British Sports Cars Gallery

9. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Costing $500,000 a pop, the SLR is the fastest automatic transmission car in the world. It was produced by a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive.

Design: One the most futuristic designs on the industry, the car comes with full carbon-fiber monocoque, crash structures and body panels.

Performance: Sit tight now. Its features a 5.4-litre, supercharged, SOHC V8 engine. What kind of power is that? 616 bhp, with an acceleration from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.1 seconds.

Chick Factor: High. The car is a monster, what else can I say? Additionally, when the ladies see the door opening vertically (called butterfly doors, but they won’t know that) they will love it.

8. Ferrari F40

Enzo Ferrari was 90 years old when he decided to produce the F40. Ferrari was losing its edge on the sports car industry (mainly to Porsche) at the time, so the man decided to create a new project to show the world what they were capable of doing. The rest, as you know, is history.

Design: The F40 was built to perform, so its design is rustic. It had panels made of kevlar, carbon fiber and aluminum for strength and low weight. Its accented lines and the legendary rear spoiler immortalized the car.

Performance: Despite being produced in the early 1990s, the F40 is still one of the fastest street legal cars in the world. It goes from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 201 mph (324 km/h).

Chick Factor: Huge. It’s a Ferrari, needless to add anything else.

7. Lamborghini Diablo

Diablo means “Devil” in Spanish, and the car stands true for its name. Introduced in 1990 by the Italian manufacturer, it became famous all around the world, mainly due to celebrities that acquired one (what a waste…).

Design: Just like the Ferrari F40, the initial versions of the Diablo were pretty spartan and focused on performance alone. Late in the 1990s, however, the car gained some softer lines and better interiors.

Performance: The first Diablo packed a 5.7-litre engine, capable of an output of 492 bhp. It could go It goes from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4,1 seconds, and had a maximum speed of 202 mhp (325 km/h).

Chick Factor: High. Let’s be honest here, if you can afford a Lambordhini Diablo you won’t have much trouble getting chicks around.

6. Dodge Viper GTS

If you never dreamed about driving a Dodge Viper, you are with the minority. The car become popular after appearing on a myriad of movies and television shows.

Design: Those two white stripes are a trademark of the car. Inspired by the Shelby Cobra, the Viper reintroduced a muscular and aggressive look to American sports cars.

Performance: Just consider that the roof of this car comes with raised sections to allow the drivers to wear helmets…. It goes from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4,0 seconds, and it has a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h).

Chick Factor: High. The car just call the attention to itself. It would be hard to go unnoticed while driving it.

5. Bugatti Veyron

Not a classic like the others on the list, but the Bugatti is the fastest accelerating street legal car in the world, so we felt like it should be included.

Design: The car is, hhmm… rounded. The company decided to go with a new designer for this formerly concept car. Jozef Kaban from Wolkswagen is the man behind it (personally I think that he could have done a better job).

Performance: Packing a 16 cylinders engine with a displacement of 8 liters, the car is capable of producing 987 hp. The car holds the world acceleration record, going from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 2.46 seconds. Running at its top speed of 253.2 mph (407.5 km/h) a full tank runs dry in about 10 minutes.

Chick Factor: Medium. Someone buying a Bugatti is obsessed with speed. Girls will think that he should be done within 2 minutes or so, if you know what I mean.

4. Chevrolet Corvette 1968 L88

The bad-ass of the Corvette family. It was the third generation produced by Chevrolet, and it marked the realm of sports cars forever (this car is still the most powerful street legal car produced by GM).

Design: Designed by Larry Shinoda, the car had a very aggressive look and marked curves for a coupe. A bit of trivia: GM tried to keep the design secret before the launch but Mattel, a toy manufacturer, revealed it forehand on its line of miniature cars.

Performance: The car was a beast. With a 7-litre engine, the factory listed its produced horse power at 460. But guess what, they were underestimating it. Third parties that tested the car found it to produce 560 hp. No kidding!

Chick Factor: Medium. This is a men’s car. If you are going to buy one, due it because you love the car and not for the ladies.

3. Porsche Carrera GT

The development of the Carrera GT started in the late 90s, but only in 2004 it reached the streets, costing $440,000 a piece. Being one of the most aggressive Porsches ever produced, only 1270 units were sold around the world.

Design: The Carrera GT has some big side inlets and air dams to improve the cooling system of its massive engine. It is interior is made with carbon, magnesium and leather materials. Initially it was available in 5 color variations, but custom designs could also be ordered on the factory (for some extra money obviously).

Performance: Porsche used an innovative engine for the Carrera GT, with 10 cylinders in a V formation and a displacement of 5.7 liters, capable of producing over 600 horse power. The manufacturer claimed that it could accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, but private testers found that it was even faster, marking a 3.6 seconds.

Chick Factor: High. The car is a master piece of the German house. Every detail was carefully laid down to create a perfect balance between aesthetics and performance.

2. AC Cobra 427

Racing driver Carroll Shelby sent a letter to British manufacturer AC Cars asking if they would produce a car to him featuring a V8 engine with a light chassis. AC Cars accepted, and after some time they sent the car to Shelby. He then tested the car, and one night dreaming about it came with the “Cobra” name. That is how the myth was born.

Design: The interesting thing about the AC Cobra is that it borrowed pieces, parts and accessories from several other cars (including a Ford based engine, Jaguar in-board disk brakes, and a VW Beetle steering rack). Overall the manufacturer managed to create a very unique and memorable design around the car, however.

Performance: This car was responsible for the implementation of road speed limits in the United Kingdom. Ouch! The 427 version packed a 7-litre engine, with 425 horse power and a 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration of 4.2 seconds.

Chick Factor: Medium. Same as the Ferrari 250 GTO below, this car was manufactured in the 60s so it won’t be considered sexy by women in general. Smart ones will definitely love it, though.

1. Ferrari 250 GTO

This is the best Ferrari ever made. As a consequence, it must also be the best sports car ever made. A bit of trivia: GTO stands for “Gran Turismo Omologata,” while the 250 is displacement of each of its cylinders. It was introduced in 1962, and in 1964 its production was halted, with a total of 36 units manufactured.

Design: With a compact berlinetta design, this car is still considered as one of the most appealing Ferraris. The concept was created by Giotto Bizzarrini and his team, based on the previous chassis of the 250 GT.

Performance: This jewel had an outstanding V12 engine, each cylinder displacing 250 cubic centimeters, for a total displacement of 3 liters. It was capable of producing 302 horse power, and it could accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.1 seconds. Remember, we are talking about a car launched in 1962. Here is a quote from Wikipedia that says it all: “In the best Ferrari tradition, it made normal drivers look excellent and gave great drivers an unsurpassable advantage.”

Chick Factor: Medium to high. The ladies would probably not give the deserved value to this car. They would just see it as an historical car. If you have the opportunity, though, please teach them about the legend behind this Ferrari.