While Italy may be famous for its lavish sports cars, British manufacturers have created perhaps just as many incredible performance machines that are both blisteringly fast and amazing to look at. Some of the greatest and most iconic brands are based in England, such as McLaren, Jaguar, and Aston Martin.
British manufacturers have always been known for creating fast rides that are also stylish at the same time. But supercars are a whole other story, and British brands don't stand a chance when compared to the Italians ...or do they?
These are five fantastic British cars and five Italian cars that are even more breathtaking.
10 British: Jaguar XJ220
The XJ220 is a fantastic car, but it never lived up to its true potential. This Jaguar, which debuted in 1992, was supposed to be the first true supercar. The XJ220, when it was unveiled to the entire world powered by a fantastic 6.2-liter V12, left everyone speechless, and as the name suggested, was advertised as being able to reach the unbelievable speed of 220 mph.
Unfortunately, due to production costs, the public got a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 instead. Although the car was capable of reaching 212 mph, it was not nearly as exciting to drive as the concept car.
9 British: Noble M600
This company might be unknown to most people, however, it has made one of the coolest and fastest English cars ever. The M600 has been in production since 2010 and is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine that produces 650 horsepower and can push the car to a top speed of 215 mph.
This car is hand-built by a team of 20 workers in the tiny company's factory in Northern England. This car is so light and so powerful that it has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron.
8 British: McLaren Senna
This car takes its name from one of McLaren's greatest Formula One drivers. Therefore, the company knew that it had to equip the Senna with a special engine. This true beauty is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 789 horsepower and that can push the McLaren to a top speed of 211 mph.
This supercar is so quick that it can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3 seconds and from 0 to 120 mph in a mere 7.1 seconds. Only 500 units have ever been made of this truly exclusive rocket.
7 British: Aston Martin One-77
This is one of the greatest front-engine supercars ever made. As the name suggests, only 77 examples of this Aston Martin have been ever manufactured. The car was powered by a 7.3-liter V12 that was tuned by the legendary Cosworth.
The car had an output of 750 horsepower which could push the car to a top speed of 220 mph and it was able to go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Technically, it should be renamed the One-76, as one of the Astons Martin was destroyed in a crash leaving the total number of surviving examples to 76.
6 British: McLaren F1
This car does not need any introduction as it was the benchmark for supercars for over a decade. It's powered by one of the greatest engines ever made—a 6.1-liter V12 that produces a fantastic 618 horsepower. The McLaren was so fast that it could reach a top speed of 240 mph and go from 0 to 62 mph in a mere 3 seconds.
A modified version of this car has also won the legendary 24 Hour of Le Mans endurance race in 1995. The car was in production from 1992 to 1998 and a total of 106 units have been made.
5 Italian: Ferrari F40
This is probably one of the most iconic vehicles that Ferrari has ever made. This car has a unique and poetic vibe as it was the last car personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before his death.
The F40 was also at the center of the huge rivalry with Porsche in the late '80s over who will be the first manufacturer to reach the incredible speed of 200 mph. The F40 was powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that produced 471 horsepower and could push the car to a (claimed) top speed of 201 mph.
4 Italian: Lamborghini Murcielágo LP670-4 SuperVeloce
That mouthful of a name can be summarized with one word: speed. This special edition of the Murcielágo was an absolute demon as it was powered by a 6.5-liter V12 that generated 670 horsepower. The car was incredibly fast as it could reach the top speed of 212 mph and go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
This version of the Murcielágo is considered by Lamborghini to be the ultimate performance car thanks to its exceptional high-speed stability and blistering acceleration. The car was in production from 2001 to 2010, taking the place of the aging Diablo.
3 Italian: Ferrari LaFerrari
The coupe version of this engineering masterpiece was only in production from 2013 to 2016 and a mere 500 examples have been made. The car was powered by a Formula One-derived hybrid system. The LaFerrari was equipped with a 6.3-liter V12 that produced 788 horsepower and an electric motor that generated an additional 161 horsepower, bringing the total output to a jaw-dropping 949 horsepower.
The car was able to reach the top speed of 218 mph and go from 0 to 120 mph in just 6.9 seconds. This is the first production Ferrari ever equipped with a hybrid powertrain.
2 Italian: Lamborghini Centenario
This limited edition was manufactured to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ferruccio Lamborghini, the company's founder. Only 40 examples have been manufactured between 2016 and 2017. The company decided to celebrate its birthday in the best way possible by making the Centenario absurdly fast.
The Lamborghini is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 that produces 759 horsepower. The Centenario is capable of reaching the top speed of 217 mph and go from 0 to 186 mph in 23.5 seconds. What makes this car unique is not only the incredible power but also the immense downforce it can generate at high speeds.
1 Italian: Pagani Huayra
This car had been created to take over the aging Zonda in 2012. The car was powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 that produced 827 horsepower and could push the hypercar to a top speed of 236 mph.
This car can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds. The engineers knew that this car was going to be blistering fast and that is why they named it after a Quechua wind god. Only 100 units have been made of the roadster version.