The Top 5 Beautiful Sports Cars of All time?

Sweet!!

 

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Mangusta. Not the recent thing but the original one by Guigaro. Lousy car, fabulous body design.

For an older car the Bugatti Type 57 from the old Harrah museum should qualify.

Jeff

 

i agree. that design is absolutely gorgeous and must have been stunning back in 1963.

 

Yeah I think I do, but both look pretty nice. I guess the amount of replicas with the speedster sways me to like the coupe a bit more.

 

1939 Mercedes
Talbot Lago
Euro 308 GTS
250 Testarossa
1965 Corvette

 

365BB
246 Dino
Daytona
Alfa TZ2
Alfa Tipo 33 Stradale

Runners up:

250 SWB
308/328
GT40
Stratos
Giulia Spider

 

Kind of the wrong section, but I'll play along

Sports Cars

288
289 Cobra
67 BB Vette
Early Countach
930 T




Race Cars

AM DBR1
Jag XJ-13
Porsche 962
Lola T-70
P3/4

 

Street legal ,..hmm

Ferrari 275 GTS
Alpine A110S
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
Porsche 904
Ferrari 328 GTS

 

1. 250 SWB California
2. Aston Martin DB5
3. DeTomaso Vallelunga
4. Renault Alpine A110
5. Jaguar XJ13 check this link- http://youtube.com/watch?v=5E3KX3REcA0&feature=related

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi

 

When we say all time top 5, do the majority of you totally disregard anything built before your time? By beauty, are you looking at the whole, or just the exterior shape? Do you consider the upholstery work? The finish? The engine design and finish? The overall workmanship? What about a Bently roadster from the late 20's? What about a JAG SS100? The Mercedes 540 roadster? A Auburn Speedster? A Bugatti? There are so many cars that are veritable masterpieces of art and workmanship, cars that stand miles above cars like Corvettes, etc.. I mean no offense but seriously, I dont have a clue what some of you are considering as beautiful. I mean, a Vega has the shape of a Ferrari 330 2+2, and its a very pretty design. But I couldnt put in the top 90,000 cars ever buiilt simply because its such a piece of garbage once you open it up and look around everywhere.

I think in any top 5 list, the Jag XKE has to rank somewhere, just because it just dont stop impressing you from one corner to the next. Its truly a mechanical work of art. I think ditto for the Miura. I also think the 308 needs to be in there, maybe not for absolute finish quality, but simply because it just always takes your breath away when you see it, hear it, touch it, and especially if your lucky enough to drive it. I would want to put the Lusso in there, but as pretty as it is, and its knockout pretty, the 308 kind of ever so politely nudged it carefully aside. Maybe the Alfa 2300 from the 20's? I dunno, im stumped right now, there are just too many from way back that all kind of blend together. Talbots, RR roadsters, Bugatti's, hard to choose.

 

1 Miura
2 Talbot Lago
3 Ferrari 328
4 Bugatti Atlantic / Veyron
5 Lamborghini Miura

 

308
246
Miura
DB5
XKE

 

It's like trying to pick the top 5 paintings of all time, just too many beautiful examples to choose only 5.

 

While this isnt a sports car and doesnt count, this is the level of workmanship and quality I think of when I consider beauty. Not the overabundance of it all, but the general thought and engineering. There doesnt seem any part that wasnt polished or finished to a very high standard.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://significantcars.com/oldsite/IM001226.JPG&imgrefurl=http://significantcars.com/oldsite/1929_duesenberg_j_town_car.htm&h=622&w=884&sz=146&hl=en&start=36&tbnid=jh1pKO9m1TvcaM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=146&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmost%2Bbeautiful%2Bsports%2Bcar%26start%3D20%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

 

My Top 5 Most Beautiful Sports (street only/no race cars unless dual purpose) Cars:

1. TR59 (most beautiful car of all time IMHO)
2. MB 300SL (convertible)
3. 288 GTO (resembles 308 with accentuated lines)
4. 250 GTO (nuff said)
5. Dino 246 (has aged very well)


Runner Ups:

6. Euro 308 QV (with front spoiler)
7. L Muira
8. Early 930 Turbo


Climbing the chart as of the past year:

9. Challenge Stradale (didn't like the 360, but the Stradale turned me around. Can now better appreciate its resemblance to the Dino 246 and even 250 LM).

 

It looks like a 360 with a stripe... ?

Kind of hard to see how one could be on your best of all time, and the other not.

 

In some ways I agree, although cars like the Mercedes SSK are amazing. Maybe you either like clamshell/pontoon fenders or you don't. I look at an MG TD, for example, and appreciate its importance, but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the great two-seaters of the 1950s and 1960s (Porsche Speedster, Jag E-Type DHC, Ferrari 250 CA Spyder...) I've also always thought the older American cars looked very industrial and/or garish. I can't think of more than 4 or 5 American cars from the last 100 years that I would want to own, and even then there would a long queue of English, German and Italian cars that would take precedence.

We disagree on the 430; I think Pininfarina lost its way badly, even if Ferrari worked wonders with its computers and engineering. It's like the 308 grew up and put on a bunch of cellulite -- not at all taut and athletic like the 308-355 run, and frankly not a cohesive design. The engine view is nice (and easier to clean than the vents on the Dino/308/328), but even that may be seen as gimmicky in 10 years. I'm very eager to see the pseudo-Japanese 430/599 swept away and replaced by something iconic. I'm glad to see Ferrari selling 6,400 cars a year now, but all the excitement for me ended with the 355.

The new Alfa 8C is inspired - haven't seen one in person, though.

I loved the 308 on Magnum P.I. as well. Having seen many, many sports cars since then (I was a teenager when the show was on), I'd admit sentimentality has a lot to do with my admiration for the Robin Masters car. The profile is pretty, but the U.S. bumpers are going to keep it off any experts 'Top 5' list, even if many of us have it on ours. The Euro version has a much better shot (even the Euro 328 looks a snip better than the U.S. 328, which I own btw.) Blame the U.S. government, not Pininfarina.
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Lusso indeed!!
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I should clarify and say that I wasn't a fan of the 360 at first, but started appreciating it more when the Stradale came out. In the beginning, I liked the fenders and side view of the 360 design, but I didn't like the front bumper and felt lukewarm with the rear. The CS with the front lower lip, in my opinion, provided better proportions. BTW, I believe F went backwards when the 430 came out, I didn't like the reworked front bumper (seemed too big) and the rear update. In conlcusion, the overall 360 exterior design has grown on me more than ever. The difference between the 360 and 360CS is like 308 and Euro 308 front spoiler. I hope this clarifies my earlier comment.

The thing I find interesting is that I liked the 355 when it first came out, then it started looking a bit dated to me for some reason. The 360 has had the opposite effect i.e. didn't like it much at first, but then appreciated it more with time.

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of "sports car". While I generally like coupes better, a common connotation is a street-legal, two-seat convertible car whose purpose is to be exciting to drive. Using this criteria and in no particular order, these are all timeless designs IMO

Jaguar E-Type
Ferrari 250GT California
Mercedes 300SL Roadster
AC Cobra
Duesenberg SSJ Lagrande

There are obviously many others that might be equally deserving. But these cars will still be knocking people over long after all of us are gone. Notice there are no cars listed made after the early 70's. While there are obvious newer ones that could be included (XK8 convertible, SL500, Z8, all V8 Ferrari spyders etc), time will tell how these designs age. Some designs seem great when new (like the DB7 convertible or Viper) but start to look a little funky and dated after a decade or two.

 

The 360 is growing on me too. I'd love to see it with the front wheels brought to the edge of the fender and lowered just slightly. The Stradale almost has it right and seeing one at the collection the other night almost made a believer outta me.

 

The 288 GTO is first; all others are secondary (and in no particular order):

288 GTO
1970 Shelby GT500 Convertible
Pre-2007 Jaguar XKR
330 P3/4
GT40

 

That's still the top five.