Top 20 greatest or favourite F1 cars

[Graz]

For me,the late 80's/early 90's F1 cars looked best (there are others too that stand out). They were jsut proportionately right, wings of the right dimensions etc. My faves in no order, though the 641 has always been my fave:

Ferrari's:
641
642 or whatever the replacement mid 92 was called. F1-92 or something?
F92A - crap but beautiful
F187 Turbo car
312T from 95
Lotus 98T
Jordan 191
Williams FW15C
Williams FW11/11B
Williams FW08C
McLaren MP4/whatever the 93 car was. MP4/8 was it? Too Lazy to Google it
Yardley McLaren M23 from 73. I don't know, that car always strikes me as beautiful and I love the big 'Denny Hulme' or 'Peter Revson' written on the side. It never looked as good in Texaco/Marlboro livery
Late 90's/early 2000's McLarens looked good

It's amazing how many cars I thought looked damn ugly back in the day are now gorgeous compared to modern F1 cars - the 1990 Lotus for example.

[wolfhound]

Look at the front cover of Autosport 16 August for the Lotus 91 another car that looks really good.

[miatanut]

I wouldn't call this one great, but it was a favorite of mine for being a bit outlandish, even with the big airboxes of the time:

[bjohnsonsmith]

One of my favourite F1 cars, the Alfa-Romeo 158 with Farina at the wheel in 1950; this where it all started.

[BSchneiderFan]

I may be weird (ha!), but I've never found the Jordan 191 particularly special.

[miatanut]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

I may be weird (ha!), but I've never found the Jordan 191 particularly special.

The shape alone was beautiful, then that livery on top of it.
I would bet it gets the most votes for any car over 10 years old.
For me, the wings take it below the Gurney Eagle, but among the winged cars, that's as good as it gets.

Maybe we let this thread run until we get photos of all the top contenders, then run a poll?

[wnut]

I always loved the six wheeler March and Williams even though they never got to race. just plain different!

[wnut]

Williams FW08b

[wnut]

Originally Posted by miatanut

The shape alone was beautiful, then that livery on top of it.
I would bet it gets the most votes for any car over 10 years old.
For me, the wings take it below the Gurney Eagle, but among the winged cars, that's as good as it gets.

Maybe we let this thread run until we get photos of all the top contenders, then run a poll?

The master stroke with this car car is the curved design work around the airbox, the treatment of the front of the box behind the cockpit and the sweeping rear were just brilliant from a looks point of view.

[miatanut]

Originally Posted by wnut

The master stroke with this car car is the curved design work around the airbox, the treatment of the front of the box behind the cockpit and the sweeping rear were just brilliant from a looks point of view.

Agreed on all those points, and I also thought the curved nose was nicer than the others.

That tight packaging at the rear probably contributed a lot to a rookie team doing so well, by giving a very clean air flow to the rear wing.

[wnut]

Good point about the nose, had not really noticed the curve before.

How's the ride height!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by wnut

How's the ride height!

Looks like it's down to the Titanium skid plates, .

[miatanut]

It was doing that in the other picture I posted too (Eau Rouge?).

I enjoyed the titanium skidplates!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Another favourite, the March 711 driven here by Ronnie Peterson at the Nürburgring. The cars's taking a bit of a pounding and the right radiator cover has come loose.

[MikeManNZ]

Lotus 25, 49, 72, 88
Williams FW08, FW15
Jordan 191
Ferrari 312
McLaren M23, MP4/4

[Aysedasi]

Of the relatively modern era, it's difficult not to have fallen in love with the Jordan. Fabulous lookiing car.

Of the earlier cars, the Ferrari Sharknose and the Gurney Eagle were seriously good looking cars. But then the majority of cars pre-wings are beautiful to me.

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by miatanut

It was doing that in the other picture I posted too (Eau Rouge?).

I enjoyed the titanium skidplates!

I haven't been able to buy those sort of underpants for some time now.

[Bononi]

I guess this thread is about the most good looking cars ever rather than "greatest"... we have some similar threads before.
About the greatest ever is a bit hard to compare or anything of tech sorts...

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by Bononi

I guess this thread is about the most good looking cars ever rather than "greatest"... we have some similar threads before.
About the greatest ever is a bit hard to compare or anything of tech sorts...

Absolutely. The best-looking cars don't always win, despite the old saying "what looks good, is good".

The Eagle-Weslake only won on WC race. The Ferrari sharknose won umpteen, but only because it had the most powerful engine (and then some).

The greatest are surely those which dominated their seasons, despite rather than because of, their drivers? For instance, the Merc W196 back-up drivers in 1954 were Kling and Herrmann, not the finest pedalers, but who still managed to clock up good placings. (What would be called podiums today, but they didn't have a podium back then).

Ditto the Cooper T51/53 - Jack was a fine driver, but not the best in the field.He just had the best car, as did Phil Hill etc etc etc......

[bjohnsonsmith]

The thread says greatest or favourite so here's my list in alphabetical order.

Alfa Romeo 158/9
Cooper T51
Brabham BT46B
Ferrari 312T
Ferrari F2002
Ferrari F2004
Lotus 25
Lotus 72
Lotus 79
Lotus 88
March 711
Matra MS80
McLaren M23
McLaren MP4/4
Mercedes-Benz W196
Red Bull RB7
Tyrrell 003
Tyrrell P36
Williams FW11B
Williams FW15c

[Bononi]

Brabham BT55

[Bononi]

Brabham BT49

[Bononi]

Brabham BT49

[Bononi]

Lotus 72E

[bjohnsonsmith]

Matra MS80, brought Jackie Stewart his first WDC, winning 6 out of 11 races. It successfully made the aerodynamic transition from this,



to this



and I believe was the inspiration for the Tyrrell 001/2/3.