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“The most beautiful car in the world” proclaimed the great Enzo Ferrari. Compliments from “the old man” were few and far between, but almost non-existent when pushed in the direction of competitors. Gracious, proud and drop dead gorgeous the Jaguar E-Type is not just a very pretty car, it is a British icon.
1961 saw its introduction to the world as a car built on Jaguars success in motorsport. The Jaguar E-Type was in fact the worlds fastest road car when new and promised stunning performance to match those good looks. Powered by a 3.8 litre six-cylinder engine, 0-60MPH was achievable in only 7.1 seconds and the car could go onto a top speed of 150MPH. Both coupe and convertible variations proved popular and with the introduction of a 4.2 litre engine in 1964, that offered more torque, the E-Type was well and truly at the top of its game. A more practical 2+2 Coupe was added to the range in 1966. Back then new a Series 1 model cost £2,097 but today these cars are worth up to and over £100,000.
1968 ushered in the Series 2, a machine that improved upon some areas such as cooling over its predecessor and also was fit for US consumption. The symbolic headlights were now open and the ovular air intake had grown wider. Though only on sale for three years, the Series two still clocked up 18,809 sales.
The Series 3 was to be the last example of the Jaguar E-Type. A brand new engine in the shape of a V12 was offered with a displacement of 5.3 litres. The wheelbase for this car was much longer than the Series 1 and 2 with the car only being offered as a 2+2 coupe or convertible. The last Series 3 Jaguar E-Type rolled off the production line in 1974, 13 years after the very first.
Its long production life is a testament to the cars popularity and today collectors fall over each other to get their hands on an early example. A true British sports car through and through, the Jaguar E-Type more than deserves its place on this list.
Many badges are synonymous with motoring excellence. Instantly recognisable brands, such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari have over the years quite rightly become regarded as the benchmarks in their field. However, there is one car which transcends all marques and manufactures, a car whose very own mythical aura and legacy surpasses even the most distinguished and renowned global motoring powerhouses.
In fact, the tale of one of the greatest enduring success stories in motoring history begins some 55 years ago. It is a saga which takes us from the drawing board of a Greek designer in a Birmingham factory, via the frozen mountain tracks of Monte Carlo and the sewers below Turin, all the way to millions of bedroom walls worldwide. Some cars are technical innovations, some are racing legends. Some sell in their millions, whilst others have become pop culture icons. Very few, however, can boast all of the above and still be picked up at auction for half the price of a Dacia Sandero. Except one.
The Mini is quite simply legendary. Arguably no other car is so universally recognised and loved across the world. But, if it weren’t for events in Egypt in the 1950’s, it may never have even existed. Britain in 1956 was not a happy place to be a motorist. The Suez Crisis had led to crippling fuel shortages across the realm, leaving drivers with empty tanks and manufacturers with empty coffers. Against this grim backdrop, the bigwigs at BMC decided to take matters in to their own hands, tasking a little known Greek-British designer by the name of Alec Issigonis to come up with a small and affordable family car that would appeal to the masses. In August 1959, after three years of design and testing, the finished article finally rolled off the production line. Named the Austin Seven or Morris Mini-Minor, this was the first time the world caught a glimpse of Issigonis’ brainchild. Sales quickly took off and by the 1960’s the Mini was well on the way to establishing itself as a modern great.
But what was it about this humble little city run-around that really caught the public imagination? How did it enjoy four decades of unrivalled success in Britain and across the world? What exactly was the genius in Issigonis’ design that elevated the Mini to the status of national icon, alongside the likes of Churchill and the Beatles?
Firstly, from a purely technical point of view, the Mini was undoubtedly revolutionary. Its perceived simplicity in fact masked the real ingenuity behind Issigonis’ many innovations, brainwaves still lauded and admired by the techno-wizard digital designers of today. The whole philosophy behind the Mini project was essentially focused on saving space and weight at every possible opportunity. Most significantly, the car featured a ground-breaking front wheel drive transverse engine design, with the crankshaft positioned perpendicular to the length of the car, a layout mirrored by almost all small front wheel drive cars to this day. Replacing the traditional springs, Issigonis elected to use a novel rubber cone-style suspension, again devised to maximise cabin room, but it was this masterstroke that provided the Mini with one of its most famed facets; the razor sharp, ridiculously fun go-cart-like handling. Petrol-heads around the world would agree that there are few greater pleasures to be had on four wheels than slinging a Mini around a track to your heart’s content.
It was precisely this that attracted motor racing mogul John Cooper to come on board with the Mini team in 1961. Seeing the potential to develop the car in to a slick and sharp racer, he immediately set about squeezing maximum performance out of the pint-sized package. The most potent of his creations, the Mini Cooper S, featured a tuned 1.3 litre petrol engine, and this perfect storm of power and dexterity paved the way for Mini’s finest hour in motor racing.
The infamous Monte Carlo Rally has a reputation for being one of the toughest and most unforgiving racing events around. At the start of the 1960’s, this was very much the domain of the big powerful playground bullies, cars such as the Saab 96 and the Mercedes-Benz 220SE which ploughed their way to victory though the snow drifts. Then along came the Mini Cooper S, and in the space of four years between 1964 and 1967, the rallying rulebook had been well and truly torn asunder. With its featherweight body and unrivalled agility, the Mini proved perfectly suited to the demands of rallying. In the hands of maverick drivers Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen, the plucky Brits swept their way to four back-to-back victories, making the established elite look like wallowing, ungainly rhinoceroses floundering on the ice. These were the golden years of Mini in motorsport and went a long way to generating the famous underdog spirit which has defined the Mini story for decades.
However, the true influence of a car like the Mini can’t be judged simply on horsepower, pistons and trophies alone. The true greats have become embedded in national culture, symbols of their country’s very identity; take the Ford Mustang or the Citroën 2CV for example. Perhaps more so than any other car in existence, the Mini has scaled these heights. It is 1960’s Britain. In the decade of rebellion, free-love and liberation, the Mini was the ultimate status symbol. From Steve McQueen to Paul McCartney, George Best to Britt Ekland and even Enzo Ferrari himself, the car became as iconic as its superstar owners. Or should that be the other way round? Of course, cinema played its part too. For many, the Mini will always be immortalised by the 1969 film the Italian job. The image of three cars, each adorned in the red white and blue of the Union Flag, hurtling through the streets, arcades and sewers of Turin after pulling off the heist to end all heists, has to be one of the all-time most evocative symbols of British pop culture. It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies in motoring history that by the end of the decade, a car that started out as no more than a cut-price family run-around, had ascended to a status that would rival even the most legendary Ferrari or Aston Martin in existence.
On 4 October 2000, the final original Mini rolled off the production line at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham, the very same place where the journey had begun 41 years earlier. By that time, with the last remnants of the British car-manufacturing empire crumbling around it, the Mini marque had already fallen into German hands. However, what really mattered, the legacy, had long since been established. It is a legacy that is to some extent upheld today with the continued popularity of its successor, the new MINI, proving that the badge is as desirable in 2013 as it was five decades ago. In all, over 5.3 million examples of the classic Mini were sold across the globe, making it officially the bestselling British car of all time. In fact in 1999, it was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century behind the Ford Model T.
Here at Inside Lane, we concur. The sheer number and variety of accolades that the Mini has gained throughout its long and distinguished life is truly astonishing. It is something very special indeed, the likes of which may never be seen again. Issigonis set out to make a car; he created a legend. Indisputably, it is one of the greatest of all time.
Sometimes you only need to look at a car to see that it exudes greatness. The Aston Martin DB5 is one such machine with its commanding stance and unique British charm. This car in a recent global survey ranked in the top ten when people were asked what represents Great Britain. Handsome, regal and set to become a global star, did you ever doubt that this legend would make it onto the list?
1963 is a great vintage in the history of the motor car and it is where the DB5 began its life. An evolution of the DB4, this new model was now powered by a 282BHP 4.0 litre engine. Officially the car would crack 143MPH and do 0-60MPH in 8 seconds. The DB, or David Brown, range of Astons was regarded highly for their sporting nature reinforced by Le Mans victories.
The DB5 would make its big screen debut in the James Bond classic Goldfinger of 1964. This glorious car teaming with gadgets accompanied super spy James Bond on his mission that would see him take on the infamous Gold smuggler Auric Goldfinger. Aston Martin and Bond went together like strawberries and cream with the relationship still seen today. The latest 007 epic went back to its roots staring the DB5 as Bonds noble steed once again.
A Vantage variation of the Aston Martin DB5 saw release in 1964 featuring Webers that enabled greater performance when the car was pushed hard. The new output from the engine was 315BHP but only 65 DB5 Vantages were ever produced. 165 DB5 convertibles were sold, though the low number could be attributed to customers wanting “the car that Bond drives.” An interesting footnote in the DB5 story is the appearance of a prototype shooting brake model that was developed specifically for David Brown himself.
Aston Martin is celebrating their centenary this year and thought they have produced many fantastic cars throughout their history, the DB5 still remains the most famous.
Ferrari is the most recognised brand in the entirety of Earth. The black prancing horse is not only a symbol of performance cars, but Italy itself. Ferrari exists for motorsport. End. The road cars may be awe-inspiring but their existence has always been a means to an end funding the Formula One team. Enzo Ferrari himself openly said on many occasions that you would be stupid to buy one of his cars as they simply bankrolled his addiction to racing. By the 80’s Mr Ferrari was becoming ever more aware of his own mortality and knew that his time was running short. With other brands such as Porsche surpassing the performance of Italian stallions on the road, he wanted to make a statement before he died. This statement would become the Ferrari F40.
Debuting in 1987, the Ferrari F40 was the last car ever sanctioned by the legendary Enzo Ferrari. The company put to use the racing technology of what was known as the 288 GTO Competizione. The 288 was built to compete in the FIA Group B but before its development ended, the series was disbanded. Ferrari’s F40 was constructed mainly of carbon fibre, a material that had only found its way into Formula One a few years prior. Power came from a 2.9 litre twin turbocharged V8 that produced 471BHP. The result of all this racing technology being forged into a road car was enough to blow the minds of children and adults alike. The Ferrari F40 was the first road production car to exceed 200MPH, very much putting Porsche’s 959 back in its place.
The cockpit was cramped, there were no luxuries what so ever, and with that monstrous V8 just inches from your head the heat becomes apparent very quickly. But that is the point… This car is the very spirit of Ferrari. It doesn’t care for proper air conditioning or carpets, it is a race-bred machine that’s only focus is being the ultimate in performance. The Italians built 1,315 examples of the F40 and since then they have never built a road car more pure. Today it is all about the electronics and flappy-paddle gearboxes, the F40 on the other hand, took no prisoners. You had to work to get the most out of that beast, and if you weren’t sweating blood after an exuberant drive, you were not using it to its full potential.
I have been lucky enough to experience an F40 for myself, and let me tell you, it is every inch the legend that you would expect it to be. It is a machine that has no time for posers or the faint hearted. It is intimidating, it is raw and it is also simply the best car Ferrari has ever made. A real credit to the man who built the company.
Every now and then there comes a milestone in the the history of engineering. The first lightbulb, the microprocessor, the combustion engine, Concorde. These are all things we can marvel at and admire for their technical excellence, but one machine that is missing from that list is the Bugatti Veyron, a car that took the laws of physics and threw them out of the window.
In 1909 Ettore Bugatti set out to build some of the worlds most exclusive cars for the wealthy that could afford them. Italian born Ettore set up shop in France building his first road car in 1910. Named the Type 13, it proved not only popular with customers but also saw success in motorsport. Many more powerful and prestigious models followed as well as victories at the worlds most famous endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hour. Ettore’s son, Jean, took over the company in later years however his death and the following war saw Bugatti sold in the 1950’s. 1987 brought a revival of the Bugatti name as it was acquired by Romano Artioli. The Bugatti EB110 came into being in 1989 and became the worlds fastest road production car in 1991. Due to a following recession the company again failed producing just 139 examples of the EB110.VW bought the rights to the name in 1998 and showed a range of luxury saloon concepts featuring the worlds first W16 engines for the road. However it was at the 1999 Frankfurt motor show where the first production concept of what we today call the Veyron was shown. Named the 18/3 Chiron. It was to become the brands future.
The mandate was clear after the reaction of the concept car that claimed so much. Build the worlds most powerful, fastest and desired road car. This task was given to Hartmut Warkuss (Chief Designer) under the guidance of Wolfgang Schreiber. Produced under the official title of Bugatti Automobiles SAS in Château St. Jean France, the yet to be named project was not designed to be beautiful but functional. Delivering biblical speeds had been done time and again but coupling that with unrivaled luxury was to be a huge challenge. With this much power how do you craft refinement? Testing began of the 8.0 litre W16 quad-turbocharged monster producing results that even surprised the engineers that built it. Traveling at speed in excess of 250MPH required some of the most focused technologies the world had to offer as the car must adapt to its rapidly increasing speed. Signed off in 2003 this incredible machine now had a name. The Bugatti Veyron.
They had done it. The laws of physics had been challenged and banished. This 253MPH mechanical miracle was the trophy for the engineers responsible. The Bugatti Veyron became the worlds fastest road production car but better yet, a genuinely comfortable experience and not just two seats with a rocket attached to the back. Critics have said time and again that this extraordinary machine is as tranquil at 30MPH as it is 230MPH. Collecting multiple awards the Bugatti very quickly became THE car to own. However its £839,000 price-tag reserved it strictly for the worlds most wealthy. VW built this car to show what can be achieved with pure engineering and so make no profit at all on all 350 cars. In fact the car costs £4,000,000 more to build than what it is sold for.
Over the years the Veyron’s record has been challenged and so Bugatti needed to produce something that would silence the claims of others. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport became the world’s fastest production car. At VW’s secure test facility. This 1,200BHP goliath set a biblical speed of 267.81MPH! The new car has 1,106 pound-feet of torque as well as a modified aerodynamic profile. All production models are limited to 257.9MPH, as if the car was set free the tyres would only last 7 minutes.
It is a machine that changed the fortunes of a company. It is a symbol of mans true engineering potential. It is today one of the most globally recognizable cars on the planet. The Bugatti Veyron is many things to many people but what it is in isolation is an achievement.
When the Japanese put their minds to something, they don’t just do it well, they do it with near perfect execution. When engineers at Honda were tasked with building a supercar they relished the challenge and produced a machine that truly deserves a place in our “Greatest Cars of All-Time” list. The result of a lot of hard work, intelligent design and basing R&D right next to the famous Suzuka race track was the NSX.
First introduced in 1990, the supercar with a fighter jet inspired field of vision was not only quick, but preserved Honda’s reputation of building bullet proof cars. Powered by a 3.0 litre VTEC V6 engine, this car was the first in the world to feature an all-aluminium monocoque. Helping develop the chassis of the NSX was none other than three times Formula One World Champion and racing legend Ayrton Senna. Producing 270BHP and getting from 0-60MPH in just 5 seconds, this car had the big supercar players worried. In fact in 1991 Motor Trend proclaimed “Ferrari, Porsche and Jaguar had been put on notice.”
The Honda NSX was not only faster than its rivals, cheaper than its rivals, more reliable than its rivals, but also drove better than its rivals. It has often been commented just how supremely balanced this mid-engined marvel is. Everything from how nimble it was on track to the extremely satisfying manual shift, the NSX delivered in bucket loads.
In 1992 the Honda NSX Type-R was introduced to the world. This machine was a more track focused version of the already astonishing standard model. The car was put on an extreme diet with it losing everything from air-conditioning to its electric seats. Total weight saving came to 120KG making the NSX-R just 1,230KG in total. The suspension was also reworked for even more responsive handling. It final drive of the engine was tinkered with resulting in a sub 5 second 0-60MPH time.
In 1995, a full 15 years after its introduction, the Honda NSX came to an end. Leaving a very big mark on the pages of supercar history, it has been sorely missed… At last, 2015 sees a successor.
Charles Darwin is most famous for his scientific work on evolution. In his book “On the Origin of Species” he states “I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.” Many engineering solutions look to nature for inspiration and there is one car in particular that exemplifies the notion of evolution and natural selection. The Porsche 911.
The 911 to many is the ultimate car. Its cult followers will tell you of how they use theirs every day thanks to its practicality, for a sports car, and its sheer enjoyment to drive. Critics have often exclaimed how one 911 to the next has hardly changed, and yes to some degree they are right, but this is evolution. Look through the cars history and you can literally see 50 years of engineers selecting and improving every aspect of the machine to the point where today the car is very near faultless.
Making its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt motor show the Porsche 901 was unveiled to the world with its controversial rear engine layout. Powered by a flat-six it had the worlds media a buzz. When production started in 1964 Peugeot protested the 901 name as although the Porsche sports car got that name from its internal project number, Peugeot held exclusive rights in France to model names with three numbers with a zero in the middle. Porsche quickly changed the name to 911 with only 82 cars being built as 901.
Throughout its generations that followed its sloping shape became more defined and the car even better engineered. The balance and poise of the 911 became a particular characteristic thanks to the weight of the engine in the rear. It had cemented itself as “a true drivers car” and one that enthusiasts loved. Moves from air cooled to water cooled engines made them even more reliable and with further refinements it soon got the reputation of being one of the most bullet proof sports cars on the market.
With new models badged as Turbo, Carrera, RS and the much sort after Targa the 911 was a huge success in the showroom. Porsche’s desire to compete in motorsport has never been quenched as throughout its history the company has competed in everything from rally to Le Mans. The Porsche 911 is in fact the worlds most successful racing car of all-time.
Something the 911 has never lost is that real connection between man and machine. They are communicative when driven hard and provide such an excellent platform for drivers of all talents to learn how to extract the maximum performance. The howl of that unique engine, the quick change of direction and a precision that is found in very few cars all make up the key elements as to why this car is so good.
In modern-day there are more variants of the 911 than there are flavours of ice cream. You can have convertibles, all-wheel-drive, Turbo, GT, you name it. Over the past 50 years the 911 has evolved nut by nut, bolt by bolt. It is this, almost tedious, natural selection over five decades that makes this car what it is today.
It was at the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show that BMW stepped into the ring with it’s impeccable BMW 2002 Turbo. This was the first production car to be fitted with a turbocharger and produced a fairly impressive 170bhp. Little did we know that this was the beginning of a new era of German performance coupes and saloons that would bear the blue and white logo we’ve all so fondly grown to revere. After the 2002 came the E21 3-series to keep the brand fresh and sticking to their passion for making driver oriented cars. In 1981 they introduced a fresher 3-series, the E30. Along with the E30, BMW brought out a motorsport focused version of the basic model called the M3 equipped with a high-revving 4-cylinder 2.5L engine generating 235bhp. A few years later brought along the E36, a car that truly defined motoring in the 1990s. The inline-4 engine had 2 more cylinders strapped on and the power at it’s final upgrade in 1995 was hiked to 316bhp.
It was in 2001 that we first saw the true madness of BMW’s M-division come to light with the introduction of the utterly ground-breaking E46 M3. The smooth and timeless lines combined with an aggressive stance on the road ensured that this was the sort of machine that you can’t keep your eyes off. A growling 3.2L inline-6 generating 338bhp that hit 62mph in a shade over 5 seconds and would keep going until it hit 192mph, that is if you were brave enough to take the limiter off. Available with a choice of a 6-speed manual or a silky smooth Getrag Drivelogic SMGII 6-speed semi automatic gearbox, this was a true drivers car. Available as a coupe or convertible and in an array of stylish and eye-catching colours this was a car to be seen in as much as any Ferrari or Porsche of the time.
But is it really one of the best cars ever made? The competition between these German coupes and saloons was fierce with Audi pulling out all the stops on it’s excellent RS4 and Mercedes doing much the same in the lair of AMG. Some complained that this E46 was too tame compared to the E36 and E30. While other manufacturers were looking towards economy with the use of turbochargers and superchargers bolted onto smaller displacement engines, BMW still relied on gas guzzling naturally aspirated lumps. Well our question was answered in 2004 with the addition of three letters ‘CSL’ standing for Coupé Sport Leichtbau and while only generating 17bhp more than the standard model, this limited series run of 1,400 cars is still regarded as one of the best production cars of all time. The CSL stripped everything that was deemed frivolous in the basic M3 (Sat nav, electric seats, etc) and dropped the total curb weight by 110kg. The whole aesthetic was flipped on its head as BMW looked towards it’s F1 team for aerodynamic inspiration. Unique CSL body pieces were crafted from carbon fibre and glass reinforced plastics were used where possible. Even the standard rear window was replaced by one with even thinner glass to remove weight. It wasn’t just about reducing the basic weight though; by making the roof out of carbon fibre they achieved a 7kg weight loss but also managed to lower the centre of gravity of the whole car and reduce the flex in the body.
Sufficed to say, all this work with aerodynamics, engine modifications and weight reduction, as well as a total overhaul of the suspension system, created a beast both on the road and the track. But it was also a thing of beauty, BMW had managed to take an originally stunning car and make it an art-piece. These days we see a lot of manufacturers make cars go faster by removing everything possible, such to the point where the car stops being a car at all. It becomes a toy, used only when the owner can be bothered to take it to a track. What was achieved by BMW was exactly what they had hoped to achieve with the introduction of the 3-series almost 3 decades before when the E21 was released A car that’s oriented for the driver. The M3, and the M3 CSL bridged the gap between track-monster and commuter. It’s no surprise that the CSL is a rare sight these days, you’d find it difficult to get change out of £20,000 for even a high mileage and lower spec CS, while the CSL will fetch anywhere up to the price of a brand new M3 in today’s market. The M3 CSL began something of a revolution and certainly had a part to play in the design of German performance cars from then on.
In 1964 an American icon was born, a machine that would become synonymous with the USA. Stars and stripes, syrup and bacon, route 66 and the Ford Mustang! This pony car is an icon of performance that every blue collared working man can afford. It is literally the American dream on wheels…
Its introduction part way through 1964 started a craze that saw the Mustang become the companies most successful model since the Ford Model A. Sales forecasts from within the blue oval predicted around 100,000 units to be sold in the first year, however, this number was blown out of the water within three months and just 18 short months since its introduction a million Mustangs were on the road.
The Mustang had won its place in the hearts of its home nation and through 5 generations, the 6th is on its way, this car also became a global superstar. Thanks to its racing career and famous partnering with a certain Carroll Shelby, these stallions got leaner and meaner with now legendary names such as BOSS and GT500 being carved into the pages of history. The car also had its fair share of movie outings, most notably as the hero of Bullet in a gripping chase scene through San Francisco.
There is just something about the romance of an American muscle car that sets us petrol heads alight.