The British have left an indelible influence on the way we design, drive, and perceive automobiles. They have a history of over a century of relentless innovation, famous cars, and innovative technology. Sports cars as a segment owe a lot of their popularity to British manufacturers, and when considering the history and genealogy of sports cars as a whole, the importance of British marques becomes clear.
The Italians may have polished the notion and the Japanese may have added accessibility and reliability to the equation. But it was the British auto industry that pioneered the concept and made it available to the public. In terms of build quality, style, creative features, and performance, England produces some of the best historic sports vehicles in the world.
The strange thing is that, despite the UK's small size and location, in the Atlantic Ocean, the globe is familiar with British names such as Lotus, McLaren, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce. However, there are some terrible lows to go along with those incredible peaks. Some sports vehicles have reliability concerns, while others have motors that are severely underpowered. A few sports cars may even catch fire! Regardless of the reason, even while impressive cars continued to appear, there were a few that represented the worst of British sports cars.
10 Worst: Triumph TR7
Famed Italian automobile designer Giorgetto Giugiaro first laid eyes on the TR7 in 1974. Tradition has it, he walked around the car, hesitated for a bit, and then exclaimed, "My God! They've done the same on this side as well." His statements encapsulated a universe of emotions for TR7. While Triumph has excelled at making motorcycles, its 4-wheeled history is full of ups and downs.
It was because the cars were so poorly constructed. There were more short circuits in it than a mixing board with a bong dumped on it. To maintain balance and keep it running, the carburetors needed regular check-ups. The timing chains would break frequently. The 4-cylinder engines were a degradation from the fantastic TR6's 6-cylinder engine too.
9 Worst: Jensen SV-8
Jensen is a semi-legendary British sports car manufacturer. They unveiled the SV-8 at the 1998 British International Motor Show. 2001 was the last year of the two-door convertible. The company has been out of business for 22 years because of bankruptcy.
Production, on the other hand, was a disaster, with misaligned panel gaps and a parts-bin interior that barely managed to hold together. Rubbing salt to the would, the SV-8 had looks that would make even a grandmother cringe.
8 Worst: DeLorean DMC-12
The infamous DeLorean is the biggest disappointment in vehicle history. Few would dispute that the DeLorean is a decent car if it weren't for its presence in the Back to the Future movie. Because of financial concerns, they abandoned the novel chassis concept and moved the engine from the middle to the back.
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Renault, Peugeot, and Volvo also designed that engine for family cars. Such an engine was significantly underperforming for a sports car. The resulting performance is a 0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 17.9 sec at 76.5 mph.
7 Worst: TVR Sagaris
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The United States outlawed the car because of safety concerns. Yet, the manufacturer did produce approximately 200 units for sale in Europe. This amount did not keep the struggling TVR firm solvent, and they shelved the project in 2006.
Given their one major success, Griffith, the fact that TVR still builds automobiles is a puzzle. Today's overly styled sports vehicles, such as the Sagaris, strive to appear forceful and aggressive. Rather, they appear over-designed and unattractive. This vehicle is akin to a child attempting to pull a Corvette design.
6 Worst: MG Midget
The Midget is now considered a traditional British roadster. The little sports car has garnered a significant following. However, because the Midget had a large cult following does not mean it was great. Don't let the Midget's appearance fool you; this roadster is far from fast.
The most powerful variant produced only 65 hp. Apart from that, Midgets had a terrible reputation for rust and poor performance. This 'sports car' took about 20 seconds to speed up from zero to sixty miles per hour.
5 Worth Every Penny: JAGUAR XKSS
During his long career at Jaguar, Sir William Lyons had some major highs and lows. But the XKSS was the greatest he's ever had. The D-type Le Mans race car's road-going variant, the XKSS, is exceptionally rare. A manufacturing fire destroyed nine of the original 25 automobiles.
Now, only 16 remain in existence. Steve McQueen is one of the proud owners of this beaut. Aside from flawless design and performance, XKSS's principal claim to fame is its ability to stand the legacy.
4 Worth Every Penny: Aston Martin DB5
Aston Martin Only produced 1,021 of these iconic automobiles, despite James Bond's backing. It was an evolution of the successful DB4 model. The DB5 had enhanced mechanicals and exquisite style by Italian design studio Carozzeria Superleggera.
It came with a 4-liter engine and was available in a limited quantity of convertibles. Its inline 6-cylinder engine delivers 282 horsepower to the rear wheels using a ZF 5-speed transmission. In the history of British automobiles, the Aston Martin DB5 is unavoidable.
3 Worth Every Penny: Jaguar E-Type
When we ask individuals to name the most beautiful car of all time, the Jaguar E-Type is most mentioned. The Jaguar E-Type debuted at the Geneva Motor Show almost 60 years ago. They still regard it as a style icon and one of the most admired sports vehicles of all history.
Enzo Ferrari dubbed the Jaguar E-Type "the most beautiful car ever produced". We believe he may still be correct. It's a symbol of British pride that the rest of the world admires.
2 Worth Every Penny: Austin-Healey 3000
For its sleek aesthetics and outstanding road manners, the Austin-Healey 3000 drew a lot of admiration from aficionados. The 3000 remains appealing and eye-catching to this day. The Austin-Healey 3000 debuted in the late 1950s. It's a power roadster with a 3.0-Liter C-series straight-six engine that produced 124 horsepower.
It reached a top speed of roughly 114 mph. We know the Austin-Healey 3000 as the Big Healey. It's to distinguish it from the smaller Austin-Healey Sprite. This vehicle won its category in rallies and competitions at Le Mans and Sebring.
1 Worth Every Penny: McLaren F1
There are supercars, and then there's the McLaren F1. This remarkable vehicle enthralled the car community from the moment they unveiled it in May 1992. It's simply one of the best automobiles of all time.
The F1's legendary features include a central driver's seat and the power of 641 naturally aspirated V-12 induced horses. From 1992 through 2005, the F1 represented the highest height of automotive engineering and design. And it was the world's fastest production automobile.