A LUXURIOUS saloon car that Jeremy Clarkson once managed to get up to 201 mph can be picked up today for less than £11,000.
The Volkswagen Phaeton, a premium class set of wheels that the German brand sold between 2003 and 2016, is a motor good enough to compete with the very best from the likes of Jaguar, BMW and Audi.
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Clarkson featured the car in a 2003 episode of Top Gear, describing it as a “German joke” because it cost a staggering £65,000 from new at the time – roughly the equivalent of £115,000 in 2024.
He added: “The Phaeton was the swan song for VW‘s boss Ferdinand Piech – he was retiring and wanted to go out with a bang.
“He wanted to make the best car ever.”
Despite boasting a lot of space, especially in the rear, the motor lacked the necessary class inside to compete with other luxury cars, and Autocar described it as having a bit of an ‘Airport taxi’ image.
To this end, the Phaeton wasn’t a big seller and fell short of its global targets – although it proved to be a success in China.
In 2013, The Economist named the Phaeton as one of Europe’s biggest loss making cars, and it was discontinued in 2016.
It’s an amazing engine, it’s an amazing car
Jeremy Clarkson
Despite its flaws, it boasted an incredible motor – with the top-of-the-range example featuring a 444bhp 6.0-litre engine which was essentially two V6 engines combined.
During his Top Gear test drive, Clarkson added: “Piech insisted it had to stay absolutely flat and level with no vibration – which sounds like overkill because the Phaeton has a limited top speed of up to 155 mph.”
However, Jezza also reveals that he once drove one with a limiter uninstalled – and managed to reach an eye-watering top speed of 201 mph.
“Even at that speed, I still couldn’t hear the engine,” he added.
“It’s an amazing engine, it’s an amazing car.”
Later in the show, he said: “It pains me to admit it, but if I was going to buy a big four-door saloon – it wouldn’t be the Jag [XJ].
“It would be that Phaeton, it’s an amazing car.”
Today, buyers can pick up a second-hand Phaeton very reasonably, and we were able to find one on the Cars & Classic website for £10,500.
This 2003 example comes with just 91,000 miles on the clock and is described as a “very rare four seater model.”
With a full leather and wood interior, it also boasts fully electric heated seats in the front and rear, with massage and seat coolers added.
The listing added: “The Phaeton automatically adjusts itself at a certain speed on the motorway for aerodynamic and efficient driving.
“Very powerful and a real head turner with the matching quad-rear exhaust pipes.
“Family owned for eight years now, three previous owners – last owner was a barrister.”
Recently, VW announced their final ever petrol motor to be released in the UK ahead of its full switch to EVs.
This comes as the best-selling German brand is to cull of its petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid cars.
And elsewhere, petrolheads looking for a bit of oomph can buy a 161 mph super saloon for less than £6,000.
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