Revhead Ramblings: The Most Iconic British Cars

We’re in the midst of never ending sun, free-flowing beer and our best World Cup for decades.

It’s only right then that we look at the most iconic british cars that have made us who we are today!

Jaguar E-Type

Many cars can be described as beautiful, but when you have the title of ‘the most beautiful car ever’ placed upon your creation by none other than Enzo Ferrari, you know you’ve cracked vehicle design. It wasn’t all looks either, sophisticated independent suspension, a monocoque body, all-round disk brakes and a 3.8 litre engine producing 265bhp cemented this car in our hearts.

At a time when most cars struggled to top 60mph, the Jag could power on through to 150mph! This was all available for a smidge over two grand, about half the price of any Ferrari or Aston Martin with similar performance and roughly the same price as a BMW 5 Series today!

Land Rover Defender

Few cars inspire passion like the Land Rover Defender. Minor evolution in terms of styling from its production in 1948 shows the love we have for its boxy aesthetic and purposeful nature. A hero born from post-war ingenuity, Land Rover needed to build a car that required little rationed steel yet remained attractive to export markets. Original examples were crude and compromised but they were peerless off-road and competent on tarmac; a true dual-purpose workhorse. For a car to be in production for 67 years, virtually unchanged, is an extremely impressive feat.

Aston Martin DB5

It’s arguable that Aston Martin would have achieved nowhere near the level of fame and success they have now without the James Bond movies, which helped Aston attain the cool persona that sells so many of their cars. It also helped that the DB5 was a gorgeous car and was equipped with a potent 4 litre straight six good for 282bhp. Just 1059 cars were produced in the two years of production, making it extremely rare and desirable today.

McLaren F1

It was once the world’s fastest car; an impressive accolade. It’s even more impressive when you realise this was McLaren’s first road car. This car shaped the 1990s, leaving all other manufacturers in its wake. A three-seat driving position gave the driver a racing perspective of the road, this design will be seen once again in McLaren’s BP23.

Mini

There can’t be anyone in Britain whose can’t see the charm of a Mini. It was a fashion accessory, an iconic British innovation and an exceptional race car. It was made in response to the fuel crisis, designers were set the task of creating a car less than ten feet but could still carry a family of four. When it was first launched, the British public were slightly sceptical, but once they’d seen their favourite celebrities clambering out and racing drivers posting heroic times in them they really jumped on the bandwagon. The car lasted for decades with very few changes and has securely cemented itself in British culture for all of eternity.

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