The rare luxury cars fast vanishing from our roads

Slide of Cars with a luxury slant sell in smaller numbers by their very nature. But some are destined to survive in tiny numbers. Here, we look at the rarest luxury cars on the UK roads, in descending order of the number remaining taxed and in use. Data comes from the excellent How Many Left website. Slide of Vauxhall Signum – 1451 Vauxhall was aiming for luxury space at a distinctly mass market price with the Signum. Based on the same wheelbase as the Vectra estate and a sibling of the ghastly Fiat Croma Mk2, the Signum offered huge amounts of rear leg room and the two rear chairs could be slid back and forth to suit their passengers. There was also the clever FlexSpace centre console, while boot space was equally impressive. However, the combination of the Vauxhall badge and low-grade cabin materials meant the Signum was never a serious rival to the likes of the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class. Sales were sluggish and now there are just 1451 left on UK roads and 1592 SORN’d as registered but not on the road. Slide of BMW 5 GT – 1354 In a bid to be almost all things to all luxury car buyers, the BMW 5 Series GT was based on the contemporary 7 Series’ platform but with fastback styling and an SUV stance. Its biggest differentiator was offering hatchback practicality in a class dominated by saloons, which made it a bold move by the German company. There was loads of space in the front and back, superb comfort, and punchy engines. However, customers kept their distance and the GT is now a rare sight with only 1354 registered for road use in the UK. Slide of Maserati Quattroporte – 1269 The Maserati Quattroporte has always been a lesser spotted luxury car going right back to its 1960s roots. This has been part of its appeal, mixing a performance image with exclusivity, so perhaps we should be surprised there is as many as 1269 Quattroportes of all types on the UK’s roads instead of worrying about dwindling numbers. There are also a further 355 in ownership but not road registered. The fifth generation of Quattroporte, built between 2003 and 2012, is the most numerous and it’s easy to see the appeal when it’s powered by a Ferrari-derived V8 engine. Slide of Volkswagen Phaeton – 902 Volkswagen offered everything from a 3.0 V6 turbodiesel all the way up to its mighty 6.0-litre W12 motor in the Phaeton. It meant the model suited all types of luxury car buyer, from the private hire companies to anyone who simply wanted the very best in performance and refinement. Given the amount of time, money and effort VW poured into the Phaeton’s development, this was assured. What wasn’t such a given was sales success in most markets. The anonymous styling combined with the lack of prestige of the VW badge held back sales in Europe and the US, and only China showed any great enthusiasm for the model. In the UK, there are now only just 931 Phaetons in the road, with 408 more registered as off the road. Slide of Aston Martin Rapide – 761 The four-seat Aston Martin Rapide offered buyers a chance to enjoy all of the dynamic pleasure of the company’s coupe models but with a dash of real-world practicality. The four-door body made the rear seats eminently usable – if a bit cosy - and you could even fold them down to add to the load space. However, like its Lagonda predecessors, the Rapide never really took off in the sales charts and there are now only 763 driving on UK roads, plus 79 in storage. Out of this number, the rarest of the lot is the AMR version with a mere 36 still being used on the public road. Slide of Honda Legend – 528 Count up all of the different generations of Honda Legend still on UK roads, including the Coupe versions, and you arrive a figure of 528. This says a lot about how luxury car buyers took a look at the Legend and most decided to spend their money elsewhere, which was something a shame as it was fully loaded with equipment, some of it groundbreaking. Unfortunately, the Honda name didn’t have the same pull as Audi, BMW, Jaguar or Mercedes. As well as the 528 Legends remaining on the road in the UK, there are a further 456 parked on driveways and in garages. Slide of Peugeot 607 – 251 Large French saloons have rarely fared well in the UK sales charts and the Peugeot 607 is a prime example of this. It may have enjoyed agile handling and decent ride, but it just looked too similar to the dull 407 saloon. Add in a cabin that was well equipped but not especially well put together and you had a car that only the French were ever going to love. A slow seller when new, the 407’s numbers are thinning out and it has the dubious distinction of being a car where there are more off the road than on it. In total, 594 are registered as off the road, with only 251 being driven. Slide of Citroen C6 – 337 The Citroen C6 should have been a much bigger seller than it was when new between 2006 and 2012