Rolls-Royce Phantom, Ford Fiesta, Mercedes CLK, Chev Corvette, Audi R8

Five perfect cars: a polite limousine, muscle machine, German supercar, sporty Merc... and a four-cylinder hatch.

Mercedes-Benz CLK Black Series car.

The best cars of the mid 2000s were an eclectic bunch. Here are the diverse five cars awarded a perfect five-star review at the time by British critic Jeremy Clarkson. Now coming up for a decade old, these cars are objects of desire for astute collectors.

Audi R8, 4163cc, V8: I had seen pictures of this mid-engined supercar and they left me underwhelmed. I thought it looked a bit boring, a slightly bigger version of the TT. And it wasn’t going to be a real supercar, was it? Not when you remember Audi owns Lamborghini. I mean, why make a car to compete with your own brand? That’d be stupid. This view is reinforced when you climb inside. There are very few supercar extravagances. No titanium machinegun triggers. It’s very grey, very Audi, very normal. And that’s fine, actually, because there are very few traditional supercar drawbacks either. You can see out, there’s room for your head, and there’s space for briefcases and whatnot on a shelf behind the seats. You needn’t even worry about the engine. It’s not a W16 with eight turbos and plugs that foul themselves at every set of lights. Instead, it’s the 308kW 4.2 V8 from the RS 4. I’ve described this as one of the best engines made today and a drive in the R8 has not changed my mind. It does everything, brilliantly. In fact the Audi is outstanding even while it’s not blisteringly fast. From rest to 200km/h it goes at almost exactly the same rate as the Porsche 911 Carrera S. And flat out it’ll be out of steam before it gets to 305km/h. I don’t think I’ve ever driven a car that works so well on both the road and the track. Even if you remove my natural prejudice against the Porsche 911, I believe the Audi has it licked on all counts. I can safely say the R8 is one of the best surprises of my motoring life. The only hesitation I have in giving it five stars is that, ideally, I’d like to give it six. - June 3, 2007

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, 6749cc, 12 cylinders: The Phantom is a first cousin only to the god of silence, and manners, and breeding. It is an exquisite car and I would have one tomorrow if it weren’t so bloody expensive. And now comes the convertible, and oh dearie me. When I came home to find it sitting in my drive, all huge and brilliant, I’m afraid I started to dribble. Like its hardtop brother, this has no rivals. Well, unless you count the Bentley Azure, which is of course excellent. If you like to waft around in something that can trace its roots back to 1959. Which means you’d be wafting around in something that’s older than me. The Rolls doesn’t look or feel old-fashioned at all. Everything, from the unpainted bonnet to the suicide doors to the rattan carpets and, yes, even the teak Sunseeker-style decking on the back, makes it look as fresh and as futuristic as tomorrow morning’s papers. It is not built for speed or grip. It is not built to excite with its handling or the roar from its exhaust. It is not built to be safe, or frugal, or cheap. It is not built to do any of the things we have come to expect of cars in recent years. It is not built to go places. It is built to arrive. This car, then, is not a car at all. It is a fanfare. A blast of trumpeteering to silence the crowds when someone special is about to enter the room. - September 30, 2007.

Mercedes CLK Black Series, 6208cc, 8 cylinders: Imagine drinking a pint of hemlock, setting yourself on fire and then jumping out of a plane when it’s directly over a combine harvester. You don’t know what’s going to kill you: only that you are going through the Pearly Gates at great speed very soon. That’s what the Mercedes CLK Black feels like. Exciting beyond words. Terrifyingly exciting. White-knuckle, eyes-on-stalks, sweaty-armpits and tensed-buttocks exciting. At first you don’t drive this car: you just cling on for dear life. But then I became used to the way the back skips and settles and started to enjoy it. Then the enjoyment turned into sheer, unparalleled joy. Then I started to think I might have actually wet myself a bit. It does not drive like any other car, this one. It doesn’t feel planted, like a Porsche Turbo, or alive, like a Ferrari 430. It feels skittish, as though it’s balancing all the time on a knife edge. For sheer excitement, the CLK Black is a match for absolutely anything. Since my test car went back to Mercedes, I have been thinking about it a lot. Because I’m not sure anyone’s life is quite complete unless they have one. - February 24, 2008

Ford Fiesta 1.6 Titanium, 1596cc, 4 cylinders: The Fiesta is a cracker to look at. And, like the original Focus, it is a cracker to drive as well. Demonstrably better than anything else for the same sort of money. Part of that is down to a fine chassis, but some of it is also down to the engine. I tried a 1.6, which has twin independent camshaft timing. The result is a smoothness you simply don’t expect in a car of this type, and 88kW, more than you got from the original Volkswagen Golf GTI. Of course, other engines are available, one of which produces such a small amount of CO2 it’ll kill every plant in your garden. But you won’t pay any road tax. The base model has the luxuries of a cave. My car, on the other hand, had airconditioning, cruise control, iPod connectivity, leather seats, blue teeth, parking assistance, a heated front windscreen, a trip computer, traction control and privacy glass. In short, everything you would find on a mid-range Mercedes. It’s mind-blowing value. It’s a mind-blowing car. It’s sensible. It’s well priced. It’s much more comfortable and quiet than you have any right to hope for in this part of the marketplace, and because it’s made by Germans, it’s well bolted together too. But most important of all, it’s fun. - November 30, 2008

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, 6162cc, supercharged V8: Over the years there have been a great many Corvettes, and none of them, if we’re honest, has been any good. Oh, there have been some fast ones and some with great charisma. Mostly, they have been pretty as well. But to drive? No. They were the automotive equivalent of Big Macs. Cheap, plastic and at the right time, and in the right place, sort of just what you want. But like I said. Just no. And then out of nowhere came the ZR1, which has a supercharged V8 that manages to be both docile and extraordinarily savage all at the same time. I’ve been trying to think of a dog that pulls off a similar trick, but there isn’t one. And anyway, this car is not a dog. Oh, it’s not built very well. After just three days in my care, the boot lock disintegrated and the keyless go system refused to acknowledge the keys were in the car, but I didn’t mind because there is simply no other car that looks this good, goes this fast — in a straight line and around corners — and that most of the time bumbles about like a forgetful uncle. And when you throw in its modest price the case for the defence can sit down and put up its feet knowing the prosecutor simply has nowhere to go. It is an epic car. - December 28, 2008