These Are Your Favorite British Cars

Earlier this week I asked you to tell me about your favorite British cars, having already done the same for your picks from France and Italy. Once again, you Jalops delivered the sort of variety I was hoping for. My pick was the generation of Aston Martin V8 Vantage used in “The Living Daylights,” but I gave all sorts of other cars I could’ve chosen — and I can’t believe I didn’t even mention TVRs like the Tuscan and Sagaris, either.

As with my other daily questions like this, I certainly won’t be able to feature everyone’s answers, and I might not feature some of the most popular or iconic ones — sorry! This wouldn’t be much fun if I did, ya know? I like the odd choices, the bold choices, the cars that you’ve actually owned! Obviously lots of you said the McLaren F1, the original Mini, and the Jaguar E-Type. Keep reading to see my favorite answers for what your favorite British cars are, and of course comment below if you agree, disagree, or have something else to chime in about.

Bentley S3 Continental Coupe

Submitted by: Jake

One of the best-looking British cars of all time for sure, though I might even prefer the four-door Flying Spur.

There are many to choose from. But I’m going to go with the British equivalent of the Model T.

The Austin Seven standardized where your feet went in a car being the first mass produced car to have Clutch,brake, gas like a modern car. It was the basis for a ton of spin offs of sports cars, tiny pickups etc. Licensed copies were behind the first Datsuns. There is a quasi link to Jeep, I think. Because the Bantam company was an Austin importer that had a submittal to the US Army on what became the Jeep contract. It was unsuccessful, but had designs that ended up in the Jeep. The are also cute as hell. Seeing a British TV show based “back in the day” always features an Austin Seven putting around. They seem to be something like a Tardis because the interior shots have two large dudes with plenty of room, but when they go to get out of the car, it looks like two Mr Incredibles coming out of a clown car.

Submitted by: hoser68

How can you not love these?

The one tourist-y thing i got to do when i was in London for business in 2004 was to take a tour of London in an open topped double decker bus. I climbed to the top deck, had Sargent Pepper playing on my iPad and sat back and watched the scenery.

I’ve spent all my life visiting my UK family. One of the best things I remember as a teen was riding the double decker #52 bus from my Nan’s into Birmingham. Sit at the back with all the trouble makers was always a highlight especially in the mid 80’s at height of Post Punk/New Wave era!!

Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I, monstrodiavel

See above.

TVR Sagaris. I’m not sure when I first heard of TVR as a company, but I first saw the Sagaris in either the Forza or GT games and man.. those side facing pipes will always be awesome

Submitted by: LastStandard

I absolutely adore these.

That’s easy: Austin-Healey 100s and 3000s; the ‘Big Healeys.’ Loved them since I was a teenager. Donald Healey was a sharp marketer, and slotted the Healeys between the lower-cost early MGs and the ‘rich mans’ Jaguar. His prototype was a sensation at early 50s auto shows in both Britain and the US, and Healey formed a partnership with Leonard Lloyd–England’s Henry Ford–to ‘mass’ produce the cars. Carroll Shelby raced and wrecked a high-performance 100S in the La Carrera Panamerica (Shelby and Healey were friends). I own both a 100 and a 3000; the 100 is one of only 640 fitted with improvements used in the 1953 LeMans race, where a Healey 100–basically, a rodded-up car taken off the lot–placed 13th overall. A 100S was hit by a Mercedes in the 1955 LeMans race causing the worst racing accident in history, where over 80 spectators were killed.

My dad wasn’t really a car guy, but this was one of his favorite cars of all time. I can see why. Great lines and he loved this two-tone paint scheme. I got him a 1:18 scale model when I was a kid. He still has it in his home office to this day and the rare time he goes to a cruise in and sees one, he will stop and stare at it for a good 5 minutes.

That was going to be my pick as well, love Austin-Healey’s. Saw a few nice examples at a car show in Laguna Beach last year. The ribbed grille design on some of them is especially choice. My 2nd place British car would be a late 60’s early 70’s MGB, nostalgia pick having gone on a cross-country trip in the 80’s in 2 of my cousin’s cars, a 63 Beetle and mid 70’s MGB.

Submitted by: Bob, Fiji ST, Dan60

I’m always excited to see an Austin-Healey.

Idk if I can pinpoint a fav but Im a massive fan of the BAC Mono (also similarly the Caparo T1, however I like living) and is a staple in my forever garage

I mean, I have to go with BAC Mono. I stated my intent many times, if someone can sponsor me, I’d drive it every single day for a year, no matter what the weather, and write up the experience of actually living with Mono. And after a year, you can have the car back.

Submitted by: Crashed Lambo, JBJB

There’s a guy in West Hollywood who owns one, I’ve seen it pulling into a fancy apartment complex off Sunset Boulevard.

Ever since that Old Top Gear bit, and I feel like no one will mention. I will vote for the Jensen Interceptor. Has a nice recipe for a great car (It wasn’t noteworthy, but it looks good!) a liftback with a long hood, I do miss this styling more.

Jensen Interceptor

Jensen SP

Variant of the Jensen Interceptor with a good ole Chrysler 440 six pack motor

My 71 Jensen Interceptor. Italian styling, American V8, British craftmanship. It looks amazing, sound insane, and exudes luxury. It’s also the ultimate road trip car as it effortlessly cruises at highway speeds and is easily the most comfortable car I own.

Clearly a Jensen Interceptor. That is all.

Submitted by: Agon Targeryan, Robert Vigil, Fly, Jon Preiser, Rory Hewitt

A dad of a kid I went to preschool with daily drove one of these even through Massachusetts winters (I think it was a Jensen FF, actually). I always asked my parents why they weren’t that cool.

My favorite British car is the 2001-2005 Honda Civic Type R, made in Swindon. It’s not the prettiest or fastest British car, and it doesn’t have a quirky British name like “Wolseley Hornet”, but it’s an extremely well-made car that I would love to own and drive every day.

It’s up for interpretation as to what makes a car “British”, but just a reminder that the much-loved McLaren F1 contains a BMW V12. Collaboration with German and Japanese companies was the best thing to happen to the British automotive industry in the past half-century. There, I said it.

Submitted by: Pinkerton9

I’ll allow it

A lot of good ones already mentioned, so I’ll pick one that hasn’t been brought up yet.

Aston Martin DBS. Specifically the 2007 – 2012 generation. The elegance of a DB9 with a bit more muscle, a wonderful chassis, an amazing V12 engine, and still available with a 6 speed. The newer DBS variants lost any semblance of elegance with their gaping front intakes and overdone styling, and the power levels are just silly for a GT car. The older DBS variants are a bit of a maintenance nightmare. The 2007-2012 generation was “the sweet spot”.

Submitted by: Featherlite

A perfect car design.

Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 – I won getting to valet-park it because I was the only valet who knew what it was.

Submitted by: DungBeetle62

Another perfect car design.

Signed up just for this one. British cars give me the fizz. So many great options to choose from.

McLaren F1 is the correct and easy answer (until it was ruled out). So I’ll go with my current ride. The best bargain sports car you can get. The Jaguar F-Type. Impossibly pretty, comfy, quick, with an amazing exhaust note, and not to mention the bang for the buck you get with them on the second-hand market. One of the most under appreciated cars of the modern era. Everywhere I go, it gets attention like I’m driving an exotic like a Lambo or Ferrari.

Submitted by: Derek

I think history will look back on these very fondly.

I have a fascination for visiting Scotland so I’m going to nominate a Scottish car for this question. That car is the 1980’s Argyll GT. It was the creation of a man named Bob Henderson and was built in a small Scottish Highlands village called Lochgilphead. Unfortunately, the car had trouble getting off the ground and production numbers are supposedly in the single digits. But since the 80’s were well over 25 years ago, if you find one, you can legally import it to this side of the pond today for a chance at owning a unique vehicle from a unique part of the world.

Submitted by: Giantsgiants

I’ve never heard of this! What a cool-looking thing.

Not really a classic in the traditional sense but I would go with the Lotus Elise. I never owned one but I test drove one about 10 years ago that I saw on a lot in Wichita, Kansas when on a trip with my daughter’s gymnastics team. I loved it but the guy was closing for the evening so I agreed to come back the next day. Long story short I went back and the price had suddenly gone up. It was already on the high side. In the end the increased price and the logistics of getting home and then figuring out how to get the Elise home just took the fun out of it. I never bought one and now I regret it. Maybe I will get one eventually but as I get older it seems less likely. 

Submitted by: Rod Reichardt

They’re actually still fairly affordable these days, a friend of mine just bought a total beater Elise that he’s having a blast with.

Bentley Mulsannne. I remember the first time I saw one I was going up a slight hill and it crested the hill coming at me and I was in love. I didn’t know what it was until I looked it up when I got home. Dang beautiful and stately!

Submitted by: Jason De Castro

One of the greatest modern luxury cars.

My first car was a 1965 4 door MG 1100 Sports Sedan. It was introduced in 1963 along with the MGB but it was a far more revolutionary and advanced engineered vehicle than the MGB .

The MG snobs objected to a compact 1100 cc sedan with front wheel drive and 12 inch wheels bearing the MG badge. But this was the best selling car in Europe finally surpassing the VW beetle.

It had a revolutionary 4 wheel independent hydraulic suspension system that kept it perfectly level in cornering. It stuck to the road like a snake. I could do corners at 40 mph and it didn’t lurch one bit. Porsche 911 had nothing on this suspension. Speed is for punks. It’s all about handling.

Submitted by: Tom Walters

This is the kind of out-of-the-box answer I love. It has so much character!