From Porsche to Jaguar, some of the most head-turning models in history.
By Dennis Tang
Part I
Sure, cars are practical, but sometimes you want a little more than just something to get you from point A to point B. From Porsche to Jaguar, some of the most head-turning models in history.
50. 1987 Porsche 928
Porsche is best known for their rear-engined 911, but the last time the company put the cylinders in the front, the result wasn't so shabby, either. The pop-up headlamps, that rear-quarter windshield.
49. 1991 Acura NSX
When the NSX was first put into development, nobody really thought econobox-building Honda could put out a truly great sports car. The resulting automobile—and six consecutive Formula One constructor's championships—proved otherwise. And the NSX, developed with the aid of F1 legend Ayrton Senna, was such a impeccably engineered and tastefully designed supercar that Honda hardly ever changed it in its 15-year run.
48. Bentley Speed Six
In the early days of automotive engineering, fuel efficiency wasn't really a thing, which led to some whopping huge engines. The Speed Six had six cylinders with an incredible six and a half liters, and this fighter plane on wheels chugged and growled its way to a total of...180 horsepower, which is less than some hot hatchbacks today. It was advanced for its day, though, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, and something tells us it still feels plenty fast to this day.
47. McLaren P1
Of the current crop of futuristic, hybridized hyper-supercars, none of them convey quite the same sense of kinetic insanity quite like the P1, with curves as electric as the batteries bolted to its wheels. If Batman wanted to go (sorta) green in 2015, he'd take one of these.
46. BMW E30 M3
The M series of Bimmers popularized the fast-as-hell stealth sedan concept, and remain the exemplars of the breed to this day. But like with any long-running show, we'll always swear by the original cast.
45. 1972 Datsun 240Z
Japan's auto industry had a tendency in its early days to copy successful Western models—and as with the Toyoto 2000GT, Datsun once again chose the Jag E-Type as the template for their sports car of the people. You can't argue with the logic, however, and the Z car's good looks and performance quickly legitimized Japan's sporting credentials to the rest of the world.
44. 1967 Cord 812 Cabriolet
That a car debuted in 1937 with a supercharged V8 and hidden headlamps is surprising enough. That it looked like something straight out a Fritz Lang film is just icing on the Metropolis of our collective daydreams.
43. 1986 Audi Coupe Quattro
Function is the German way, and this car epitomizes it like no other. Want to win at rally racing? Then take a turbocharged box with four-wheel drive, soup it up, and pilot it to win a stunning 23 World Rally Championship races in five years. Simple, right?
42. 1969-67 Austin-Healey 3000
The British have a thing for convertible roadsters, even though Britain's weather is perennially cold and wet and miserable. No, we can't really explain it, either—but then we look at a car like the 3000, and suddenly we stop bothering to wonder.
41. Buick Riviera "Boattail"
One of the last emblems of big honkin' postwar American design, before fuel crises and recession finally set to reining things in. Sometimes, a car that feels like a boat isn't such a bad idea, after all.
40. 1970 Dodge Challenger
The Challenger never sold in the same numbers as the Mustang. Vanishing Point isn't nearly as famous a film as Bullitt. But as Americans know better than anyone else, underdogs have their own kind of irreplaceable charm.
39. 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB
The 250 and 275 come from the era at Ferrari when Enzo himself held a dictatorial control over the company and its products. If you've got any evidence that democracy is the way to go, now's the time.
38. 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible
Remember when the world was so bright and full of optimism that cars were adorned with gratuitous fins? If you don't, you should wish you did.
37. Koenigsegg CCX
The last decade has seen its share of crazy supercars, but none convey flat-out speed quite as well as the nigh-unspellable Koenigsegg, a warp-speed flying saucer with wheels. Christian Koenigsegg and his merry band have consistently matched wits and performance with the bajillion-dollar R&D powerhouses of Ferrari, Lamborghini and co. to produce some of the world's fastest and most bonkers vehicles. This one, in some variants, can hit the holy marks of 1,000 horsepower and 250 miles per hour. If supercars are all about insanity, then this is king.
36. Lancia Stratos
The little snub-nosed wedge was born as a hot-blooded rally fighter, winning three World Rally Championships before it was halted by internal politics with Lancia's parent company, Fiat. Luckily for the rest of us, they built a few for the road, too.
35. 1969 GTO Judge
One of the brawniest expressions of American muscle there ever was, the Judge forever evokes memories of tool boxes, barbecue, and the sound a bald eagle would make if it were powered by a 7.5-liter V8. God bless.
34. 1954 Jaguar XK140
Jaguar had quite a run in the '50s and '60s, from the XK120, at the time the fastest car in the world, all the way to the E-Type. And the XK140 epitomized the muscular, big-grilled '50s style before the space-age designs of the next decade.
33. Lamborghini Miura
The first mid-engined supercar, the Miura kicked off a wave of design and engineering principles that have dominated the world of ultra-exotics ever since. Patterned as it was after an airplane wing, the car did have its share of faults, namely a tendency to lift off the road at high speeds. But it is precisely that combination–impractical yet alluring, flawed yet somehow perfect–that defines why we love cars like it in the first place.
32. 1963 Mini Cooper
The little British hatch that could won accolades across the board: in motorsport, its short wheelbase and lightweight construction propelled it to World Rally Championships. In the real world, those same properties made it ubiquitous in swinging '60s London. All of which helped it become probably the most famous city car of all time.
31. 1990 Saab 900 Turbo
The whole "Born from Jets" slogan was always an exaggeration on Saab's part…but when you're gunning the turbo in a stealth-black, fighter-inspired cockpit, it's hard not to feel the part, and what else matters?
30. 1976 Porsche 911
Some call it boring, a pedestrian design that hasn't changed in decades. We see it for what it is: a supercar in a city car's body, which can also navigate crests and speed bumps, and one of the world's best-engineered performance vehicles. And it's that iconic shape that makes it all possible.
29. Rolls-Royce Phantom
The more and more electronic gadgets and massage chairs that get installed on modern luxury cars, the harder it is for them to retain any sense of, well, dignity. Props to Rolls, then, for putting together the most tasteful and (almost) discrete expression of 21st century ultra-luxury on the road today. We like to think the old money would love to buy this car, if they had any money left.
28. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
In the long history of America's premiere sports car, this remains the most beloved iteration, a Jet Age creation that felt so cavalier and optimistic that the Apollo 12 astronauts bought a matching set. If two buddies of ours were willing to go along, we wouldn't mind.
27. Ferrari F40
Whereas modern Ferrari hypercars look bloated with hybrid drivetrains and computers, the F40 looked so featherweight because it was: copious carbon fiber covered by paper-thin paint, plastic windows, and naked door wells stuck together with visible lines of sealant. The result of all this was lots and lots of speed, more than enough to justify the cost Ferrari saved on frivolities like carpets or a stereo. Rarely has function over form ever looked this good.
26. Maserati Quattroportte
The Quattroporte isn't the most seductive car on first glance: its name merely means "four doors" in Italian. Nor, upon further inspection, is it necessarily the most beautiful. But look harder still, and you'll see the one, truly essential characteristic of a great car, character, that elevates it above its multidinous, mostly German competititors. Plenty of cars can get you to work in comfort. This is one of the few that makes you relish the commute.
