The greatest British cars ever made

Back in 2014 Autocar polled its readers to vote for their favourite British cars – these were the results

Autocar

4 January 2021

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Back in 2014, we polled our readers about what is the best British car.

Now revised for 2021, we take a close look. But just want constitutes a British car? In short order, we decided that British-owned firms – Bristol, Morgan, Austin – were a shoe-in. And so were firms that, like Bentley and Rolls-Royce, have always operated within these shores, but now have foreign owners.

That was the easy part, and one which in a very short but noisy discussion formed the lion’s share of the top 100 shortlist. We sought the very best and turned over a few surprises. The Megane Renaultsport 225 raised many eyebrows when it was included. It was the first complete car delivered by British engineering firm Ricardo, which developed the chassis, braking, steering, styling and engine upgrades.

And although it polled relatively few votes in the survey, it is perhaps the Megane that sums up the British car industry best: using the innovations of the world’s most talented engineers to make cars the very best they can be. We doubt you’ll agree with all the choices, but you can be sure they won’t be boring:
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100: Range Rover Evoque

An instant hit for Land Rover and hugely desirable. Nearly 800,000 were sold of the first generation, and a new model went on sale in 2019. And it’s already selling as well as the original.
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99: Ginetta G40R

Road-going variant of G40 racer got Leeds rocking again.
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98: Vauxhall Astra

One of the most enduring nameplates in UK car production. A new generation model should arrive by the end of 2021.
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97: Marcos TSO

The British firm’s best model but also, sadly, its swansong.
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96: Honda Civic

Practical, reliable, efficient and – built in the UK since 1994 - British through-and-through. But not for much longer; Honda's Swindon factory will close in 2021, a sad ending to Honda's interests in UK manufacturing that began with its much-needed cooperation with British Leyland in the late '70s.
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95: MG A

Prompted a significant leap forward in car styling.
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94: Vauxhall Chevette HSR

The ultimate evolution of an everyday hatchback.
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93: Triumph Dolomite Sprint

World’s first mass-produced multi-valve car.
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92: Honda Jazz

Lacks excitement, but owners love its reliability and practicality.
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91: Allard J2

Exploited a growing thirst for sports cars in America.
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90: Sunbeam Tiger

Inspired by Carroll Shelby, but assembled in Britain.
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89: Nissan Juke

Quirky B-segment crossover was a big seller in this country. A new generation model went on sale in 2020, also made in the UK.
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88: Invicta Black Prince

Britain’s first car with a fully automatic transmission.
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87: Noble M12

Track-ready road car was a serious TVR rival in the 2000s.
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86: Lotus Carlton

So fast, Vauxhall faced calls to ban it, or limit the top speed. Our John Howell certainly liked it (pictured).
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85: Caterham Seven 160

Slowest Caterham is better for having low grip and just enough power.
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84: Caparo T1

Few road cars are as uncompromising or as fast as this single-seater.
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83: Rolls-Royce 10 hp

The first car to carry the iconic Rolls-Royce badge.
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82: Triumph TR5 PI

The first ever fuel injected British production sports car.
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81: Radical RXC

Looks like a Le Mans refugee and goes like one too.
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80: Triumph 1300

Small luxury saloon that proved rewarding to drive.
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79: Daimler Dart

Used by the British police and a big seller in the USA.
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78: Morgan 4/4

Modern car maintains a tradition that stretches back to 1936.
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77: Renaultsport Mégane 225

No mistake – it was developed by UK-based engineers Ricardo.
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76: Noble M600

Built in Leicestershire, this is one of our favourite hypercars.
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75: Lotus Sunbeam

Built in Scotland, fettled in Norfolk, won rallies around the world.
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74: Morgan Plus 8

A stunning take on one of Morgan's most famous models.
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73: BAC Mono

Beautifully engineered single-seater, inspired by a fighter jet… and Björk.
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72: Gordon-Keeble

A tortoise on the badge, but Giugiaro styling, Bertone assembly and a 300bhp V8 ensured appeal.
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71: Austin Healey Sprite

The Frogeye was as successful on the race track as it was on the road and it evolved into the MG Midget.
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70: MGB GT

Clever packaging allowed plenty of luggage space, rakish looks and sporting prowess. Spawned an intriguing V8 version too (pictured).
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69: Bristol Fighter

Rarely seen Chrysler V10-powered machine from small and enigmatic car company.
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68: Ford Cortina 1600E

The hot hatch of the day was affordable, fast and at the time, arguably even more desirable than Lotus versions.
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67: Bowler EXR

One of the few cars as fast on the road as it is off it. Looks like a Range Rover Sport, uses its V8 engine, but little else.
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66: AC Ace

Without the beautiful Ace, there could be no Cobra, and the world would be a sadder place.
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65: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Rolls’ first monocoque design was a sales smash – more Shadows were sold than any other model.
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64: Austin FX4

It might be inefficient, but the styling and longevity of the FX4 means it is the definitive London motoring icon.
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63: Napier-Railton

John Cobb’s 186mph aero-engined car broke 47 speed records in the 1930s and holds the lap record at Brooklands.
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62: Caterham Supersport

Fast but still affordable, the Supersport is one of Caterham’s most appealing packages.
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61: Triumph 2000

A modern monocoque-based saloon with independent suspension all round and, later, fuel injection.
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60: Jaguar F-Type

The Big Cat returns to its sports car heartland in stunning fashion. A revised F-Type recently went on sale.
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59: Morgan 3 Wheeler

Crazy reimagining of the 3 Wheeler from the 1910s is available with RAF roundels, and bullet hole decals.
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58: Reliant Scimitar

Popular sportscar sold for 22 years in coupé and convertible form, but it is the GTE shooting brake that most remember.
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57: TVR Sagaris

Like the Marcos TSO, the Sagaris was TVR’s final car and possibly its best. Certainly its most outrageously styled. We'll hopefully see a new TVR in production in 2021.
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56: Ford Escort RS2000

With its nose cone, the RS2000 looked like no other Escort Mk2. A 110bhp 2.0-litre engine ensured impressive pace.
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55: Bentley Continental GT

It’s a four-wheel-drive GT coupé and convertible that is at its most blistering in 6.0-litre W12 form, but one that’s at its most impressive – in every conceivable way – with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 under the bonnet.

It’s easy to see why the Continental GT is so popular. In its opulence, it’s a clear leap beyond cheaper offerings from, say, Jaguar, Porsche or Mercedes. At its price level, it’s far more cosseting than, for example, a Ferrari or an Aston Martin. It occupies – and, indeed, dominates – a valuable niche. An all-new version went on sale in 2018.
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54: Ford Capri RS3100

Just a handful were built for a successful racing career, and it remains the most sought-after of all Capris.
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53: DeLorean DMC-12

The politics, the drug trafficking charges, Back to the Future... the story of the DMC-12 is the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters.
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52: Aston Martin V8

Aston’s bruising muscle car remained on sale for an astonishing 20 years.
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51: Ascari KZ1

The KZ1 is built in Banbury, and there are just 50 in existence. Power came from a BMW M5 V8 turned up to 500bhp, but with a carbonfibre skin and tub, the whole thing weighed just 1275kg. So it got along quite nicely, although the car was capable of taking much more power than it was allowed.

“The Ascari KZ1 is one of the finest-handling supercars of this or any generation,” we said when we first drove it. “No Ferrari made today steers as well as this, and no Porsche can match its superlative blend of ride and refinement.”
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50: Subaru Impreza WRX

Built by Prodrive in Banbury, few competition cars of the modern era are as iconic. Made legends of McRae, Burns, Solberg.
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49: Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

Runner up in our handling day in 2013 is astonishingly good to drive and apocalyptically fast.
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48: Hillman Avenger Tiger

Hillman’s rival to the Escort Mexico was impressive, and on a drag strip could outpace the Ford.
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47: Triumph Stag

Michelotti-styled Stag remains hugely popular despite a reputation for poor reliability.
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46: Hillman Imp

A total of 440,000 rear engined Imps were sold and it became a badge engineering hero with Singer, Commer and Sunbeam versions.
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45: Lister Storm

Featured the largest V12 in a car since WW2 and was conceived primarily as a race car. Just three road cars remain today.
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44: Rover P5B

Said to be the Queen’s favourite car, the Rover P5 was transformed by the installation of a newly acquired all-aluminium 144bhp 3.5-litre ex-Buick V8 to create the P5B, extending not only the model’s performance but also its life.

Perfectly proportioned and delicately detailed to provide subtle authority, the P5 looked expensive without shouting it and was in no way a machine of the nouveau riche like the cheaper Mk2 Jaguar.
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43: Lotus Evora

On a (relatively) tiny budget, Lotus has built one of the most beautifully-balanced and comfortable sports cars currently available.
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42: Rover P6 3500S

The innovative P6 was the first ever European Car of the Year. The manual 3.5-litre V8 3500S was the most beguiling in the range.
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41: Nissan Qashqai

A true UK success story. Designed, engineered and built entirely in this country thanks to Nissan’s design and engineering presence.
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40: Ariel Atom

Tiny firm producing one of the few road cars that can rival a motorcycle for performance and exposure to the elements.
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39: Vauxhall Prince Henry

Genuine Rolls-Royce rival is considered by some to be the first sports car.
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38: Aston Martin One-77

Big-budget, super rare hypercar. Few will see one in the metal. Even fewer will drive one. A masterpiece.
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37: Rover 75

The best car Rover ever made, according to many. Sadly it was also the firm’s last.
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36: Jaguar XJ

Ian Callum reinvented the XJ for the 21st century with huge success, but it’s even better to drive than it is to look at. The XJ will be relaunched in all-electric form in 2021.
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35: Austin Seven

A total of 290,000 Sevens were built and for a while it was the dominant force in British car production.
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34: Bristol Blenheim

Anachronistic Type 603 doesn’t care for modern trends. Leather, refinement and a big V8 is all you need.
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33: Lotus Cortina

Built to succeed on the race track and excite on the road. Few ‘normal’ cars were faster at the time.
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32: Austin Healey 3000

The best-known Healey’s beauty belied its potent ability on the world’s rally stages.
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31: Aston Martin Vanquish

Achingly beautiful and dynamically beguiling grand tourer. Worth every penny of its hefty asking price.
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30: Lotus 7

No car, arguably, has had such an impact on the lightweight sports car market.
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29: Land Rover

Pondering a replacement for his Willys Jeep, Rover’s Maurice Wilks first sketched the car’s now-iconic silhouette in the Anglesey sand in 1947. Meanwhile, Rover needed a versatile new post-war product that was cheap to build and run. Wilks’s answer used the 1595cc petrol engine and gearbox from existing Rovers to drive all four wheels.

In 1948 we reported, “The Land Rover is likely to increase the name of quality British goods all over the world.” How right we were; 74 per cent of the first 250,000 were exported, and nearly 50 plants sprung up globally to assemble them from kits. The rest as they say is history, and today Land Rover sells over 400,000 cars per year.
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28: Jensen Healey

Despite a Lotus twin-cam engine, the oil crisis was the death knell for the Healey, and for its maker.
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27: Lotus Esprit

Giugiaro masterpiece sold for 28 years, and was another model made famous by James Bond.
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26: MG Midget

Low cost roadster brought huge excitement to the 226,000 who bought one around the world.
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25: McLaren 12C

One of the most advanced, comfortable and efficient supercars of all time. Capable of competing with the very best.
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24: Morris Minor

Alec Issigonis’ creation sold more than 1.3m in 23 years of production.
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23: Lotus Elan

The Elan was not only the best Lotus of its day (it was built from 1962 to 1973), but also, arguably, the best sports car. Rivals felt lardy next to the sub-800kg Lotus, which was technologically light years ahead thanks to race-bred kit such as a backbone chassis, DOHC engine, independent coilover suspension, all-disc brakes and GRP bodywork.

Colin Chapman supplied the technical and commercial cunning needed to make a success of the Elan, which sold over 12,000 examples excluding the longer, heavier Plus 2.
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22: TVR Speed 12

One-off road car developed 960bhp. TVR boss Peter Wheeler deemed it too much for a road car and the project was shelved.
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21: Rover SD1

Beneath the Ferrari-inspired styling was a comfortable exec. Image was helped by touring car wins and hot Vitesse models. Beloved by the police for its sure-footed handling, build quality was not great and it's rare to spot survivors today.
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20: TVR Chimera

Based on the Griffith, but slightly softer and more suited to long distance touring. Was a sales success for TVR in the 1990s.
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19: Mini

Resurrecting a British model under German ownership was always going to be tough. Styling, handling and quality shine through.
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18: Bentley Blower

Bentley Boy Tim Birkin took a 4.5-litre Bentley and bolted on a supercharger. The Blower was born.
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17: Jaguar XF

The first modern era Jaguar that could genuinely compete with the class best.
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16: Ford GT40

In the early 1960s, Ford had agreed to buy Ferrari, but Ferrari pulled out. Ford planned revenge, established Ford Advanced Vehicles and gave the world the GT40 with a chassis built in Coventry and a body built in Farnham. After fixing teething problems, Ford demolished all-comers at the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours with a one-two-three finish. The 2019 movie Le Mans '66 dramatises the events.
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15: Rolls-Royce Phantom

Few cars have ever been this opulent and refined. It saw off the Maybach and now exists in a rarefied class of one. A new-generation model arrived in 2018.
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14: Lotus Elise

Biggest-selling Lotus ever was the perfect embodiment of Chapman’s ‘add lightness’ philosophy. Remains a handing benchmark.
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13: Jaguar D-Type

D-Types took five of the top six places at the 1957 Le Mans 24 Hours.
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12: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Built for the racetrack, loved by performance car enthusiasts, a proper 1980s automotive icon.
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11: Jensen FF

The FF, not the Interceptor, was the first ever road car to use four-wheel drive.
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10: Ford Escort Mexico

Built to commemorate the Blue Oval’s 1970 win in the London to Mexico Rally, it is one of the most sought-after Fords today.
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9: TVR Griffith

Look past the Griff’s reputation for unreliability and you’ll find a properly fast car with a stunning cabin.
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8: Aston Martin DB5

There are faster Aston Martins, there are ones that are better to drive and, you might argue, ones that are more beautiful, too. But none is more famous.

But its fame shouldn’t overshadow the fact that it steers, goes and cossets superbly. In the James Bond film, Skyfall, a DB5 is driven from a lock-up in north London to the wilds of Scotland in one hit. The truth is that few cars – of any era – would be better suited to perform such a task.
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7: Jaguar XJ220

Was the world’s fastest car and motorsport success followed.
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6: McLaren P1

Proof that hybrid tech can be cool and very effective for a performance car, Woking’s hypercar is a technological tour-de-force.
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5: MOTIV.e

Conceptual city car, a partnership between Yamaha and Gordon Murray, is underpinned by the latter’s forward-thinking iStream production process.
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4: Range Rover

Conceptually, so far ahead of its time that it appears not even its designers realised it. It provided a template from which the company has to this day felt no need to deviate. We're not just talking about a high driving position, an ability to tow a house or scamper across a ploughed field. It’s more about an attitude, an imperious approach to any terrain you point it at, the confidence in its stride that lets you know it’ll get on and do all the work while you sit in your big chair and command the action.

It is the perfect manservant, capable of sorting out problems that would bring lesser vehicles to their knees, and all without putting a single hair of its own out of place, let alone any of yours.
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3: Jaguar E-Type

A car that was at least as fast as an Aston Martin DB4 or Ferrari 250GT – then the quickest cars in the world – but which cost half the price of the former and one third the price of the latter. And it was more striking than both.
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2: McLaren F1

The world’s first hypercar, with a three-seat cockpit and a 6.1-litre V12 engine nestling in its tail, waiting to unleash hell upon anything or anyone that dared come near it: The world of motoring stopped what it was doing for a moment and just stared, open mouthed, stunned by what it had been presented with.

It was, and to some still is, the ultimate sports car. And part of the reason why was that it was designed and built by McLaren virtually without compromise.
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1: Mini

And the winner is... the Mini. Mini by name, but actually pretty maxi inside. It’s a full four-seater, and your writer has been four-up plus guitars and amplifiers in mine when it had to double as a Transit van. The Mini could genuinely be used as family transportation; that was the real brilliance of the Issigonis design.
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1: Mini - continued

Mini, and that’s the appeal. No wonder the car has spawned so many cottage industry suppliers, tuners and tweakers. It's just so charismatic; I mean, which other small car could sustain a film, or at least a half-hour chase in a major European city?
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1: Mini - continued

Anyone who was anyone had one, be they a Goon (Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan), Beatle (all of them), supermodel (Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton), film star (Steve McQueen) or just your mum and dad. The Mini was at once classy and classless.
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1: Mini - continued

Probably the bestest thing about Minis is that they are a hoot to drive. You knew that already, of course, but just in case you wondered, they are a particle accelerator on four wheels. That means they feel twice as fast as they actually are; 30mph really does feel like 60mph, and 60mph is pretty much take-off.
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1: Mini - continued

Forget all about your Morgans, Bentleys and Bristols; the most British car ever is definitely the original Mini. That’s because it was the people’s car. Affordable, innovative and part of the automotive furniture of our great island. And that’s why the Mini is Britain’s favourite car. And mine.

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