I tend to think all race cars look pretty cool, even the “ugly” ones. There’s something about being purpose-built to do one thing – run a quarter mile, circle an oval, set a land-speed record, climb a hill, cross a desert – that transcends what mere styling can do on its own. There’s nothing fake on a race car (headlight decals excepted); if there’s a vent or fin or intake, you can bet it’s doing something, and it’s placed exactly where it needs to be based on whatever it takes to go fast (and to follow the rules, at least sometimes).
That said, some race cars are certainly better looking than others. I couldn’t resist asking our resident car stylist/F1 fan/opinion-haver Adrian Clarke what competition cars most appeal to his obviously impeccable taste:
I’ll leave you to Google those if they’re not already in your brain, or as I like to call it, Actual Intelligence (I realize the initials are still “AI,” clearly I need to workshop this). As for the race cars that I like, I have a real soft spot for the “wheeled cigar” look of the 1960s as seen below (in Tamiya 1/20 scale model form) with the Lotus Type 49 and Honda RA272.
I really should buy these kits, they’re lovely
Less beautiful, or perhaps “so ugly, they’re beautiful” are the delta-wing cars fielded by Panoz and Nissan, which I’m sure will be a rabbit hole I dive into as soon as I publish this.
Honestly, in red with an open cockpit, I think this thing looks pretty fantastic. But put a roof on it …
… and oof, yeah, that’s pretty grim. But hey, eye of the beholder and all that. How about you? What do you think are the best/worst/weirdest/wildest cars to ever roll under a green flag? See you in the comments!
Top graphic image: Bring a Trailer
1981 Buick Regal G body NASCAR – Mountian Dew livery
Limiting myself to cars I’ve seen race in anger live, the best looking race cars I’ve seen are the Tommy Kendall AllSport Mustang and most any John Force Castrol funny car. Plus one for the Gurney F1 car, static display division.
Ferrari 330 P4 is the best looking race car of the era, possibly all time.
https://static1.hotcarsimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Heres-How-Much-The-Ferrari-330-P4-Is-Worth-Today.jpg
The 312P and Dino 206 S/SP variants aren’t far behind.
I saw all three during the 2020 Retromobile show. The 330 P4 was behind ropes, but I asked nicely and was able to gain entry and see it up close.
The Marmon Wasp. Yes, I’m old school.
Land speed record cars piloted by Craig Breedlove (sexy) as opposed to those of Art Arfons (brutish).
Dan Gurney’s F1 Eagle.
If you have ever seen it you know it’s even more beautiful than the photos.
Porsche 917K and Ford GT40 in Gulf livery.
+1 for the “wheeled cigar”
I love the cam-am race cars from the 60s and 70s like the Lola t70.
When I was a kid, my dad worked for Chrysler at the Belvidere assembly plant. As a teen, I saw (and heard!) a 1966 Chevelle SS396 drive by my house and, being a rebel, have liked Chevrolets and GM products ever since.
When I first found out about NASCAR, I think I was around 20 years old. I saw cars with Tide, Miller, Coors, Budweiser, Havoline, Skoal, Kodiak, etc. Then I saw this black car with a big GM on the hood passing everybody and eventually winning the race. I had never heard of Dale Earnhardt before, but I loved that his car wasn’t as much an advertising billboard, but (to me) just a GM Goodwrench car that was really fast on the tracks.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/goodwrench-services-car-on-the-track-at-the-winston-cup-news-photo-1739212302.pjpeg?crop=1xw:0.84334xh;center,top&resize=1200:*
The Jeff Gordon Dupont car (top photo in this article) was also a good looking car.
The Porsche 962C in the Rothman Livery. It was coolness to the extreme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxC-knQmkM
There’s a lot of cars I could call the best-looking, and there’d be a lot of overlap with other lists (Ferraris, Mercedes, Porsches, etc.), but I’m gonna pick just one, a dark horse among dark horses: AC A98, the posh cousin to the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.
https://media.fastestlaps.com/ac-coupe-le-mans.jpg
Didn’t get much track time, but this is the car that blasted down the M1 at 185 MPH and helped seal the decision to impose speed limits there (a piece of trivia often misattributed to the Daytona).
And Peter uses the wrong Jeff Gordon livery in the topshot. Banner job, Peter. Absolutely top notch work.
Nah, he chose the best one
Stand there in your wrongness with Peter and think about how you’re wrong.
I was looking up Tamiya race car kits last night, for daughter’s 13th birthday present and ran into the Honda RA272. I was going to suggest that when I read the headline but Peter got right to it. Side note: daughter is the F1 expert in our house. Suddenly got right into it last year. Has never really liked reading but asked for Adrian Newey’s autobiography for Christmas and is plowing through it. This is a Good Thing.
Race cars looked their best in the 60s and 70s. Nascar were still real cars. Formula one cars were gorgeous. Etc. All this new stuff looks worse. A great livery can try to hide it, but put next to the old race cars, a new one? It just looks worse.
I feel sorry that anyone missed seeing race cars that weren’t slathered with ads.
Formula 1 and Lemans were something special then.
If non racing cars are allowed, then I submit the Toyota’s trophy truck they used in desert racing in the 90’s. Hotwheels helped out crafting the styling.
We will allow it. It is racing, and a cool truck
Nissan R382, looks straight out of Speed Racer, probably because speed racer was inspired by group 7 racing
For both categories, really far too many choices. But if I have to choose – this monstrosity for ugliest:
https://revsinstitute.org/vehicle/cadillac-1950-series-61-le-mans#social
And for most beautiful? Since it’s being sold next Saturday two hours from me to some lucky rich bastard, today I nominate this one:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1152522/1962-ferrari-250-gto/
There are certainly others that equal it, but it’s damned pretty. And I like that it’s not red.
I may go watch the fun in Kissimmee with my neighbor. Oddly enough Le Monstre lives a couple hours from me in the other direction, at the Revs Institute. It’s worse in person than in pictures too. In person how crudely built it is really stands out. It was actually pretty damned fast though.
Not at Collier Museum any longer?
Did they break up the Cunningham Collection?
Evidently not unless it’s on loan. I think the Cunningham Collection was sold off a while ago.
A shame if they got separated.
I knew it was a rare thing to see a history of Cunninghams together!
The Revs Institute is absolutely awesome. The 250LM that was in the lobby when we visited a couple of years ago was to die for.
It is indeed! The local BMW Chapter does a pilgrimage every year.
The Simeone Foundation in Philly is quite similar in ethos.
Simeone is on my list!
Well worth the trip!
Another oddball one that is a bit difficult, but if you are into vintage cars, is the Bob Bahre collection in Paris Hill, ME. Stunning collection of Packards, Duesenbergs, and all sorts of other nifty stuff. But it’s only open to the public one Saturday a summer, for Paris Hill Founder’s Day. Usually the 3rd Saturday in July.
Interesting! Owl’s Head Transportation Museum in Maine is also great. The docent when we were there 7 years ago raced with Pete Brock’s Cobra Daytona team and was a guinea pig for Nomex.
Yup, another great one! I was at the Import Car Show there last fall in my Rover, just happened to be in Maine that weekend so went up with some friends. Been many times over the years. They were flying some of the old airplanes too, beautiful day, though a tad brisk which is why I took my Rover and not my Spitfire. Both old enough to get in free, LOL. Living mostly in Florida almost 10 years, my blood is thinner than helium. There was a time I thought nothing of driving the Spitfire in <40F temps as long as it was sunny.
There is also the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel, and a nice museum on Mt Desert Island near Bar Harbor whose name is completely escaping me that has mostly Brass era cars. Google to the rescue – Seal Cove Auto Museum!
Palmetto Collection here in Clearwater is Brass Era, and of course there’s the excellent Tampa Bay Automobile Museum filled with French oddities and Tatras.
Oooh – I didn’t know about those – I will look them up! I did get to visit the sadly gone museum in Sarasota, with the neat attached classic car dealership. And Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda – a victim of Covid, with the whole collection auctioned off. That place had a great gift shop that added to my miniature car collection too.
I keep meaning to stop and check out the Don Garlits museum of drag racing too on my migrations, but I haven’t managed to pass by at the right time yet – always too early or too late for them to be open.
The 2001 Ferraris as raced at Monza. It was not too long after the 9/11 attacks. In an enduring sign of respect for the victims, the cars were stripped down to plain red, no advertising whatsoever, with the nose painted black as a sign of mourning.
https://www.autoblog.com/news/the-day-ferrari-stripped-its-cars-bare-to-honor-america-after-9-11
I’ll take a Petty Superbird or any of those 70’s IMSA monsters every day of the week.I would love to pretend the Nascar COT never existed.
I would suggest Natural Intelligence vs either form of “AI.” Or Innate Intelligence.
I liked the “cigar” F1 cars too. So unsafe, so there is that. But my favorites are WRC hatchbacks from the late 80s. They tumble and still protect their occupants remarkably well.
I really dislike NASCAR. I don’t watch unless they are on a road course where they have to turn both directions.
The Redhead LSR car.
I had deltawing shirt that I wore to tatters. The fan reception in the ALMS was energetic and positive for that weird little thing. I think I still have a poster of it somewhere…
Best ever: any FIAT or Lancia in the Alitalia livery.
2X
I was thinking the same thing.
When Autoweek was a racing newspaper in a big format, they published a gruppe B Lancia in colour with that careful design on the hood and all a foot across on the cover!