The Most Beautiful Cars Ever Made

by Murray Stanley British weekly motoring magazine, Auto Express has attempted to settle the never-ending argument amongst car enthusiasts about the most beautiful cars ever made. Last year they produced a countdown list that started with the 50th most beautiful car (1964 Ford Mustang Fastback) and counted down to the winner in first position. Space means that we cannot show the full list, but here are the cars that made the top 10 in their countdown. One notable absence in the top 10 is the Jaguar E-Type which came in at number 18 (although Jaguar is not totally absent from the top 10).

10. Corvette Stingray - 1963

Sports car fans don’t tend to rate the handling of the Chevy Corvette compared to European rivals. From an aesthetic point of view, though, the Corvette has always delivered, and perhaps never more so than in the guise of the iconic split-window coupe variant, aka the original Stingray. 1963 was the year Chevrolet introduced its MkII Corvette, and the coupe variant was a first. The styling was overseen by

GM’s design guru Bill Mitchell, and while he considered the twin-pane rear screen essential, it was dropped a year later for a single rear window. The ‘63 Stingray coupe has since become one of the most collectible of Corvettes, and you’ve only to look at it to see why.

9. Ford GT40 - 1964

When Ford decided to take on Ferrari at Le Mans with a GT car, it turned to British racing car maker Lola for its chassis tech, added its own 289-cubic-inch/4.7litre V8 engine, and draped it in a low-slung aluminium body with a roof height 40 inches above the ground - the maximum height allowed for international endurance racing. That, in a nutshell, is how the now legendary GT40 arrived, and with the help of Carrol Shelby and a roster of star drivers, the name was etched into history by winning Le Mans four times in succession from 1966 to 1969.

8. Lamborghini Countach - 1974

This design put Bertone’s work on steroids with its fat wheel-arches covering the widest-available-anywhere Pirelli rear tyres, especially when buyers specified that mighty but optional ‘flying-vee’ rear wing. Such was the impact of the wedge design with its rakish screen and trademark scissor doors, that the theme has been developed for Lamborghini’s top-flight supercars all the way to the present-day Aventador.

7. Aston Martin Valkyrie – 2021

The recent trend for ultra-high-performance cars often results in an exterior design that’s more focused on performance than aesthetics. The Aston Martin Valkyrie transcends the genre by managing to look beautiful while incorporating technology that wouldn’t be out of place on a futuristic jet fighter. It’s a machine designed primarily to cleave the air in the manner of an F1 car, and which features an incredible cut-away ‘venturi effect’ underfloor to go with its mind-blowingly powerful circa 1,000bhp V12 engine, but the Valkyrie’s carefully-finessed curves are as drop-dead gorgeous as you’d expect from any modern Aston road car.

6. Hispano H6B ‘Tulipwood’ - 1924

The name Hispano-Suiza is revered amongst aficionados of luxury cars built between WWI and WWII, and its imposing H6 model was produced from 1919

right up to 1933. The company was renowned for its technically advanced approach, including lightweight aviation-inspired engines and power-assisted brakes - an industry first. The H6B was the most powerful eight-litre variant, inspiring the build of five racing versions, one of which set international speed records, including a 92mph average over 300 miles at Brooklands in 1924. The fabulous H6B Tulipwood was a racer entered in the 1924 Targa Florio, for which its driver Andre Dubonnet demanded a body weight of less than 45kgs. The result was this stunning wooden-strip torpedo roadster.

5. Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster - 1936

The Mercedes-Benz 540K was a stunning supercharged monster unleashed by the German firm in 1936, and while it was available in a variety of cabriolet, touring, and limousine configurations, none were as glamorous and desirable as the Spezial Roadster version. This ultimate symbol of pre-war automotive decadence features a flowing long-tail two-seater body and an inline eight-cylinder engine with a driver-operated supercharger for added performance. Nowadays, the 540K Spezial Roadster is one of the most prized and collectible models in the world.

4. Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic

Art Deco lovers drool over the lines of this swoopy-fendered and finned coupe derivative of the Bugatti Type 57 touring model. Just four Atlantics were built in the late 1930s, following the reveal of Jean Bugatti’s similar Aerolithe show car at the Paris Salon in 1935. The prototype was bodied in a magnesium alloy called Elektron, which was lightweight but flammable at high temperatures, so it couldn’t be welded. Body panels were riveted instead, with the fasteners prominent on the car’s now iconic dorsal fin. The four Atlantic coupes produced in the likeness of the Aerolithe were bodied in aluminium, but retained the visible rivets.

3. Jaguar XK120 - 1954

Jaguar was on a roll in the late 1940s, on the brink of its first couple of Le Mans wins in the early ‘50s, and eager to build on increasing post-war demand for indulgence and fun times. It responded at the 1948 London Motor Show with a twoseat roadster model intended originally as a showpiece for its new XK six-cylinder engine. The car met with such acclaim that it went into production immediately as the XK120 - named for the car’s top speed in MPH with the windscreen removed. Available as a roadster, but also in fixed- and drop-head coupe guise, the XK120 evolved into XK140 and XK150 models, and was the precursor to the EType. The early XK120 roadsters are considered the most beautiful of the bunch by enthusiasts, who feel later cars with their beefier bumpers lost some of the original design ‘purity’.

2. Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB - 1960

Ferrari has a long back catalogue of impossibly glamorous cars, but the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is one of the most desirable of all time thanks to its beautiful open two-seater body created by the coachbuilding wizards at Scaglietti. In truth, any of the Ferrari 250 sports and racing cars deserve a place on this list,

as the three-litre V12-powered series includes such luminaries as the 250 Testa Rossa and 250 GTO, to name a few.

1. Alfa 8C 2900 Mille Miglia - 1938

There have been many beautiful Alfa Romeos over the years, but one of the highlights from a spectacular historic portfolio is the car that won the famous Mille Miglia Italian endurance race in 1938. The 8C 2900 was derived from Alfa’s 8C Grand Prix car, and featured an 8-cylinder inline 2.9-litre engine with twin superchargers. The factory Alfa Corse racing team entered four in the 1938 Mille, including this one running the latest Tipo 308 295bhp Grand Prix engine. It was piloted by Clemente Biondetti to victory, with another 8C 2900 MM in second – the other two didn’t finish. The drop-dead gorgeous roadster bodywork of the MM racers was by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.

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SOUTH WAIKATO BRANCH V.C.C. OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM : 2022 T. T. T. RALLY SUNDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2022

Name of Entrant:: _________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________

Year and make of vehicle:____________________________________

Entrants VCC Branch: ______________________________________

Number attending:__________________________________________

Entry class (pick from below): ________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________ Veteran (prior to 31-12-1918) Vintage (01-01-1919 to 31-12-1931) Post Vintage (01-01-1932 to 31-12-1945) Post (01-01-1946 to 31-12-1960) Post 60 (01-01-1961 to 31-12-1980) Post 80 (01-01-1981 to > 30yrs old)

• Entry fee per vehicle $30.00: {includes rally plaque) • BBQ sausages & bread / tea, coffee, hot water, milk supplied at end. • FIRE EXTINGUISHERS: Compulsory in all cars.

Please email: southwaikato@vcc.org.nz

Direct Credit ACC: SWVCC 03 0463 0273363 00

SOUTH WAIKATO VINTAGE CAR CLUB ANNUAL T. T. T. RALLY SUNDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2022.

PROGRAMME :

• Start at South Waikato Vintage Car Clubrooms • 09:00 Hrs: Begin registration & cup of tea • 09:45 Hrs: Briefing • 1000 Hrs: First car leaves designated start area.

At completion of run{approx 3.0hrs} lunch {byo}or Sausages sizzle / bread, tea, coffee, hot water & milk available at finish then presentation of prizes.

RALLY INFO : The rally will once again be set through pleasant country and where possible, Forestry Roads. As is usual it is a family event. No fiendish navigational rules or instructions written to get you lost.

PERIOD DRESS : We encourage you and your team to dress for the period when your vehicle was built or most typically used. We will award a prize for best crew/vehicle combination

ENTRIES : To assist with organisation, entries should be sent by November 20th however we will accept them up to starting time.

START LOCATION : South Waikato Vintage Car Clubrooms Vospers Road, Lichfield. (Off SH1 over railway line opposite Pottery shop)

FUEL : The rally distance is approximately 120 kilometres. Please ensure you have sufficient fuel to complete the event.