The best British cars ever made

These include a pandemic, Brexit and lately, a global microchip shortage. Oh, and in the UK, new regulations prohibiting the sale of new internal combustion engine equipped cars from 2030, unless they’re part-electrified. With challenges like this ranged against it, it’s no surprise that the car industry is facing substantial headwinds. Despite all this, the UK car industry has nevertheless had its successes, and where there has been trouble – Jaguar and Aston Martin, for instance – there are bold and hopeful recovery programmes in progress.

Of course this list is a reflection of what has occurred in the 125-odd years since British car-making began and also when Autocar started writing about them, and it has now been updated to account for the seven tumultuous years since we last published it. The previous ranking was arrived at using votes from you, dear readers, but this time we have decided to boldly choose the top 100 ourselves.

There has been quite a bit of change, despite seven years not being so long. There are several electric cars in the list, and many more supercars and luxury GTs. We start at number 100, and work our way through to what we reckon is the best all-round British car ever made:

Only 53 were built, this JCW-based special UK-developed for the ultimate mix of handling and go. Buyers got two sets of wheels and tyres, a rumbustious switchable exhaust, adjustable shockers and big grins.

More zip, more dials, wood garnishing, a centre console, Rostyle wheels and a matt black tail panel – just the thing for the 1968 man who’s going places. A sensible semi-luxury sporty saloon, much coveted in its day.

Another British Leyland what-if, sales barely started before the plug was pulled on this very capable car. A lightweight V8, a decent chassis and an exceptionally comfortable cockpit made for a great distance machine.

In many ways a lash-up, this V8 Alpine, but V8 American firepower crammed beneath its slender nose created a sometimes hair-raisingly rapid sports car. Elegantly stylish and a rumbling exhaust were further allures.

The first series production British car with fuel injection, this advance quite a contrast to a core specification of separate chassis and troubled independent rear suspension. But, it was fast, handsome and characterful.

Capris were always handsome, and a somewhat disappointing drive unless V6-powered, raw grunt compensating for bend navigation difficulties. Only 200 of this underrated homologation V6 were made, and no great surprise that survivors sell for £50,000 and more.

Just four years after BMC debuted the Morris 1100 Triumph released its front drive 1300, a notably luxurious premium small saloon. Later converted to rear-wheel drive and renamed Toledo.

A road-going track car, and perhaps the one that brings the single-seater experience most completely to the road. Expensive, but beautifully wrought in carbonfibre. And it delivers 575bhp per tonne. 

A cut-price Mercedes SL powered by an almost orchestral V8, the Stag should have been as big a hit in the US as the UK. A tendency to boil up, and the flaws of its Triumph 2000 innards, vapourised that dream.

The classic recipe of super-potent engine slid beneath a small car’s bonnet produced a World Rally Championship winner, and a great sideways drive. The Sunbeam’s 2.0 16-valve Hethel power definitely helped.

A big leap for MG, from the vintage-style TF to a car with integral wings, a modern engine, independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. Stylish and unlike many ‘50s cars, perfectly proportioned too.

A twin-cam, twin-carb Lotus engine, heavily modified suspension (later dropped as too troublesome), wider wheels, extra instruments and usually, white paint and that green flash. Much prized now, and rightly.

A free-spinning all-alloy engine, dynamics sorted by F1 racer Mike Parkes, neat styling and decent ergonomics, undermined by unreliability and the burden of making it on a greenfield site at the government’s behest.

Under-powered and saddled with distinctly nautical handling, the pleasure of the 1958 3.0’s handsome design and superb interior were not realized until the arrival of the 3.5-litre Buick V8 version.

A highly developed front-wheel drive chassis enabled the Elan to cover ground at extraordinary pace, in comfort. Front-drive diminished the fun for some, but it was then Lotus’ best-developed car. Underrated. Later had a strange coda career badged as a Kia.

An extraordinary achievement from a near one-man band, the M12 astonished our testers with its performance and dynamics. A fine demonstration of the capabilities of Britain’s low-volume car industry.

Deserved to sell more than the 100 made, its fine blend of American V8, Giugiaro design, lightweight fibreglass bodywork and aircraft-inspired luxury cabin producing a rapid, agile and accomplished four-seater.

The only marque to make a virtue of selling outmoded products, the Morgan roadster is at its best as a V8, the pulse of eight beating cylinders compensation for its crest-leaping ways along bumpy roads.

Giovanni Michelotti’s handsome redesign of the TR3 certainly modernized its look, if not the separate chassis structure and relatively simple mechanicals. Fast though, and popular despite its vintage feel.

Created in the days when one man might be briefed to design an entire car from big-ends to bumpers, Gerald Palmer’s aerodynamic, flat-four Javelin was impressively advanced, if mechanically troubled.

BMW’s first, excellent, Rolls-Royce demonstrated that the marque is in safe hands. The car itself has temple-like presence, the quiet capability of a butler and a richly furnished interior to transport you to another world.

This is the car that brought real style and a slice of glamour to the compact SUV world, without in any way compromising its function as family wheels, long-distance journeyman or off-roader. Big sales of around  800,000 cars ensued.

Fantasy performance from a company car, the Lotus-engineered 377bhp, 177mph Carlton generated disapproving headlines and 60mph in 5.2sec. Not so stellar today, but enough to humiliate Ferraris then.

It started life as little more than a hardtop Elise of sharpened dynamic prowess, but over 21 years and three generations has developed a mighty flyweight, supercharged V6 character of its own. 

A little ordinary in its day, if regal, but the Shadow has aged well and carries within the quintessential British luxury car interior. A torquey V8 delivers assured power, even if cornering threatens a champagne spill.

This generation of Mini was never meant to be electrified but the climate, both literal and political, changed that. As quick as you’d expect, with darty handling to match, it loses little of a Mini’s character.

A high-performance, rear-drive version of the Triumph 1300, its ingenious single-cam 16-valve engine and overdrive gearbox delivering strong performance and the British Touring Car Championship for BL.

A kind of XXL Caterham, like all Allards the J2 was American V8-powered and light, its performance startling the post-war shoals of Austins, Morris’s and Fords. One of the less visually troubling Allards.

The essence of the affordable, minimalist, parts bin sports car, with charm and ability far beyond the promise of its budget mechanicals. Laughably slow even then, but brisker as it evolved into the MG Midget.

The most civilized, sophisticated RS2000 with its air-penetrating wedge of a plastic nose, quad lights, alloy wheels and classier cabin. Pinto engine’s 110bhp almost delivered 110mph, and loads of graceful drifting.

Turbocharging ignited the passage of this square-cut limo like a firework at a funeral cortege. There wasn’t much handling to accompany the thrust, but it turned less wayward with the Turbo R’s arrival in 1985.

The big hit of the 1963 Racing Car Show, this advanced coupe featured a monocoque marine ply chassis, a one-piece fibreglass shell, independent suspension and a Volvo engine with overdrive gearbox. It drove well, too.

The quintessential Morgan roadster has lived over 80 years, with only a brief pause. The 4/4 signified Malvern’s first four-wheeler, four cylinder. Many engines have occupied the 4/4’s evocative snout, their modernity a constant contrast to the vintage chassis.

Developed by Austin, taxi dealer Mann and Overton and Carbodies, the FX-4 was the London cab, build ending in 1997 with 75,000 built. Memorable for retro looks, black paint, that tight turning circle, a jolting ride, and severe sloth until Nissan turbo-diesel engines became available in 1989.

A fine first foray into the luxury SUV field, the DBX feels authentically Aston besides being among the very best of this breed to drive. Not quite as all-round capable as some rivals, but a beguiling choice nonetheless.

Ford turned its slightly odd family hatch into a bombastic Tarmac-torcher with the Cosworth, the punch of its turbocharged 16-valve 2.0 almost justifying the absurd scale of its rear wing.

Started life as a worthy fiberglass British coupe, but became a handsome trendsetter when Ogle Design made a sports estate of it. With V6 Ford power it went well, as Princess Anne can attest – she bought no less than eight of them over the years.

Jaguar’s successful attempt to break from its retro recent past, the XF was contemporary, elegant and well-proportioned.  Drove with real polish, its cabin lifted by revolving air-vents and levitation gear selector.

A mid-engine exo-skeleton on wheels the Nomad is clearly a relative of the Atom, but with an off-road mission that it fulfills brilliantly. Entertaining, surprisingly comfortable, unique, and addictive.

Runner up in our handling day in 2013 is astonishingly good to drive and apocalyptically fast. But its small size and immense power means it needs to be harnessed with care, especially in the wet.

Rover's last wholly in-house design was also one of its best, the high quality 75 notable for its stiff structure, ride, refinement, styling and luxury. A troubled launch undermined a promising car whose life ended in China.

If your model range consists solely of supercars then there must be an entry model and the pretty 570S is it, and a 5 star Autocar winner to boot. The lesser 540C doesn’t quite do it, the even prettier 570 GT a little soft.

The most graceful Rolls-Royce for decades, recalling the finer coachbuilt coupes of the mid-20th century. Its cockpit is as finely accoutred as you’d expect, but there’s as much joy to be had from the silken force of its power.

Reconfirms Land Rover’s position as makers of the world’s most classily elegant SUVs, the Velar’s fine proportions and cleanly surfaced panels an absolute exemplar. It’s good to drive and off-road in too.

Brilliant reprise of Morgan’s 1930s Supersports three-wheelers, featuring a 2.0 litre S&S V-twin engine and an MX-5 gearbox. Rapid, vibratory, breezy and huge fun, as long as all wheels remain earth-bound.

After years of building oddball V8 wedges TVR delivered a king-size surprise with the originally styled Griffith. A real eyeful flaunting several clever design innovations and brutishly effective Rover V8 power.

Aerodynamic, fastback styling, a grille reminiscent of the BMW from which it was derived, a straight six 2.0 engine and lightweight superleggera construction made for a sophisticated car that was also very well made.

A re-bodied 4WD Sierra Cosworth developed by Ford’s SVO department, with bodywork redesigned by Coventry’s MGA design. First 2500 compromised by homologation needs, the following 4500 a better drive.

This racily styled Bentley triggered a stampede of well-heeled buyers, Bentley virtually creating a market for itself. Quick with the W12 engine and all-wheel drive of VW’s Phaeton saloon, though early versions were about as exciting to drive.

An ultimate Aston imagined with top tech and high precision, high luxury components. So, a carbon tub, aero-industry bonded alloy panels, 750bhp’s worth of 7.4-litre V12, a £1.4m-plus-VAT price and a run of 77. 

It should have re-ignited Lotus, but the Evora never rode a sales curve of any consequence despite its superb dynamic package, ample performance and an interior finally furnished to near-competitive standards.

A huge achievement,  as much for business and technical terms as the car itself. A carbon tub, an unexpectedly fine ride and a twin turbo V8 of gruffly scintillating performance, but the whole failed to gel to beat its Ferrari contemporary.

The F-Type couldn’t be expected to reignite the excitement of the E-Type, but it has the looks and go for the task, if not quite the handling. The coupe is very handsome, but both versions have sold slowly. 

Named after the London to Mexico rally victory, power came from a 88bhp Kent Crossflow engine, with a reinforced shell and suspension it shared with the RS1600, this was the entertaining road-going version of a serial rally winner.

The car that BMW product development guru Wolfgang Reitzle was most excited to gain creative control of, and that showed in this beautifully conceived, highly sophisticated third-generation Range Rover, which Dr Reitzle was reunited with when he launched it under Ford's ownership.

Was the Sagaris peak TVR? It was a no less startling sight than its predecessors, it had the thrust to induce mild terror and the handling – just - to hold things together. More desirable than the endlessly delayed new TVR.

Sensational Giorgetto Giugiaro wedge made real using a steel backbone chassis, glassfibre body and Lotus’s twin cam four, later turbocharged. Superb handling and steering but fragile. Late life V8s disappointing.

Not as effortlessly beautiful as the DB9 it replaced, but better in almost every other way. Its superb handling, pliant ride and finely furnished interior compensate for the dull steering. One of the best luxury GTs.

A millennial Caterham with even less bodywork, the Atom was the brilliant conception of Coventry University student Niki Smart. Usually Honda-powered, the Atom is ferociously fast, handles brilliantly and provides entertainment in inverse proportion to its comforts.

A great concept, ruined by Rover’s Christmas cracker quality. An artfully elongated, V8-propelled Ferrari Daytona hatchback, its simple, well-developed suspension and fresh interior won it a Car of the Year award. Reputation-crushing unreliability gongs came later.

Until the Mazda MX-5 arrived, the most popular sports car of all time. Crisply handsome lines, decent performance and handling, plenty of space, robust mechanicals and a keen price kept the B alive for far longer than was decent. GT a pleasing sportshatch, too.

A handsome slice of elegant, handmade heft, launched as a six cylinder in 1967. The V8 saloon, as Aston perversely labelled this coupe, just about kept the company afloat during the ‘70s and early ‘80s.

It came several years after the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne, but the Sport was a king-size hit for JLR, rapidly becoming its best-seller and reputedly Ford's most profitable vehicle. Based on a cut-down Discovery with its separate chassis, but a decently sporting drive despite its heft.

The world’s first monocoque glassfibre car, the Coventry Climax powered Elite was fast, nimble, light and pretty. Fragile and noisy, but an amazing accomplishment for the era and so tiny a company.

Continuous improvement over a long life yielded ever greater sales, spectacularly so in its last four years. Nicknamed Bullnose after its rounded grille, the Oxford enabled Morris to become one of Britain’s dominant pre-war marques - and make Mr Morris a billionaire in today's money.

A very international project, the car that put crossovers on every street was mainly the work of Nissan’s London and Cranfield design and engineering hubs. Sunderland built the bulk of this clever, highly influential car.

Project Cardinal was attractively styled and entirely conventional, the key to its success right-sizing, right-pricing and legendarily tight cost control, the Cortina formula dominating UK car sales for the next 20 years. PICTURE: Mk1 facelift

An early 2.0 executive car and the first winner of the Car of the Year award. Highlights: a steel base unit hung with unstressed panels, advanced suspension, provision for a gas turbine, many safety features and a plushly modern interior.

A progeny of Goodwood and Munich, the Ghost blends everything a Rolls-Royce should be with an unexpected and hugely satisfying dynamic strand. Quite possibly the most enjoyable limousine (for drivers) yet conceived.

Difficult to reinvent, but BMW and Rover succeeded, turning the Mini into a premium hatch of great style and quality while retaining much of the original’s character. It debuted a much-copied options system too.

Bridged the DB7 era and the advent of the new VH platform that would be the mainstay of Astons for years. Handsome, rapid and surprisingly deft, if spoiled for some by its paddleshift transmission. Relatively rare.

Started life with a V12 and all-wheel drive, but emerged with rear-drive V6 power. The shapely, attention-getting design survived largely intact, however. Stunned with its 7.9sec 0-100mph time, until McLaren’s F1 bettered it.

The same front-drive, gears-in-the-sump, space-maximising idea as the Mini, but with interconnected fluid suspension and Pininfarina styling. The world’s best small family car in ‘62, and Britain’s best-seller for 10 years.

It costs almost £1.5m, its battery pack weighs almost as much as an early Elise, but demolishes a Chiron to 186mph. Soundscape apart, the Evija serves traditional Lotus sensations, aided by hydraulic PAS and servo brakes.

First in a long line of these Carrozzeria Touring designed, superleggera constructed coupes, the DB4 was aesthetically the purest of the DB4, 5 and 6 and apart from the Vantage GT, the lightest and most agile, too.

A bit like replacing a Bakelite telephone with a smartphone, the new Defender swaps exposed rivets and a cramped cockpit for a compellingly lux utility finish and hugely enhanced ability in every dimension. So good that it seems to be slowly throttling sales of its sister car, the Discovery.

A matching trio of stats – 800 metric bhp, 800kgs of downforce and 800Nm of torque  - more than hint at the Senna’s mission, but fail to convey its kidney-compacting cornering power, ferocious go or the effectiveness of its hybrid powertrain. And it’s beguilingly easy to drive.

The potential of Donald Healey’s handsome 1952 motor show car was spotted by BMC boss Leonard Lord, who immediately did a deal that saw it built by Austin and exported, in ever-growing numbers, to the US.

Reckoned to the world’s first sportscar, not so much for outright performance as its robust, all-round capability. Its engine liked to rev and it handled well for its day. Stopping was a challenge, but the Prince Henry won many races.

A descendent, via the 650S, of the original MP4 12C, the 720S was re-engineered to spectacular, 5 star road test award-winning effect. 0-60mph in 2.9sec and 100mph in 5.6sec are staggering enough, but the real joy is throttle-adjustable handling and its supple, bump-shrugging ride.

The grandest of grand tourers, the rakish Continental R was good for triple-digit cruising with almost no wind noise, and 20mpg from 4.9 litres. Its aerodynamically-tested aluminium body was by H.J. Mulliner.

Tiny Jensen managed to pioneer full-time four-wheel drive in combination with ABS anti-lock brakes aboard the handsome Interceptor, a technical achievement unmatched for more than a decade.

Transformed the handling of small family saloons while providing a fine blend of the essentials, performance apart. That improved with the A Series engine versions in 1952. The first British car to sell a million.

This car that prompted Autocar to name a Rolls-Royce “the best car in the world’, its reliability and near-silent running earning the car much admiration. Almost 8000 were made, many surviving to this day.

A car that fuses brilliance in so many areas, from its fulsomely communicative steering, to its chassis balance, elastic ride, throaty performance and surprising refinement. It’s pretty too, and so small now.

Heavier than the DB4, but more power, faired in headlights and a starring role in a certain film series makes the handsome DB5 one of Britain’s most famous cars and a fine set of wheels for James Bond.

Jaguar’s surprise early foray into the premium EV world is mighty impressive with its novel proportions and bespoke platform, despite making less impact than hoped for. Now the unexpected torch-bearer for Jag’s all-electric 2025 range.

Originally conceived as a limited edition, the Elise has led a stellar 25-year career as the choice for the keen driver prepared to sacrifice utility for the tactile and aural joy that is this exquisitely dynamic Lotus.

A road-going version of Jaguar’s triple Le Mans winner, complete with 250bhp dry sump engine. Civilised with windows, a hood, interior furnishings and bumpers, but shorn of the D-Type’s dramatic offset tailfin.

Britain’s Model T Ford, it succeeded because it was a scaled-down car, complete with four-cylinder engine, rather than a scaled-up motorbike. Long-lived with a huge variety of bodies, including some very stylish sports numbers. PICTURE: later model

WO Bentley did not approve of his cars being supercharged, but forced induction was the key to the first two of a quartet of consecutive Le Mans 24 Hour victories from 1927, first with a 3.0 litre, then a 4.5.

Another high-achieving Jaguar, the XJ was an exquisite blend of low-roofed three-box proportion, perfect stance, sporting character and extraordinary refinement. And all for a modest price.

McLaren aimed to make the best driver’s car in the world with the F1-succeeding P1, and got very close to this subjective goal. Blitzing the legendarily brief in-gear times of its F1 predecessor with a 903bhp hybrid drivetrain earned it another gold star.

A product of revenge, in this case Ford’s, on Enzo Ferrari for reneging on a plan to sell his company to the Blue Oval. The car itself, though, was largely developed in Britain and after early failures scored a Ferrari-trouncing 1-2-3 in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Originally a Lotus kit car, the Seven was all about simplicity and power to weight ratios. Decades of development have produced more speed, more grip and more exhilaration and more refinement too. Among the most joyously raw motoring available.

A mainstay for farmers, the emergency services, armies, utilities, royalty, intrepid post-war explorers and as the decades rolled by, a growing band of passionate enthusiasts. A reassuringly familiar part of Britain.

The world’s first hypercar, weight-pared to the max, powered by a magnificent 627bhp BMW V12 and seating three, the driver centrally. Broke 100mph in 6.3sec and 200mph in 28.0sec and handled too, but could snare the over-ambitious. Oh, and it also won Le Mans.

Not the first luxury off-roader, and initially not that luxurious either, but hugely able both off-road and on. Evolved at a painfully glacial pace, gradually gaining extra doors, a diesel option, upmarket features and an ever-widening fanbase - especially when it eventually reached the US in 1987.

The shape, the power, the sophistication, the glamour, the speed, the six cylinders, the clever independent rear suspension, the dramatic clamshell bonnet, the weirdly narrow track – all made the E-Type glorious, the more so because of its bargain price.

And the winner is... the Mini. Mini by name, but actually pretty maxi inside. It’s a full four-seater, and could genuinely be used as family transportation, obliterating the 50s' micro-car class at an instant; that was the real brilliance of the Issigonis design. The Mini wasn’t quite the first transverse engine, front-drive car, but it popularized a format that fundamentally altered the way most cars’ mechanicals were laid out. In the days when rear-drive cars were skittish in the wet and wandery in a cross-wind, the super-stable Mini shaped the future of Europe’s small cars. Icing on the cake? They are a hoot to drive.

Many firms can make a grand car from a large one. But to make the UK's greatest car also one of its smallest? That's its final triumph.