When naming the greatest European automaking countries, Britain has to be in the top three, right next to Germany and Italy. British automakers like Jaguar, Aston Martin, and McLaren have been building amazing cars with the power, handling, and technology that gearheads love. British automakers also know how to design beautiful sports cars that give the Italians a run for their money, as you'll see in the list below.
It's important to note that almost every Aston ever created deserves a spot on this list. However, we decided to limit their number of entries to just two so that other manufacturers at least have a fighting chance. We do have a list of the most beautiful Astons, though, if you're interested. So here goes; the most gorgeous British cars of all time.
10 Jensen Interceptor
Jensen Motors no longer exists today, but it will always be remembered for giving us the awe-inspiring Interceptor. When Jensen introduced the Interceptor in the late '60s, every gearhead was impressed. It had a cool model name and a stunning muscular design that everyone loved. It looked awesome, especially from the back - that derrière was immaculate.
The Interceptor was British-made but had American DNA. Under its hood was a Chrysler-sourced 6.3-liter V8 producing 335 hp, enough to make it super fast. Jensen later made history when they introduced the Interceptor FF - the first-ever all-wheel-drive sports car.
9 Mclaren F1
The McLaren F1 is simply the greatest car built in the '90s. When it first came out in 1992, it instantly achieved legendary status when it became the fastest production car ever with a top speed of 240 mph — which is still incredibly fast even by current standards. This was all thanks to a monstrous BMW-sourced 6.1-liter V12 with 618 hp on tap, paired with various technologies that McLaren borrowed from its F1 racing cars.
The F1's designer — Gordon Murray — also ensured that the car would turn heads everywhere it went. The car had sleek lines and a more streamlined design than many modern sports cars. The icing on the cake was the dihedral doors, which were almost unheard of at the time.
8 Lotus Espirit
Introduced in 1976, the Esprit is a beloved British sports car that Lotus built as a successor for the Europa. The Esprit is one of Giorgetto Giugiaro's most famous designs, as it was one of his first polygonal 'folded paper' designs. Many gearheads who grew up in the '70s and '80s had posters of the Esprit in their rooms.
Apart from its design, the Esprit had other things going for it. For one, it weighed only 1,984 lbs, which means its four-cylinder engine could keep up with bigger-engined cars. The Esprit is also a Bond car, having been featured in The Spy Who Loved Me.
7 Aston Martin One-77
In 2007, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez asked design chief Marek Reichman to come up with the most irresistible Aston ever — which is almost like asking him to design the most beautiful road car ever. The car needed to have the perfect balance between the traditional Aston Martin design and radical design elements that would give people a glimpse of what to expect in Astons of the future.
The result was the One-77, a gorgeous flagship sports car that stunned everyone at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Unfortunately, Aston Martin made only 77 examples, which is why it's so hard to find one.
6 Austin Healey 3000
The Austin Healey 3000 is unrecognizable to most gearheads today, but back in the '60s, it was one of the most desirable British sports cars. The '3000' in its name was added to celebrate the introduction of a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with 150 hp — impressive at the time.
What most people loved about the Austin Healey 3000 was its elegant design. It had a stunning convertible body built by Jensen - the same company that built the Interceptor. Gearheads also loved its luxury features like wind-up windows and walnut dashboard.
5 McLaren Speedtail
The Speedtail is another example that shows why McLaren is a class above the other British manufacturers when it comes to building extreme hypercars. The Speedtail's design is best described as pure, streamlined elegance. Every aspect of the Speedtail's design was born out of McLaren's vision to create the most aerodynamically efficient sports car ever.
The gorgeous Speedtail also comes with a modified M840T hybrid powertrain that generates a whopping 1,036 hp, allowing it to hit a top speed of 250 mph. Only 106 examples of the Speedtail exist.
4 Lotus Evija
The Lotus Evija is yet to hit the streets, but it's already one of the most impressive cars we've seen from the Brits. The Evija is among the first cars Lotus developed after the Geely Group took ownership in 2017, and it shows the new owner's commitment to making beautiful cars. There's a lot to love about the Evija's design — the low profile, the well-placed vents all over the body, the scissor doors, and the unique triangular-shaped taillights.
The Evija will be powered by four electric motors producing a total of 1,970 hp, making it the most powerful production car ever.
3 Aston Martin DB5
James Bond has driven multiple awesome cars, including the Lotus Esprit mentioned above. However, the one car that pops into most gearheads' heads when 007 is mentioned is the Aston Martin DB5 featured in Goldfinger. The main reason why the DB5 was chosen was its elegant design.
The production version didn't have the machine guns, missile launchers, smoke screens, and ejector seat like the movie car, but it was still a lot of fun to drive, thanks to an all-aluminum 4.0-liter straight-six engine with 282 hp on tap.
2 Mclaren P1
Over the last decade, various manufacturers have been locked in a battle to see who can dominate the new hybrid hypercar market. Ferrari started it with the LaFerrari, Porsche followed suit with the 918 Spyder, and then McLaren showed them who's boss with the P1. The P1 was a perfect combination of raw power and a stunning design.
Under the P1's hood lives a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 paired with an electric motor. The total output is 903 hp, giving the P1 a 0-60 mph time of 2.8 seconds and a limited top speed of 217 mph.
1 Jaguar E-Type
So here it is, the most beautiful car ever built in Britain. The Jaguar E-Type had such a fantastic design that Enzo Ferrari himself said it was 'the most beautiful car ever made' — high praise coming from the man who gave us icons like the Testarossa and 250GTO. The fact that various companies are still making replicas of the E-Type is a testament to its sheer beauty.
Jaguar also wanted the E-Type to be among the fastest sports cars of its day, so they equipped it with a 3.8-liter LS6 engine cranking out 265 hp and 283 lb-ft of torque.