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The Greatest Sports Cars of All-Time

The Greatest Sports Cars of All-Time

The Greatest Sports Cars of All-Time

Any judgment on the greatest sports cars of all time starts with the essential question of what is a sports car, most simply answered by the classical definition: a low car usually meant for two people with some power and maneuvering ability that is often beautiful. And yet there are many cars on the following list that lack one or more of those qualities, like the Lamborghini Countach, which is not a pinnacle of driving dynamics; or the Mazda Miata, which no one would accuse of being too powerful; or the Mercedes 500E, which has four doors; or the Plymouth Superbird, which is a muscle car taken beyond the limits of good taste.

Hypercars are too hyper to be sports cars, though many supercars qualify, because once upon a time 300 horsepower used to mean something. Grand tourers are not sports cars, though roadsters and coupes can be, depending on the level of sportiness. Raw automotive beauty can sometimes even make a sports car almost on its own, such as with the Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300 or the Lamborghini Miura. Other cars — the Alpine A110, for example — got their sports car cred on the track. Rarity, meanwhile, has little bearing, as evidenced by the presence of the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic and the Datsun 240Z, while some cars, including the Chevy Corvette and Porsche 911, hit nearly every mark: massive sales, enormous cultural influence, high performance, and undeniable styling that stands the test of time.

The following list was voted on by a panel of a dozen experts, who were asked to choose their top 50 from a long list of over 150 cars spanning Abarth to Zonda. Several desirable cars — including the Ford GT, Saleen S7, and the McLaren 600LT — received no votes at all, while other cars — including the AMC AMX, first generation Chevy Camaro, and De Tomaso Pantera — had passionate support but not enough votes to make the top 50. There were other contentious debates, perhaps most hotly over Shelby, though the top five were all selected unanimously. Robb Report editors refined the final rankings to the list you see below.

Sports cars might have started over 100 years ago as simple exercises in design and engineering, or how best to win motor races, but almost since the beginning they have been about emotion, too, and any appraisal reflects that tension between head and heart. The debate over which sports cars are the greatest will also likely last as long as they keep being redefined, again and again. — Erik Shilling



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