With 15 cars in the top 50, Britain accounts for 30% of the CAR50 list. Italy is ranked second with 10, while Germany took the bronze medal with seven entrants.
However, it is Germany’s iconic Porsche 911 sports car – which celebrates its own 50th anniversary in 2013 – that has been voted outright winner in the CAR50 roll call of motoring legends. The winning list was formed from a poll of 6,661 CAR readers, in combination with the views of the magazine’s staff and freelancer writers.
“The feelgood factor shouldn’t extend only to the Queen’s diamond jubilee and our fantastic Olympians,” said CAR magazine editor Phil McNamara. “We should be very proud of the British car industry too: it created these iconic cars which have captured the hearts of car enthusiasts around the world, and become favourites of CAR magazine throughout its five decades in print.
“Britain is still making icons like the Mini, and forthcoming new Range Rover and Jaguar F-type. Today’s UK car industry is in fantastic shape: it builds 1.5 million cars annually on average, employs more than 700,000 people and is the UK’s largest export sector.”
Cars originating in the 1960s proved the most popular, with 11 cars in the CAR50 including the Mini, DB5, E-type, and of course, the 911. The 1980s and 1970s ranked joint second with 10 cars each.
“We’re really pleased to have topped this prestigious list,” said Porsche spokesman Mike Orford. “The 911 is the definitive sports car which, thanks to a continuous process of careful evolution, has remained at the top of its game for almost 50 years.”
