So many amazing vehicles have come out of Europe, it is quite literally impossible to compile a list of just 10 without any form of bias or subjectivity.
So we are going to establish right from the outset, this list has both subjectivity and bias in spades. We also don’t want to favor one country too much, so in the interest of fairness, we tried to include some form of merited representation from all the automotive producing countries in the EU, including one that recently (rather controversially) exited the union.
10 Lada Niva
Russia has contributed more to the automotive landscape than most people will recognize, admittedly most of it is from their heavy machinery and commercial sectors.
In the Lada Niva we have something truly special, as horrible as some of their cars were the Niva 4x4 was just brilliant. Simple, reliable, and able to traverse pretty much any terrain out there, including the vast Siberian wasteland.
9 VW Beetle
One of those cars you either love or hate, one thing we all have to recognize is just how good the beetle was when it was first launched.
When it came out, it gave millions of people around the world an affordable form of transport. Essentially re-inventing the Model-T in a far more practical, reliable guise, better than most of the more expensive cars of the time. It was so good, we all often overlook the fact that it was commissioned by quite possibly the worst human being of the 20th century.
8 Mercedes-Benz W123
Like many German cars, the W123 was overengineered, but in a way that actually benefited the consumer.
Instead of packing the car with all the latest technology (they reserved that for the trend-setting S-class) these cars were relatively simple and completely bulletproof. After selling millions of them they gained a reputation for doing 1 million miles without any significant mechanical failures.
7 Bugatti Veyron
It is another example of German overengineering, this time in a French brand, with more than a little Italian design input.
It is an astonishing achievement of engineering, although the brand was bought by the VW Group it was Italdesign that did the initial design work for the first prototypes that have much in common with the final Veyron design. What makes these cars so special is the unequaled quality, costing more to make than what they get sold for.
6 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Not many would agree, but if you are thinking of getting an M3, rather get this. It is one of the most under-appreciated new cars on the market today.
After three rather mediocre decades, Alfa Romeo really hit the right notes with the Giulia, and although there are some characteristic quirks, none of the problems are deal-breakers. It is a high-quality product that will become a classic in a couple of decades' time, unlike some of the other rather forgettable modern cars on the market.
5 Citroën DS
Back in 1955, this was the car of the future. It was a car of many firsts, chief among which were its disc brakes, hydropneumatic suspension, and incredible futuristic design.
When it was unveiled Citroën received 80,000 deposits, a record that stood until the Tesla Model 3 came along, today’s car of the future.
4 Land Rover Defender
So much is made of the reverse-engineering the Japanese did in decades gone by, but one of the most famous copies has to be the original Land Rover.
They now openly admit to getting a Jeep and pretty much copying everything, so they could help fulfill a need that British farmers had for a decent farm vehicle. Arguably, Rover didn’t just copy the idea, they made it a whole lot better and after selling millions around the world the final Defender that still resembled the Series I rolled off the assembly in 2016.
3 Porsche 959
When it was released back in 1986, the Porsche 959 seemed otherworldly. With the technology it packed, it made pretty much everything else seem dated and irrelevant.
It was a marvel of engineering, with a whole host of firsts, including sequential turbos, torque vectoring, and active suspension.
2 Pagani Huayra
If you were forced to find one car that appropriately sums up the evolution of the sports car, it should be the Huayra.
From top to bottom, it is nothing but the very best. Styling-wise it is art on wheels, like any art it is divisive, contemporary, and totally unique. Engineering wise it is the very best of what the ICE can offer, optimum power delivery, incredible acceleration, and supercar speed.
1 Ferrari F40
It was the very best of the analog era, and as far as limited edition Ferrari’s go, this was the least limited and by pure numbers the most accessible.
In 1987, it was claimed to make 470 horsepower, for a car that weighed less than 3,000 lbs. Ferrari was a bit conservative, when it hit the road it was packing around 500 hp. With no driver aids, no features or creature comforts whatsoever, it was all about driving and nothing else mattered.