Looks aren’t everything when it comes to automobiles, but a good-looking car is often more popular than a bad-looking one, regardless of performance. If a car is handsome, it will also potentially have an excellent silhouette.
It’s not easy to determine which are the most beautiful and which ones have the best silhouette. But we think we’ve narrowed it down to the top ten, and this list showcases them.
They are selected based solely on their looks; however, the performance of these cars does play a small role in their selection.
Jaguar E-Type
Few cars can claim to have the looks and allure of the Jaguar E-Type. First launched in 1961, the British sports car even caught the eye of Mr. Enzo Ferrari, who reportedly said it was “the most beautiful car ever made.”
The E-Type also had the performance to back up its looks. Series 1 E-Types had 3.8 and 4.2-liter XK inline-six engines under the hood, while the final generation boasted the beast that was Jaguar’s V12 engine. The E-Type was also innovative, boasting a front subframe carrying the engine as well as front suspension and front bodywork bolted directly to the tub.
First-Generation Honda NSX
If you want a modern classic with stunning looks, then few can surprise the first-generation of the Honda NSX. Launched in 1991, the incredible NSX benefitted from input from three-time F1 world champion Ayrton Senna, as well as Honda’s own F1 program.
Power came from the Honda C30A and C32B V6 engines, and the 3.2-liter versions of the sports car could produce up to 290 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque. The NSX was fast, powerful, and handled like a dream, and it’s arguably the most excellent Japanese car ever made.
Aston Martin DB5
A chief rival to the Jaguar E-Type was, of course, the beautiful Aston Martin DB5. A grand tourer that is most well known for its starring role in the James Bond film franchise, something that has aided in its quintessentially British feel and character.
Away from the films, it’s clear that the DB5 is a work of art. It was also comfortable over long distances and worthy of the GT segment in which it was placed. Power came from a DOHC 4.0-liter straight-six engine, able to produce up to 325 horsepower and 288 lb-ft of torque in the DB5.
Ferrari F50
We feel we might get some stick for placing the Ferrari F50 on this list over the Ferrari F40. But it’s arguable that the later F50, with its sleeker lines and curvy design, is a better-looking and proportioned supercar than its predecessor.
The F50 is also rarer. Ferrari produced over 1,000 F40s, which, while it isn’t a lot, is a lot more than the 349 F50s it produced from 1995 to 1997. The F50’s power came from an interesting source: its 512 horsepower 4.7-liter Tipo V12 derived from the 3.5-liter V12 used in the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car.
First-Generation Ford Mustang
Ask any fan of muscle cars what the classic muscle shape is; many will undoubtedly say that it is the first-generation Ford Mustang. The Mustang’s trademark looks, given by the short deck and long hood, have become a timeless design.
Ford’s Mustang was launched in 1964/1965, and its muscle car is still in production today. It didn’t take long for Carroll Shelby and his team to get their hands on the Mustang and create the incredible Shelby Mustang with even more power and performance.
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best and most extreme-looking cars ever made. From any angle, be it a silhouette or a head-on view, the Countach looks mighty, even if it is also slightly impractical.
The Countach was the successor to the Lamborghini Miura, a vehicle many credit as the world’s first true supercar. Lamborghini produced various Countach models over the years, each with a V12 engine, ranging from the 3.9-liter unit to the 5.2-liter engine in the 5000 QV and 25th Anniversary models.
Aston Martin DB9
Out of all of Aston Martin’s modern creations, the DB9 is arguably the most loved and well-known. Aston Martin launched the DB9 in 2004 as a successor to the DB7, and it remained in production until July 2016.
Under the hood was the mighty 5.9-liter Aston Martin V12, which produces up to 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. The DB9 was immortalized in one of BBC Top Gear’s famous races, where Jeremy Clarkson beat James May and Richard Hammond to Monte Carlo from London.
Bugatti Type 57 S/SC Atlantic Coupé
Early Bugattis were some of the best-looking cars ever made. From 1934 to 1940, Bugatti produced 710 Type 57s in several forms. Each had a 135 horsepower 3.3-liter twin-cam straight-eight engine under the hood, taken directly from Bugatti’s Type 59 Grand Prix racers.
The Type 57 is now scarce, with the most famous being La Voiture Noire which disappeared following the Nazi invasion of France in World War II. It became so well-known that a Bugatti customer commissioned a one-off Chiron to honor the lost Type 57.
Ferrari 250 GTO
Few classic cars have the same allure and gravitas as the Ferrari 250 GTO. Ferrari built just three dozen 250 GTOs from 1962 to 1964, with the intention for them to take part in motorsport under the FIA Group 3 Grand Touring Car regulations.
Now, the 250 GTOs are some of the rarest vehicles on the planet, which also makes them some of the most expensive. In 2023, a 250 GTO sold at RM Sotheby’s for $51.7 million, while in 2018, a 250 GTO sold privately for a staggering $78 million.
Dino 206/246 GT
Dino was a moniker that was used to honor the late son of Enzo Ferrari, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, who passed away at a tragically young age. Dino was credited with designing the V6 engine used in various Dino products, with two of the most famous Dino cars being the 206 GT and the 246 GT.
These sports cars were gorgeous, with some of the most refined bodywork of any vehicle of the 1960s. The 206 GT had a 2.0-liter V6 under the hood, producing 178 horsepower, while the later 246 GT had a 192 horsepower 2.4-liter V6 as its powertrain.
