW's seminal 3 Series making our list. The first instalment (E21) was a good car, and for many fans it might win the classic 3 Series shootout purely by virtue of its being the pioneer. However, its successor made some crucial improvements that made the 3 into a truly inspirational car for the 1980s.

The E30 was a big improvement on its predecessor, with more secure rear-wheel-drive handling, a much-improved driving position and higher levels of smoothness and refinement. If you're considering picking up an E30 3 Series, we would recommend looking at post-1987 cars. That year brought an update to the model, and one of the key features was increased rust protection, meaning that post-87 models will be less susceptible to corrosion.

We've got plenty more E30 buying advice elsewhere on this site, by the way.
Whichever year and trim you go for, we'd definitely recommend some classic car insurance to protect what is almost the definition of a classic car.

Audi 100

It's interesting now to remember that, before they became the default choice for the thrusting young executive, Audi was – a little like Saab – a leftfield choice. Its cars were known to be well-built, and they had a certain austere Teutonic appeal to them: but, compared to Germany's big two of BMW and Mercedes, Audi was still a fringe player in the exec buyers' market of the 1970s and 1980s.

The third generation of their big 100 saloon, the predecessor of today's A6, moved the game on subtly but significantly from its second-generation predecessor. In particular, the lines became more aerodynamic and the interior took on that build quality for which Audi has been famed ever since. The car's galvanised body lasted well, meaning that third-gen 100s are still seen in small numbers today. You'll want to ally that well-protected body with some protection of your own, in the shape of some classic car insurance to protect your vintage Audi.

Which classic four-door is for you?

We hope this article has reminded you that classic cars come in all shapes and sizes. A car needn't fit the obvious definition – two doors, swoopy lines, top speed somewhere north of 150mph – to be designated a classic.

Here at Lancaster, we are proud to provide classic car insurance for a huge range of models from yesteryear. From the humble Austin Metro to the revered Mercedes 300SL 'Gullwing', we're delighted to insure a wealth of cars from decades past. So whatever you're driving, restoring, or simply hoping to get hold of, the chances are that we will be able to insure it for you.

Contact us for a classic car insurance quote today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.