Which are the best British cars of all time? We’ve come up with ten which we think deserve recognition as iconic British vehicles.
McLaren F1
For nearly 15 years, the McLaren F1 was known as the fastest production road car ever. It wasn’t until the Bugatti Veyron showed up in 2005 that its crown was usurped. This was also the first carbon fibre-bodied car, and even sported a gold leaf-lined engine bay. Take a look at the incredible specs of the McLaren F1 here.
Lotus Elise
The Elise put Lotus on the map after cutting excess weight from previous car models to make the smoothest, quickest ride. The Lotus Elise is one of the more affordable sports cars.
Rolls Royce Phantom
The Rolls Royce name itself has become a British classic, but the Rolls Royce Phantom brings the classic company barrelling into the new millennium with a slick, stylish set of wheels. The price of these cars isn’t exactly cheap though. They start from around £250,000 in price.
Bentley Continental GT
Although Bentley is owned by Volkswagen now, the cars are still built in Blighty near Crewe. These luxury cars are synonymous with British luxury, and always draw attention when out on the road. In a move which surprised many prestige car fans, Bentley has announced that it will be releasing an SUV in 2016.
Lotus 7
This is one of the most successful racing cars ever, and certainly helped to get British sports cars well and truly on the map. While the original Lotus 7 first took to the track decades ago, you can get hold of a kit version which you can build yourself.
Mini Cooper
Surely no other car is quite as quintessentially British as the Mini Cooper? This pocket-sized, distinctive car earned itself global attention when it snagged a spot (three, to be exact) in the Michael Caine classic The Italian Job. Around this time, it also, perhaps surprisingly, proved itself to be incredibly agile on the rally track.
It wasn’t just the 60s which was a good era for the Mini. After BMW took ownership of the brand, the cars have shown no sign of losing popularity. The Mini is probably one of the more affordable cars on this list; take a look at the ‘Ministry of Finance’ to check out current Mini finance options if you’re thinking of getting one of these British icons.
Aston Martin DB5
Probably one of the most famous cars in the world. James Bond’s Goldfinger ride was the first car to appear in the Bond films, and it really made an impact. If you want one of these, you can expect to pay about £5000,000 depending on the car’s condition.
Jaguar E-Type
A real classic car, the Jaguar E-type made its debut at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show and has turned heads ever since. You can get newer versions with V12 engines, but the ones which will really set you back are the original 3.8 litre series 1 models.
Robin Reliant three-wheeler
It’s only a tiny little car, but it’s got itself a big following thanks to its status as a bit of a celebrity, particularly after appearing in UK comedy, Only Fools and Horses as Del Boy’s trusty steed. Reliant enthusiasts still gather and race them together.
McLaren P1
Way out of many of our budgets, the McLaren P1 is the flagship sports car for the company, and is presented as the successor to the McLaren F1 1990s supercar. If you want to get hold of one of these, you might need a handy £800,000.
That completes our rundown of the best British cars of all time. Let us know if you’ve got your own suggestions!