Vote for the Best of British Cars

Lets start off with a classic - the original E type from Jaguar was manufactured between 1961 and 1975 and over 70,000 E types were sold worldwide. The Daily Telegraph labelled the E type as number one in their “100 Most Beautiful Cars” and in 1964, even Enzo Ferrari himself labelled the E Type as ‘The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made.’

The E Type came as a 2 door coupe with either 2 or 4 seats or as a 2 door roadster, featuring either a 3.8litre or 4.2 litre petrol engine. Desirability has remained high with the E Types and now an immaculate early example will fetch well over the £100k mark. The E Type revolutionised what sports car styling should look like and remains unquestionably attractive and timeless to this day.

A car that simply needs no introduction. After 41 years, the Mini ceased production in 2000 after cementing its place in the hearts of millions over the years. The classic Mini won second place in the ‘Global Car of The Century’ Award, with the Ford Model T coming first, and established itself as a classless, desirable, fun and stylish car for people of all backgrounds. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Best and even Princess Alexandra all drove classic Mini’s, which helped the supermini’s become a style-icon of the 60’s. Not to mention a certain film featuring Sir Michael Caine and an elaborate gold-theft...

The DB5 hit the market as a luxury grand tourer in 1963. The car featured a 4.0litre straight 6 engine and had 282 horsepower, modest by today’s standards but swift for the time. In 1964 the DB5 rose to fame as it starred as the Bond Car in the film Goldfinger and then again a year later in Thunderball. The DB5 is unquestionably the most recognised James Bond Car and while on 65 DB5 Vantage Coupés and 123 Convertibles were ever built, the DB5 is still one of the most famous and recognised cars of all time. So thank you, Mr Bond...

The Lotus Esprit V8 was a radical new twist to the Series I Esprit, which had been discontinued 20 years previous. The V8 model used and all-aluminium V8 engine running with two turbochargers. Also featuring pop-up headlights and a ‘substantial’ rear wing, the Esprit was an instant success. The car was detuned from 500 bhp to 350 bhp to prevent gearbox damage but the car would still go from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 175mph. Combined with the precision steering and handling that Lotus cars have always thrived upon, the Esprit V8 was a true success for British Engineering, and James May loved his in a recent Top Gear special...

Alright, it was designed by a man from Tennessee and built by a company from Detroit. But the Capri was commissioned to Ford of Europe for production and was built for British buyers by British workers in British factories. It’s British. In fact, the Capri was built at the Dagenham plant in 1969, just one year after the strikes of ‘68 which were the trigger for the equal pay act of 1970 - a huge leap for women’s rights in the workplace. Although it possesses american muscle-car aesthetics, the 1.3 engine available in the Capri was far from americanised and it proved to be a resounding success over here in the UK, nowadays even Harry Styles has one...

The final variant of the Tuscan was built from 1999 to 2006 under the ‘Peter Wheeler’ era of TVR’s life. This model was available with either a 3.6 or 4.0litre and despite being in production for 7 years only 1,677 were made. What the Tuscan lacked in anti-lock brakes and traction control was compensated for by the striking looks, straight-six engine and of course the famous exhaust-roar that all TVR’s were instantly recognisable for.

The Tuscan is a significant car for TVR, and Britain in fact, as it is one of the very last models to be produced in the now-vacant Blackpool manufacturing plant. While technology and efficiency became more and more relevant in the motor industry, the eager chaps at TVR simply couldn’t keep up. Although their raw approach to creating a brilliant driving experience was appreciated by purists, the TVR brand continued to fall into administration and they ‘went bust’ in 2006. Although there have been rumors of the return of TVR, we’re yet to see any solid plans for a new model, but fingers crossed, Britain.

The Daily Mail estimated that three quarters of all Land Rovers built are still running, we’re not entirely sure how they got to that figure but it is still a testament to everything the Defender has stood for since 1948 - a continuous run of 67 years. Sadly however, the end of the Defender is here. Just last week (1st of July 2015) Land Rover took their final orders on the Defender as the Indian owners, Tata, have decided to call it a day.

Over 2 million Defenders have been produced and they have stretched to all 4 corners of the world, in a bouncy, noisy but reliable fashion. The Defender is an extremely loyal and honest vehicle that simply doesn’t know when or how to stop. While your average Defender doesn’t receive much recognition when spotted on the road, the whole of Britain owes a modest tip of the hat to a national icon which will continue to cross deserts, jungles, rivers and forests for many years to come. Even the queen has one!

‘Ohhh but it is owned by BMW, that’s not British at all’ - Wrong! Since production began back in 2001, the MINI (notice the upper-case) which is a modern twist on the iconic British car, has been built in Oxford by British people simply funded by a much bigger German company. They go by the name of BMW, we’re not sure if you’ll have heard of them?

The 'new' MINI featured in a remake of the Italian Job, only Jason Statham replaced Michael Caine and the film was set in America. A total of 5.3 million MINI’s were sold in 2-door form, which makes it the most popular British car of all time by a big margin. So there's no denying that the car is British enough for this list, but will you vote for it as Britains favourite British car, or is the classic model more appealing?

The youngest addition to this list is the F Type from Jaguar. This is the spiritual predecessor from the E-Type and when Jaguar took on this project they knew just how much was at stake. Luckily they have succeeded. The new FType has rose to fame rapidly due to the praise received in the Motoring-press. The new F-Type is a roaring modern day testament to the EType it replaces, although it is endlessly faster, more powerful, more comfortable, more driveable and more reliable than the E Type. It’s Britains most important sports car in a decade but lets be honest we’ve not really put much out in the last 10 years to compete, but have Jaguar done enough to secure your vote as the best British sports car?

We’ve had plenty of sports cars now, lets round it off with a real touch of class. The final offering to choose from is the Phantom from Rolls Royce. It’s been in production since 1925 with the original mark 1 and the latest model (2003-present) is widely considered to be the most luxurious saloon vehicle on the market. Footballers, Sheikhs and Millionaires globally consider the Phantom to be number one in comfort, style and prestige.

Let’s run through some highlights; customers can choose from 44,000 paint options, the rear doors are rear-hinged (suicide/coach doors), each door has a branded Rolls Royce umbrella inside the door, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood-ornament is electronically retracted to prevent theft if tampered with, and the RR logos will remain perfectly upright in the centre of the hubcaps while the wheels are moving. It has been said that you can balance a 50 pence piece on the engine block, start the car and the coin will not fall. The level of detail that Rolls Royce implement into their vehicles at Goodwood plant is unparalleled by almost any automotive manufacturer in the world.

So which is your favourite?