Greatest Ever Driver's Cars per Classic & Sports Car mag

In thier Dec. issue of Classic and Sports Cars, there is the above-titled supplement.
It lists the 25 top driver's cars ever, ranked by a bunch of racers, historians, journalists, etc. I only post it here because it is interesting. Unfortunately, they don't put a Lambo in there!, but it is a good read if you get the Dec. issue. And remember, the Jan issue has a Lambo feature. Interesting; no cars from Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, or Lambo, but otherwise, the list is good.

Rankings in summary:

Make # models by that make in the list

Ferrari 4
Lotus 3
Porsche 2
Jaguar 2
Lancia 2
BMC (Mini/Triumph) 2
AC 1
Volkswagen 1
Peugeot 1
Bentley 1
Audi 1
Ford 1
Austin Healey 1
Fraser Nash 1
Alfa Romeo 1
McLaren 1

By Country:

Britain 12
Italy 7
Germany 4
USA 1
France 1

List:

25: Lancia Stratos
24: AC Cobra
23: Volkswagen GTI
22: Peugeot 205 GTI
21: Triumph TR2/3
20: Porsche 993 Carrera
19: Ferrari 250 GTO
18: Bentley SpeedSix
17: Jaguar D-type
16: Audi ur-Quattro
15: Ford GT40
14: Lotus Elise/Exige
13: Lancia Aurelia
12: Ferrari Dino
11: Big Healey
10: Fraser Nash LeMans
9: Ferrari F40
8: Lotus 7
7: Ferrari 250 GT SWB
6: Jaguar E-type
5: Mini Cooper S (old one)
4: Lotus Elan (old one)
3: Alfa Romeo 8C
2: McLaren F1
1: Porsche Carrera RS 2.7

 

I guess its a pity that the "racers, historians, journalists" didn't get to try out a lambo.

-mick

 

+1.

I have to say that the UK-based Classic Car magazines that we all used to look forward to reading seem to no longer be what they once were. Erroneous material and poorly-researched stories are rife these days..

 

That's really funny. I have driven several on that list, as I am sure many have.

 

I'm surprised the Alfa 8C made the list and #3 as well? Is it really that great of a drivers car?

 

No Mercedes 300SL Gullwing ?

 

Just how are these lists assembled? By committee in effect. Have they driven all the cars, no.
Pretty impossible for that. I have to wonder if there are there contributors who've driven none?

It's not at all scientific so there you are. Still silly fun stuff.

No Maserati's either but then I guess a 300S doesn't qualify.

 

Maybe they're referring to one of the originals ...?
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Yes, sorry it isn't clear, but when there are 'newer' and 'older' models with the same name, they chose the original, in the this case the Alfa with "...four LeMans wins and four Mille Miglia victories.". I think the newest car on the list is the McLaren F1 (a lightweight of supercars) and the Lotus Elise. One of the generalizations they make in producing the list is something I agree with: It is that the lighter cars are better driver's cars. That is why there are so many older (lighter) cars on the list. The eighties GTIs (Volkswagen and Peugeot), are there partly because they barely weight 2000 pounds.
Some interesting weight-related quotes:

RE: Mini: "It's got nearly 80 hp, and weighs -what?- half a ton. So a good power-to-weight ratio."
"When you compare the modern Mini to this...well, it just pays lip service to what this car was all about."
My favorite Mini quote.. "I'd forgotten that the rear can be so loose. It's exciting, though like a woman with Double D boobs trying to get into an A-cup bra - and the clip snaps on the first attempt!"

RE: Lotus/Caterham 7: "...most outrageous acceleration: the Superlight has a power to weight-to-weight ratio superior to the Bugatti Veyron's."

Alain de Cadenet was one of the main judges and said "....legislation made the world a more safety-conscious place and heavy bumpers and side impact bars added weight...."

 

I agree. What worse is the articles are usually not written in an entertaining manner either, they are overly factual and in my opinion when you write about classics you need to touch on the era in which they were made.

I have a little saying it goes like this "To understand today we need to understand the past" and it holds true for cars too.

 

Meh, written by a bunch of stiffs(nice credentials, but stiffs nontheless).

I've driven/owned a number of cars on the list and agree with some, not so much others. How you can leave off every single Lamborghini, MG, Corvette, Shelby(yeah, I know they include the "AC"), Ford, early Porsche, Maser and Viper is beyond me. 993, GTI and 205 GTi over all those? Really?

 

In my view nothing built after 1980 should have been considered as a "classic car".

So, enough complaining - which Lamborghini would you add, and what would you replace?

 

Ok, I'll happily replace the GTI with my old 400GT.

 

Google research.

 

the old mini drives like ****!
VW GTI?! Its a nice daily, but WTF

Where is the Carrera GT or Muira????