Winter is when the true merit of a performance car is revealed – and a keen driver’s mettle is tested. Dry-road heroes and summer toys are quickly found out when the temperature drops, the roads glisten and the school run resembles the Cresta Run. Yet some modern classics thrive in these conditions – cars with pace, personality and enough usability to make cold mornings something to look forward to rather than endure.

Having driven across the icy wasteland that is Russia’s Lake Baikal – the world’s most voluminous lake – in -20C conditions, and undertaken countless roadtrips throughout Scandinavia, I’ve learned that with the right rubber on your alloys and technique behind the wheel, driving on the white stuff doesn’t have to send a shiver down your spine: it can be hilariously good fun.

I’ve even run a couple of Caterham Sevens through winter, and would do it all over again given half a chance. However, I appreciate you may not be quite as barmy and would prefer a few more creature comforts from a winter runaround. With that in mind, here are seven suggestions for modern classics that get the job done. From fire-breathing estates to quietly heroic hatchbacks, winterproof sports cars to unlikely icons, this is a line-up that proves cold weather doesn’t have to mean dull motoring.

The go-fast estate: Mercedes-AMG E63 S

It passes for a sober family estate that has enough bootspace for a trio of Labradors yet the E63 S is a gloriously rapid machine that could dominate the outside lane of an autobahn just as well as it could handle a tip run.

While everyone else is tentatively coaxing torque through narrow tyres, Mercedes’ ballistic estate simply shrugs and deploys all of it. This is excess made usable – a family car with supercar pace and an appetite for bad weather.

The heart of the E63 S is AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, producing a scarcely believable 603bhp in facelifted W213 form. Numbers alone don’t tell the story, though. What makes the E63 so compelling is how effortlessly it delivers that performance. The fully variable 4MATIC+ four-wheel drive system constantly shuffles power between axles, giving you unflappable traction in the wet, snow or slush, while still allowing rear-biased mischief when the mood (or mode) strikes.

Yet it’s the estate body that elevates the E63 into winter royalty. Heated everything, a vast boot, impeccable refinement and the ability to cross continents at eye-watering pace make it the thinking enthusiast’s cold-season weapon. You can load it with tyres, dogs or Christmas detritus and still out-drag almost anything short of a supercar.

As values begin to stabilise – and as electrification looms ever larger – the E63 S is starting to look like the end of a very specific era. A V8, four-wheel-drive, rear-biased super-estate? They don’t make them like this anymore, and winter is exactly when you’ll appreciate why that matters.

The over-endowed hatchback: Audi RS3

Audi’s RS3 has always been an exercise in joyful imbalance. Take a sensible premium hatchback or saloon, drop in one of the most charismatic engines of the modern era, and then give it the traction to embarrass far more exotic machinery – especially when the weather turns foul.

The star hasalways been the turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine. Its warbling, off-beat soundtrack harks back to Audi’s rallying past and gives the RS3 a sense of occasion few modern hot hatches can match. With around 400bhp on tap, performance is savage year-round, but it’s in winter that the quattro system truly earns its keep.

Cold roads and damp roundabouts barely register. The RS3 grips, goes and repeats, making it one of the most confidence-inspiring fast cars you can use when conditions are poor. Later cars with the torque-splitting rear differential add an extra layer of adjustability, but even earlier examples remain devastatingly effective point-to-point tools.

Crucially, the RS3 also feels ripe for modern-classic status. The five-cylinder engine is unique in the segment, emissions regulations have killed off its direct successors, and values have already begun to firm for well-kept cars. It’s not perfect, but as a winter daily that blends speed, sound and security, the RS3 is very hard to fault, and increasingly hard to replace.

The JDM icon that's going places: Nissan Skyline GT-R R33

For years, the R33 Skyline GT-R lived in the shadow of its better-known siblings. Too big, too heavy, not quite as pretty as an R32 or as impressive as an R34 – or so the narrative went. But time, as ever, has been kind to the underdog, and the R33 is finally being recognised for what it really is: a deeply capable, brutally effective performance car with genuine rarity on its side.

An original UK-supplied example only sharpens the appeal. These cars were expensive, niche and sold in tiny numbers (only 100 were officially imported) making provenance increasingly important as values climb. I attended the original press launch for the R33 GT-R V-spec, probably around 1997, and after thrashing it around Scotland quickly came to the conclusion that it would deeply embarrass a Porsche 911.

Beneath the bewinged bodywork lies Nissan’s legendary RB26DETT straight-six, paired with the ATTESA E-TS Pro all-wheel-drive system and Super-HICAS rear steering. The result is staggering winter competence – enormous grip, immense stability and an ability to deploy power in conditions that would have lesser sports cars parked up.

Unlike many modern classics, the R33 also feels genuinely usable. The cabin is robust, visibility is good, and there’s a reassuring sense that this is a machine engineered to be driven hard, often and in all weathers.

As collectors begin to look beyond the obvious poster cars, the R33 GT-R – particularly in unmodified, UK-market form – feels poised for big things.

The dependable sports car: Porsche 911 (997) Carrera 4

The Porsche 911 has generally acquitted itself well in winter weather. The fact that its flat-six engine sits over the wide rear wheels helps it find traction where other sports cars fail, but early 911s could be difficult under braking, as there was relatively little weight over the front wheels. By the time the 997 generation arrived, in 2004, such quirks were a distant memory.

Compact by modern standards, beautifully engineered and blessed with that unmistakable Porsche tactility, it’s a sports car that doesn’t flinch when the seasons change.

The 997 generation marked a return to classic 911 proportions and headlights, but it also delivered meaningful improvements in quality and refinement. In Carrera 4 form, the added security of PorscheTraction Management (its intelligent all-wheel drive system) transforms winter usability. The system is subtle rather than intrusive, allowing the car’s rear-engined balance to shine while providing real reassurance on cold, greasy roads.

Naturally aspirated flat-six power, whether in 3.6- or3.8-litre guise, gives the 997 a linear, mechanical character that feels increasingly rare, and in places there are still hints of early 911s in the way it goes down a road. There’s enough performance to be engaging without feeling overwhelming, and crucially, the car communicates constantly through the hydraulic power steering wheel.

Reliability fears have long dominated 997 discussions, but well-maintained examples – particularly later Gen 2 cars – have proven robust daily drivers. If you want a car that’s as capable on a frosty B-road as it is on a summer Alpine pass, this era of 911 Carrera 4 stands out as an all-season, all-reason package.

The mighty mouse: Fiat Panda 4x4

If I told you I once raced a Panda 4x4 against a tank around an off-road course, and the Panda won (true story, watch it here), you’d understand why few cars earn affection as completely as a Panda 4x4.

On paper it makes no sense to place it alongside V8 estates and turbocharged super-hatches, yet in winter conditions, or indeed off-road terrain, this little box on wheels can feel like the most capable car of them all.

The genius of the Panda 4x4 lies in its simplicity. Lightweight, short overhangs and a clever permanent all-wheel-drive system give it astonishing traction on snow, ice and mud. Where heavier, more powerful cars tiptoe, the Panda simply scrabbles and goes, its narrow tyres cutting through slush with cheerful determination, and its reinforced suspension and skid plates soaking up the punishment.

Inside, it’s basic but honest. You sit upright, visibility is excellent, and everything feels designed to be used with gloves on and a grin firmly in place. There’s a charm here that no amount of horsepower can replicate, and when the weather is at its worst, charm counts for a lot.

Modern classic status is already creeping in, particularly for well-kept examples of the TwinAir petrol and Multijet diesel cars. As crossovers grow ever larger and more compromised, the pint-sized Panda 4x4’s authenticity shines brighter. It’s not fast, it’s not flashy, but on a frozen morning, when you’re the only one who actually made it anywhere, it feels quietly heroic.

The all-rounder: Volkswagen Golf R Mk7.5

If there’s a single car that defines modern, all-weather performance motoring, it’s the Mk7.5 Golf R. Not because it’s the most exciting or the most characterful, but because it does everything so relentlessly well, especially when winter rolls around.

With around 310bhp and a Haldex-based four-wheel-drive system, the Golf R delivers effortless pace regardless of conditions. Cold Tarmac, standing water or filthy back roads barely register. Unless you’re being silly or are plain unlucky (black ice…) the Golf R just grips, goes and remains composed, making it an ideal choice for those who want speed without drama.

The facelifted Mk7.5 brought sharper styling, improved infotainment, subtle chassis tweaks and a seven-speed DSG gearbox, improving an already excellent and, dare we suggest, affordable package. It’s quick enough to trouble serious performance machinery, yet civilised enough to commute in without a second thought. Heated seats, adaptive dampers and a high-quality cabin only reinforce its winter credentials.

While hot hatches often live hard lives, clean, unmodified Golf Rs are becoming harder to find and values are beginning to reflect that. With the move towards hybridisation and electrification, the Mk7.5 stands as one of the last truly great, no-nonsense performance Golfs.

It may not pull at the heartstrings but when the weather is grim and the miles need covering quickly, few cars make more sense.

Flash the cash: Bentley Continental GTC

Winter doesn’t have to mean restraint, and few cars embrace cold-weather indulgence quite like the Bentley Continental GTC. Roof down or up, this is grand touring at its most unapologetic, blending colossal performance with an atmosphere more private club than sports car, especially the second generation model which drove better than the original.

Under the bonnet lies either Bentley’s W12 or a muscular twin-turbo V8, both delivering effortless torque and sophisticated progress. Crucially, the permanent all-wheel-drive system ensures that even in poor conditions, the Continental remains composed and secure. This is a car designed to cross continents in comfort, regardless of season.

The GTC’s party trick is its dual personality. With the roof up, it’s a cocoon – warm, hushed and exquisitely finished. Drop it on a crisp winter morning, crank the heated seats and neck warmers, and it becomes something else entirely: a decadent, cold-air cruiser with a soundtrack to match the scenery.

Depreciation has been kind to used buyers, if not to original owners, and that makes early Continental GTCs particularly tempting modern classics. They represent a level of craftsmanship and excess that feels increasingly out of step with todays automated automotive landscape.

It’s not subtle, it’s not light, and it certainly isn’t cheap to run, but if winter is about comfort, theatre and covering ground in style, few cars do it with such unapologetic confidence.

If you would like to know more about Racing Green’s services, or arrange for your car to be placed in our care, please speak with a member of the team, on 03330 909722, or email us at enquiries@racinggreencarstorage.co.uk