Britain and Germany have had many battles over the years, from the Battle of Britain in the Second World War to the various sporting matches and even to cars. Britain and Germany have been at it for hundreds of years.

Whereas the current battles going on are purely in business, sports and industry, they can still get quite competitive. One of these wars occurs in the auto industry between the German side which includes the likes of BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz, and the British side with Lotus, Jaguar and Land Rover, etc. These automakers are constantly trying to ‘one-up’ each other to dominate their vehicles’ respective segments – with some even resorting to buying the other side’s manufacturers to gain a competitive edge. Through this almost constant bickering, there have emerged some pretty awesome vehicles – many of which have now become infinitely cool and extremely collectible.

So, while these two countries are still busy ‘fighting’ each other in their respective industries, their older products are awesome and have gained loyal followers. With that, here are ten of the best retro performance cars from both Britain and Germany.

10 Britain: Lotus Elise

1996 Lotus Elise 2-Door Targa Top Roadster
Via: LotusCars

The Lotus Elise was originally planned to look a lot like the Lotus Seven; however, design and engineering got the better of it. Luckily, the Elise is still one of the coolest cars in British history, showcasing that lots of power isn't necessarily better than lightweight and excellent handling.

1996 Lotus Elise 2-Door Roadster
Via: LotusCars 

The Elise was a tiny two-seater sports car fitted with an equally small 1.8-liter Rover engine producing just 143 hp. Luckily, this engine was updated to a Toyota unit which upped power to a dizzying 177 hp. The Lotus Elise remains one of the coolest retro sports cars out there.

Related: Why The Lotus Elise Should Be On Every Gearhead's Bucket List

9 Germany: BMW M-Coupe

Black BMW Z3 M Coupe Parked Front 3/4 View 
Via: bmwblog.com

The BMW M-Coupe was built on the Z3’s platform and shared many of its parts with the E36 and E46 M3, including the 3.2-liter straight-six. The M-Coupe – often called the ‘Clownshoe’ because of its 2-door shooting brake body style – is currently one of the most collectible BMW models of the 1990s.

autoevolution.com
bmw z3 m coupe rear

The car produced between 315 and 321 hp – depending on engine and territory – mated to a 5-speed manual as the only option. The M-Coupe is one of the coolest cars ever made by BMW – mostly because of the interesting body style and the limited quantity produced.

8 Britain: Aston Martin DB7

Aston Martin DB7 - Front
Via Classic Driver

The Aston Martin DB7 was the model which saved the British marque from going under. The DB7 was one of the few newer Aston Martin models which weren’t used by James Bond, but it did get into the spotlight thanks to the first Johnny English movie – where it is most famous for blowing up a speed camera.

Aston Martin DB7 - Rear
Via Classic Driver

The DB7 was fitted with two different engines, either a mighty 5.9-liter V12 – the two Ford Mondeo V6s put together – or a supercharged inline-6 from Jaguar. The 6-cylinder produced 335 hp and was mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. The V12 produced between 420 and 430 hp – depending on the trim – and mated to either a 5-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual.

Related: How The DB7 Saved Aston Martin

7 Germany: Mercedes-Benz SL 60 AMG

Mercedes SL73 AMG - Front
Via Mercedes

The Mercedes-Benz R129 SL-Class was, and still is, one of the best grand touring convertibles ever made. It was produced during a time when Mercedes-Benz cars were still over-engineered, meaning that they last for a very long time. Granted, the R129 has some issues, but they are relatively easily sorted out, creating a supremely comfortable and well-built cruiser.

Mercedes sL73 AMG - Rear
Via NetCarShow

Daimler-Benz took control of AMG during the R129’s production run, resulting in some awesome AMG SL models. The most widely available was the SL60 AMG, which had a 6.0-liter V8, 375 hp and a 0-60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds – in 1993! The following SL70, SL72 and SL73 AMGs were created and is the best example of understated performance.

Related: A Look Back At The Mercedes-AMG 500 SL 6.0

6 Britain: TVR Chimera

TVR Chimera - Front
Via NetCarShow

The TVR Chimaera was a two-seater roadster sports car produced by the British automaker. It was meant to replace the Griffith, but since the demand for both vehicles was high, the company decided to manufacture both simultaneously. Unlike the Griffith, the Chimaera was intended to be a GT car, so it is longer and wider, increasing interior space and offering a more luxurious interior.

TVR Chimera - Side
Via NetCarShow

The car’s suspension was tuned softer than the Griffith’s, resulting in a softer and more compliant ride over longer distances. The Chimaera had a series of V8 engines based on the 3.5-liter Rover V8. The base model was a 4.0-liter unit enlarged to 4.3 and later 4.5-liters, with a big 5.0-liter option available. The Chimaera produced between 240 and 340 hp, sending power to the rear wheels only via a 5-speed manual.

5 Germany: Audi Sport Quattro

Audi Sport Quattro SWB - Front
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The Audi Quattro was the German car to bring permanent automatic all-wheel-drive to the world, following the example the AMC Eagle had done five years prior. Where the Eagle was a family-orientated model, the Quattro was aimed at competing in the World Rally Championships.

Audi Sport Quattro SWB - Rear
via: Bring A Trailer

The Quattro had a 2.1 and later a 2.2-liter inline-5 with a turbocharger and an intercooler. The original engine produced just under 200 hp and just over 200 lb-ft of torque, while the updated version ended production at 217 hp – thanks to a 20V head – and had a top speed of 143 mph.

Related: Rally Icons: Ford RS200 Vs Audi Sport Quattro

4 Britain: Vauxhall-Lotus Carlton

Black 1992 Lotus Carlton Parked On Road
via Pinterest

The Lotus Carlton - also known as the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Lotus Omega or Opel Lotus Omega – was a sports sedan which showed BMW they weren’t the only practical and fast automakers on the market. The Carlton beat the E34 M5’s top speed and could do the 0-124-0 mph test in just 17 seconds. BMW retaliated with the Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo, which was only slightly faster.

Lotus Carlton
Pinterest

The Carlton was fitted with a heavily modified version of Opel’s inline-6, enlarged to 3.6-liters and with two turbochargers stuck to it. The engine internals were upgraded and as a result, the Anglo-German car produced an impressive 377 hp, mated to the same 6-speed manual found in the C4 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

3 Germany: BMW M5 E39

bmw-m5-e39-via-bmw-blog
Via BMW-Blog

The BMW M5 E39 was the first M5 model to get a V8, much to the delight of the motoring community. The engine was a 4.9-liter naturally aspirated unit producing nearly 400 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. It sent power to the rear wheels only via a 6-speed manual transmission.

BMW E39 M5 for sale
Hagerty

The E39 M5 has been heralded as one of the best-tuned chassis ever made, with automotive companies – including BMW themselves – still trying to recreate it. The closest they have come so far is the current M5 CS and the Chevrolet SS – since ex-BMW engineers who worked on the E39 M5 helped develop the SS and Holden Commodore GTS.

2 Britain: Lotus Esprit V8

Lotus Esprit V8, blue, front quarter
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The Lotus Esprit made its debut at the 1975 Paris Motor Show but gained most of its popularity thanks to starring in the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, where it escaped a helicopter by becoming a submarine – arguably one of the most famous Bond vehicles in the franchise.

Lotus-Esprti-V8---Rear-1
Via Bring A Trailer

The S4 generation of Esprit was still sold with a turbocharged inline-4, but Lotus designed and built their own V8 for use in the car. The Esprit 3.5-liter twin-turbo V8 produced 350 hp – hence the Sport 350 trim – detuned from a potential 500 hp to prevent gearbox damage. While the car had undergone some radical redesigns and updates, it still remains an awesome vehicle that we wish would return.

1 Germany: Porsche 911 964

Porsche-911_Turbo-1993-964
Porsche

The Porsche 964 was the much-needed update to the legendary 930 ‘Widowmaker. The 964 was fitted with a range of flat-6 engines, ranging from the 3.3-liter in the Turbo, to the 3.8-liter in the 3.8 RS. Porsche ran out of time to turbocharge the 3.6-liter, so they first reused the 3.3 from the 930, with some improvements to the power, smoothness and – most importantly – the turbo lag.

Silver Porsche 993 sports car parked
Porsche

They eventually got the 3.6-liter turbocharged, resulting in 380 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque – a sizable gap from the 316 hp in the 3.3. The 964 was restyled to have integrated bumpers and a revised interior, becoming the first 911 model to feature both all-wheel-drive and an automatic transmission. The 964 truly is one of the best retro sports cars ever made – an accomplishment the modern 911 still owns.