I’ve already asked our wonderful audience to tell me about their favorite French cars and their favorite Italian cars, and now that it’s my turn for Question Of The Day again I’m gonna ask you about another country that has produced tons of iconic cars over the years: the United Kingdom. There are amazing British economy cars, fantastic British luxury cars, and incredible British sports cars. There’s also a lot of bad British cars, and if one of those is your favorite, I’ll take it. Some British car companies have been around for over one hundred years, so you’ve got a lot to choose from.
Dear Jalops, what’s your favorite British car? I want to know. I need to know! (Partially because I need the sweet, sweet clicks.) Tell me about your favorite British car and why you chose it in the comments below, and I’ll round up the best answers later this week. As usual, bonus points if it’s something you’ve owned. Also, please don’t say the McLaren F1. That’s so basic.
My pick
When thinking about my own favorite British car, the first thing that came to mind was the Aston Martin V8 Vantage from the 1970s and ’80s. I just adore the styling, which yes, is kinda Mustang-y. The later ones with the body kit and blanked-out grille panels are the best. It’s got such a badass vibe that was unlike previous Astons, plus a loud V8 that made up to 450 horsepower. And of course there was the Vantage’s iconic appearance as James Bond’s car in 1987’s “The Living Daylights.” Who doesn’t want a car with deployable skis and lasers that shoot out of the wheels? Aston must love this generation of Vantage too, as it was also featured in “No Time to Die” and served as the design inspiration behind limited-run models like the Valour, Valiant, and the one-off Victor that preceded them.
Runners-up for my pick are other Astons like the One-77, DB4, and ’80s Vantage Zagato, but I also almost chose the Bentley “Blue Train,” which I think is one of the best pre-war car designs. I also could have picked the McLaren Speedtail or the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. Or maybe my favorite British car is the Jaguar XJ220, or the original Range Rover Evoque? This is a tough one. I’m gonna stand by my V8 Vantage choice, though.