It is no secret that Italian auto manufacturers make the prettiest cars on the planet. From the elegant lines, striking stance, and soulful exhaust noises, the Italians just know how to elicit a positive response from the rest of the world.
Italian cars have almost always been the best-looking vehicles on the road, from the 1930s Lancias and Alfa Romeos to the modern Ferraris and Lamborghinis. While the Prancing Horse went through a bit of an over-styled time in terms of design, the current Roma and upcoming Purosangue seems to be a return to form. Maserati has also joined the fray with their new design language and Lancia has teased a return to the fold – hopefully with a new Delta. Pagani recently unveiled the new Utopia hypercar that builds upon the already-existing Pagani language, but with a more classic-inspired style.
Italian cars are the best-looking models on the road, whether it be a high-performance sports car or supercar, or everyday, run-of-the-mill sedan. Here are ten of the most gorgeous Italian cars ever made.
10 Ferrari 250 GT California
Starting off this list is one of the most collectible classic Ferraris of all time – the 250 GT California. Originally designed to get the rich and famous to buy Italian GTs, the Cali featured a retractable soft-top roof and was available in two wheelbases.
Powering the GT Cali was the legendary 3.0-liter Colombo V12, the same one used for most of the V12-powered Ferrari models from the 125 in 1947, all the way to the 412i in 1988. The GT Cali produced around 240 hp, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
9 Alfa Romeo Montreal
The Alfa Romeo Montreal was a design experiment that debuted in 1967 at the Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. The car was showcased as a concept to show off Alfa’s new design language, but automotive publications kept referring to it as The Montreal.
Alfa Romeo gave in and produced a production version with the same name, fitted with a V8 engine instead of the inline-4 of the concept. The Montreal is one of the most gorgeous Alfa Romeo models of the past, with its signature styling and pretty good performance.
8 Ferrari 166 S
The Ferrari 166 S was the road-going version of the 166MM and debuted in 1948. It was one of the first Ferrari cars sold to the public to make money for racing. Only around 59 166 models were produced, with only around three surviving ones being known about.
The 166 S used the 1.5-liter V12 from the 125, enlarged to 2.0 liters for the road-going model. It produced around 120 hp thanks to the use of three carburetors and achieved a top speed of anywhere between 106 and 134 mph. The 166 was named one of the most important Ferraris of all time.
7 Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a car that only exists because of spite. When Enzo Ferrari insulted Ferruccio Lamborghini, Lamborghini made it his life’s goal to beat Ferrari at his own game. The Miura not only beat Ferrari, but it also pulverized anything Ferrari had in its fleet.
The Miura started the supercar formula as we knew it today, with the engine sitting behind the cabin, rather than in front. It was much better dynamically, and the resulting silhouette was what dreams were made of. The Miura goes down in history as one of the coolest cars ever.
6 Alfa Romeo GT Junior
The Alfa Romeo GT was a small sports car from the 1960s, heavily inspired by the 2000 Sprint of 1962. It was smaller than most Alfa Romeos and featured a tiny 1.3-liter inline-4 engine. The GT had many different trims, including Sprint GT, GTC, Veloce, GT Junior, and Sprint GTA.
The GT Veloce was a great model as it featured the famous 1.75-liter Twin-Cam inline-4 engine that produced 120 hp. It gained some styling improvements over the original GT and while it was a compact car, it looked like a million bucks.
5 Pagani Huayra
The Pagani Huayra was a hypercar made by the Argentinian-Italian automaker who is most famous for their Zonda supercar. The Hyaura was the replacement but has now been discontinued in favor of the new Utopia.
The Huayra is a beautiful piece of art, with attention to detail put into each and every part of the car. From the high-tech aero parts to keep the car on the road, to the old-fashioned leather straps that keep the hood down. The Huayra is an art piece all on its own, especially when the doors, hood, and trunk are opened.
4 Maserati 350GT
The Maserati 3500 GT was a grand touring car from the 1950s and 1960s. It was built to rival the likes of the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and Lamborghini 350GT. Powering the great lump of Italian metal was a 3.5-liter straight-6 that produced 232 hp.
The 3500 GT is a fabulous car with smooth, 1950s styling and a beautiful interior filled with leather, wood, and solid metal. The 3500 GT was also available as a convertible, meaning all the sunlight would bathe the occupants in warmth while listening to the raspy exhaust note.
3 Ferrari Roma
The Ferrari Roma – like the upcoming Purosangue – is a return to form in terms of Ferrari design. The current supercars are too over-styled, featuring wings, vents, and air passages all over the cars. The Roma is simple, elegant, and beautiful – like Ferraris of the early 2010s were.
The Roma is based on the same platform as the Portofino but is a hard-top only – although a convertible has been spotted testing. The twin-turbo V8 may be a bit too powerful for a GT car such as this, but it means the Roma can compete, even with proper supercars.
2 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce
The Alfa Romeo Giulia is no supercar, but it is a pretty great daily driver. The Giulia is a return to the mass market for Alfa Romeo and so far it has impressed many, with some journalists even comparing it to the BMW 3-Series. High praise indeed.
The Quadrifoglio model is obviously the most desired, but the lower trim Veloce model is excellent for the day-to-day. It is also prettier than anything in its class – including the Mercedes-Benz C-Class – and its driving dynamics leave little to be desired. As a fun extra, its engine Start/Stop button is mounted on the steering wheel, just like a Ferrari.
1 Ferrari 458 Spider
The Ferrari 458 Spider is probably the best Ferrari ever made. It was the last car to feature the F136 V8 and was also the last of the naturally-aspirated Ferrari supercars – bar the big V12 flagships. Its styling was near perfect and while it wasn’t the most powerful car, it had enough power to cause havoc.
The 458 Spider was even better than the Italia and somehow, its driving dynamics excelled – even without the stiffer structure of a solid roof. At one point, a used 458 cost more to purchase than a new 488 GTB did, mostly due to enthusiasts wanting old-school Ferraris.