Top 10 Greatest Cars Ever Made

 

Whilst it would be easy to simply list my 10 favourite cars here are what I think are the 10 objectively best cars ever made. These are the biggest game changers, the most revolutionary and genuinely good cars to date. But just like last time, I’ll list a few honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut.

Honourable Mentions

Audi Quattro (1980-1991)

The reason the Quattro didn’t make the top 10 was because the 4-wheel drive performance car had already been done by Jensen with the Interceptor. But the Quattro was the first to popularize 4-wheel drive in both rallying and in road going performance cars. The only problem is like I said, it had been done before, add to that in reality it was the Peugeot 205 T16 that was the dominate Group B rally car at the time. But it was a very good car, capable of 0-60 in 6.7 seconds in 20 valve spec (which was supercar fast in 1989) and had strong grip from it’s 4-wheel drive system and as I said, it did revolutionize rallying and did bring about all the other 4-wheel drive performance cars from said Peugeot T16 all the way to the Nissan Skyline and Porsche 911 Turbo, but its not quite good enough to reach the top ten.

Ford Focus (1998-2023)

The Ford Focus was really the first normal car that was fun to drive and that you could buy with your head rather than your heart, think about it, before the Focus, if you wanted an enjoyable family car, you probably bought an Alfasud or a Fiat Uno, and you liked it, until it broke down. The mk1 Focus was way ahead of the competition in terms of styling and driver appeal. It was expensive at launch but for that you got a good chassis, clever suspension, above average build quality (for a mass-produced car) and if you waited a few years, both very good TDCi diesel engines and the fantastic RS model. It only missed out because it didn’t really change the genre, more Fords in general.

Ferrari 458 Italia (2009-2015)

The debate on the best supercar will probably never end. But I think all petrolheads would agree the best all-rounder is probably the Ferrari 458. Where else will you find a 200 MPH supercar that can travel long distances in reasonable comfort, doesn’t cost 7 figures, is well refined and both sounds and looks great (in most people’s opinion) all in one package? Yes, the Porsche Turbo, Audi R8, Nissan GT-R, McLaren 720S or Lamborghini Murcielago can do a lot of those things. But unfortunately, a Ferrari badge trumps them all. It only loses out as it wasn’t really a revolutionary car, it’s very possibly the best overall supercar which are usually the best cars, but it just hasn’t done anything to move or shape the automotive world.

Number 10: Benz Patent-Moterwagen (1886-1893)

Obviously, the first car has to be one of the best. Where would all the other cars I have and will mention be without Karl Benz and Gottleib Daimler’s creation? It was the very first car and is thus responsible for every car from AC to Zil, from BMW to Ferrari, from Ford to Honda etc. As a car it’s pretty bad, it has 1 BHP, 3 wheels, no roof and a minuscule range, but it is the very first car so that’s to be expected, this car has walked so all the others (even the bad ones) can run and for that it deserves a spot on the list.

Number 9: Ford Mustang mk1 (1964-1973)

Arguably the first ever performance bargain, I mean, where else could you get a 5 litre V8 coupe for such a cheap price? The Mustang was also likely the first car to have what we’d recognize as an options list ranging from engine to gearbox to body style. But what makes the Mustang so important and great is everything else about the car, it’s a cultural icon for a start, it’s still the fastest selling car in the world and above all else it gave ordinary people the hope that they could achieve something that was every bit the performance car as say a Ferrari or a Maserati but cost a very reasonable price and has plenty of racing pedigree. I haven’t included the whole range as the Mustang quickly fell to pieces in the post-Oil Crisis period though it regained its footing at the turn of the Millenium with the SVT Cobra R.

Number 8: Bugatti Veyron (2005-2015)

Now the Bugatti Veyron wasn’t a revolutionary car in that it did what it was supposed to do, go really fast. But the fact it was finished and put on sale is what gets it a spot on here. Very few cars can claim to have been as ambitious as the Veyron and then made it into production. Most sources honestly thought the Veyron would never make it, that Volkswagen (who own Bugatti) were too ambitious and yet, they made an engine capable of making the 987 BHP needed to get it up to the 253 MPH top speed, they got a gearbox and a set of tyres to harness what was at the time unheard of power in a non-pre tuned road legal production car and all the work that went into keeping the Veyron stable at high speed and to make it a cosseting place to be is both remarkable and admirable, it is truly an amazing creation, but in the end, all it is, is a very fast hypercar, you could say it pushed performance boundaries and indeed it did, but it didn’t do much else.

Number 7: Honda NSX mk1 (1990-2005)

I’ve already sang the praises of the Honda NSX before, but it really is that important. The NSX really did show people how to make an “everyday” supercar, now Porsche had come out with the 964 Carrera 4 the year prior but that was more to improve the 911 rather than the whole genre of supercars. The NSX’s influence really can’t be understated. Chances are, without it, the McLaren F1, Ferrari 355 or Porsche 911 Turbo would have been nowhere near as good as they are. To really understand why the NSX is so respected, you have to understand the situation with supercars at the time of its creation. Porsche’s 911 was still sliding off corners into trees, Ferrari’s were hardly drivers’ cars and Lotus didn’t earn the Lots of Trouble Usually Serious joke for nothing. Look at the progress from say an 80s 911 Turbo to a 90s one, a Ferrari 512 to a 550 or a Lotus Esprit Turbo to an Exige and I doubt the BMW M3 or Toyota Supra (as good as they may be) was going to provide the wake-up call those makes needed.

Number 6: Range Rover (1970-2023)

Now, I’m not a big fan of Land Rovers, they’re still not built properly, and you get the feeling the company relies on its reputation above all else to sell cars. I mean, why buy an off roader that will likely break in the next year when you can buy a Toyota Land Cruiser that will run faultlessly? But what you can’t deny is actually how good the Range Rover is. It was the first off roader to civilize the genre (much like the NSX), it had the power of a Triumph Stag, the capability of a Land Cruiser and the luxury of a Jaguar XJ. And over time it’s just gotten better, when designing a new Range Rover, it is actually conceived as a rival to a 7-Series or an S-Class. Yes, the BMW X5 has rained on its parade, but an X5 simply can’t go where a Range Rover can go, even on normal road tyres a Range Rover can go virtually anywhere. My only complaints are the aforementioned reliability and the fact that at new it will be coveted by the rich only for a few years later to be thrashed by a farmer and then eventually break. But we’re not reviewing the owners here, we’re talking about the car, and you simply cannot deny how far the Range Rover moved the off-roader genre.

Number 5: Volkswagen Golf GTi (1976-2023)

Okay, the Golf GTi was not the first hot hatchback, but I highly doubt we’d have got everything from the 2015 GTi to the Clio V6 if it didn’t exist. Now you may be saying, “why if you bashed the Audi Quattro so much are you ranking the Golf GTi so highly?” Well, the simple answer is, it’s the perfect car, the car that has everything you want is more than likely a Golf GTi. Some GTi’s like the mk1,2,5 & 7 are way better than the mk3 & 4 but all of them offer a good mix of refined economy and reliability and giant shaming performance all at a fairly reasonable price. Yes, the Honda Civic Type-R has probably surpassed the Golf in many areas but what’s the Civic Type-R done for the wider motoring world? Exactly. The Golf showed people that performance could come in a sensible and understated package, it’s all things to all people.

Number 4: Mercedes S-Class (1972-2023)

It’s hard to downplay actually how revolutionary the S-Class is. Whilst it may be a conventional saloon, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. If you want to know what will be coming to your Ford or Nissan in a few years’ time, just look at the current S-Class. Sat nav, ABS, air bags, infrared headlights, TV you name it, it was more than likely first seen in the S-Class which has led the way forward in driver and passenger safety, convenience and is a real showcase of engineers doing the best they can. And let’s not forget the S-Class was always built to the highest standards and if you buy a V8 or V12, is very fast, in some ways, the S-Class much like the last 2 cars, offers something for everyone, supreme luxury, technology and attention to detail coupled with stellar performance and above average body control for what is a very big car. My only complaint much like with the Range Rover is that first it will be bought by el presidente’s and tycoons before old men who probably don’t know how to operate the massaging seats will buy it and it will probably be a poverty spec one. If you buy an S-Class, buy the S500, it’s the best all-rounder, avoid the S320 as you’ll look cheap and avoid the AMG versions as for the money, you’re better off buying a proper sports car rather than a saloon trying to be one.

Number 3: Mini “original”(1959-2000)

Now I’ll say from the get-go, I’m not a big Mini fan, I don’t like the various “new” variants made over the last 15 years and the fact is name is rather ironic today. But the original really has a lot going for it in terms of exceeding its purpose. The Mini was designed as a “Housewives car” and yet it ended up being so much more which is the hallmark of a truly revolutionary and great car, I mean, its a movie star, a rally winner and a cultural icon; everyone and anyone could recognise a Mini. But you’ve all heard that stuff before; the Mini’s genius comes from the design chiefly in that the engine is mounted sideways so there was more space inside the car, in fact there was so much space, it was possible to fit people inside. It’s lack of weight also made it ideal for racing, compared to the bigger cars that competed in rallying and touring cars, the Mini was agile and nimble and was better under braking too. And yet by the end, the Mini was mechanically a relic of a by-gone era, eclipsed by the likes of the Ford Ka & Toyota Yaris, but aesthetically, it had aged considerably better. Now some could argue that the Fiat 500 did what the Mini did 2 years earlier, and whilst that is true, it never had quite the legacy of the Mini.

Number 2: McLaren F1 (1992-1997)

If you asked me what car is the best showcase of what we as a civilization can do, it would still be the McLaren F1, even more so than the previously discussed S-Class and cars such as the Porsche 918. To some extent, the McLaren is not too different from the Bugatti Veyron, but when you dig deeper, you realize both are near total opposites. What makes the McLaren so different is how analogue it is and how uncompromised and perfectionist it is. The F1 was designed with strict parameters in place for weight and length etc all to make it the perfect driver’s car, it wasn’t even designed to be the fastest car in the world or a reliable endurance racer and yet it was all those things as well. Now whilst a compromise isn’t always bad (look at the Mercedes SLR) here I wouldn’t imagine the F1 any other way. But what strikes me so much, is the attention to detail which is what separates this from most other supercars. The F1 heralded a huge leap forward for performance benchmarks but also in usability and quality. My final point is that the F1’s designer Gordon Murrary’s newest car the GMA T.50 is essentially a modern version of the F1, and when you think about don’t all truly great cars change very little visually over time? (Mini, Fiat 500, Porsche 911, Range Rover etc)

Number 1: Honda FCX Clarity (2008-2014)

Bet you weren’t expecting this were you? But yes, objectively this is the best car ever made. Why? Because it’s a hydrogen fuel cell car. It’s the most revolutionary car yet. Unfortunately, it hasn’t taken off yet, despite hydrogen cars having been around since the 90s, the technology to store and transport it to filling stations still isn’t at the point where it can be mass exported yet, hence why the FCX has been stuck to California rather than worldwide. But it has done it’s part, its shown that there is another solution to keeping cars but without the ICE (Internal combustion engine). It’s the best car because it shows a new and arguably better way forward than what we’ve been led to believe, unfortunately as I said, the technology and infrastructure just isn’t there yet. But still, the FCX Clarity has done it’s part in showing that a fuel cell car can be put into production without calamity, proves we can go Net Zero without relying on underdeveloped power stations and hopefully, once hydrogen technology develops to the point where it can be deployed worldwide, we’ll all be saying “well done Honda, you showed us the way”.