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| Datsun 240Z (1970) Nissan's riposte to the sports cars that Porsche and BMW built, the Datsun 240Z (sold as the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan) was a huge hit in the US because it was cheaper than the Teuton models which competed in its class. Stylish and zippy, the car was unlike the prosaic models that the Japanese routinely exported. The 240Z would eventually evolve into the now popular Nissan 370Z. |
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| Aston Martin DBS (2008) This is a tough one actually – we could think of two other Aston Martins that could have made the cut here. The classic DB5 that 007 drove in Goldfinger? The rakish good looks of the superb V8 Vantage? But in the end, it is the refined sophistication of the DBS that prevails. More grown-up than the Vantage, the elegant design belies the beastly nature of the car. The 6.0-litre V12 engine would keep any petrolhead happy and the stylish design means you would never leave home in your flip-flops and jeans. The DBS is a modern classic. |
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| Citroën DS (1955) In Fred Zinnemann's classic movie The Day of The Jackal, Edward Fox's stylish assassin may zip around the winding roads of the French Alps in an Alfa Romeo, but in the Paris scenes it is the Citroën DS – proudly corpulent and inimitably French – that gets true car lovers misty eyed, prompting French egghead Roland Barthes to compare it to a “great Gothic cathedral." We think Roland might have been a little overinflated with Gallic pride, but there's no doubt the DS was an object of curvaceous beauty. |
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| Corvette Stingray (1963) An enduring American classic, the Stingray was the first sports coupé to feature a divided rear window, coupé doors cut into the roof and a futuristic fastback design. Superbly engineered, the car quickly gained a reputation among racing enthusiasts. Quite a radical design for its time (the much revered Bill Mitchell gets design credits on this one), the Stingray is still among the most coveted cars for collectors and harks back to a time when some of the industry's most exciting cars were produced Stateside. |
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| Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB (1962) Frequently topping 'Best Sports Car of all Time' lists, the Ferrari 250 in all its forms is the quintessential vintage Ferrari, the kind of gleaming chick-magnet that could turn an avowed anti-car campaigner into a drooling petrolhead at a glance. This one, owned by Hollywood legend James Coburn was sold to British radio DJ Chris Evans in 2008 for almost $11 million, and anyone familiar with seminal 1980s teen flick Ferris Bueller's Day Off will remember it as the car that gets trashed at the end. |
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| Jaguar E-Type (1961) To build on its LeMans 24 hours legacy, Jaguar's racing department was asked to build a sports car keeping in mind the marque's successful D-Type sports cars. The result, a car with a monocoque design and featuring Jaguar's famed XK engine – the E-Type. Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made". Enough said. |
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| Lamborghini Miura (1966) Lamborghini understood 'shock and awe' way before the US military did. At the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, Lamborghini, then an upstart Italian carmaker, left the automotive world breathless when it unveiled the Miura – a work of stunning beauty by Italian designer Marcello Gandini. Its taut lines and ‘eyelashes' (which were apparently inspired by Sophia Loren), engineering (it was the first roadgoing car with a mid-mounted engine layout) and overall flamboyance ensured it remained one of the most desired cars in history. |
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| Mercedes 300SL (1952) With its distinctive gullwing doors open, a silver-coloured 300SL looks less like a car than some kind of four-wheeled angel of the highway. Fittingly, the actress Grace Kelly drove one in the film High Society, her last role before marrying into French royalty. It is one of the most collectible Mercedes-Benz models of all time, with collectors paying sums in excess of $700,000 for the privilege of having one in the garage. If James Bond were German, he would swap his Aston Martin DB5 for one of these. |
