CAR LIFESTYLE POST 4 - My Top 10 Best Looking Cars

For my 4th and final post, I will be listing the 'Top 10 Best looking cars' in my own humble opinion. Having to number and rank stuff like this is quite a big challenge. Others could equate it to listing, in order, their favourite songs, or shoes. Each has a time and place! So don't take this too seriously.... In order to make this MUCH easier on myself though, I set some ground rules. All cars must be rated in STOCK appearance, not modified however the images included of the cars may have some modifications but that has no bearing on their selection. Secondly, no concept cars. All these vehicles can be bought and driven (Although some are a bit harder to find, and then afford).

Let's get started. Number 10 on my list is....
The 1970 Chrysler Valiant VG Pacer Hardtop

These car's used to be quite prominent in the Australian car scene back in the day, often being used as family cars alongside the early Holden's at the time. Although Chrysler also offered some pretty sporty packages back then too, in fact these cars could be optioned up to 175kw (235BHP) from the factory thanks to the 245 Hemi engine - that was over 40 years ago!

Number 9 on my list is...
 The 1973 Mazda (Savanna) RX3 Coupe

These cars are quite a cult classic, fetching big dollars in recent years due to a high demand market. These cars are unique in that they feature a rotary engine, unlike most cars that utilize a conventional piston engine. Rotary engines have an unmistakable sound and feel and have a lot of opportunity for performance modification. The 12A engine output was around 97kw (130BHP).

Number 8 on my list is...
The 1992 Honda NSX

One of the most rigid and best handling sports cars of the 90's thanks to Ayrton Senna's direct input with the chief engineer of the NSX at the time. Producing 200kw (270BHP) out of the 3 litre motor (Later models available in 3.2L) it is considered one of the most reliable sports cars ever even today. And well, it looks pretty damn good too.

Number 7 on my list is...
The 2010 Maserati GranTurismo

A sleek and modern ride developing 298 kW (399BHP) out of it's glorious sounding 4.2L V8. After seeing one of these in person a few months ago it really brought to my attention how striking it is - I couldn't look a way and for that reason it has made my list, for now.

Number 6 on my list is....
The 1973 Holden HQ GTS Monaro

Now we move onto some real Aussie muscle. The HQ GTS Monaro is just simply a beautiful ride, and given the price of a good one now - I'm probably not the only one who thinks so. Quintessentially Australian with its big 5.7L V8 producing 205kw (272BHP), aggressive stripes and an intimidating presence. This would be one of the car's I'd have to buy if I ever won the lottery just for the sheer grin it would put on my face.

Number 5 on my list is...
The 1987 Ferrari F40

Fast. Expensive. Awesome. A lot of people will tell you they have that certain car, the one that they have only seen in person a select few times but are still absolutely in love with. For me, this is it. The Ferrari F40 is one of Ferrari's most prominent and adored cars. At it's time of release it was the fastest, most powerful and most expensive Ferrari ever sold to the public making 352kw (471BHP). Considering it only weighs 1.1 tonnes, this equates to an extremely thrilling ride.

Number 4 on my list is...
The 2000 Mazda FD RX7

The RX7 is a thing of beauty, admired by car enthusiasts young and old. These car's are timeless in that they have lines that will never again be replicated (Thanks to safety laws mostly...). This is a shame, because well... Look at it! This car, like the Mazda RX3 features a rotary engine - the 13B Twin Turbo making 195kw (261BHP). Unfortunately, this wasn't Mazda's most reliable motor and despite being such a wonderful car, it also gave rotary cars a bit of a stigma for being expensive to run and unreliable, due to badly designed apex seals. Though it can be rectified now, rotary engines are more temperamental than most other motors and do need frequent servicing to stay in top shape - worth it though!

Number 3 on my list is...
The 1986 Holden HDT VL Calais LE Turbo

I absolutely love these cars. When you take a turbocharged 6 cylinder car from the 80s that's pretty damn cool in itself (to me anyway) and add a bit of Peter Brock to the mix - You get this. Now a collectable, these cars were a great choice for someone with a bit of money to burn who wanted to get around quickly with style. Producing 150kw (200BHP) and weighing 1.35T these car's could certainly get up and go and as a result of this, and sharing a motor with a few other cars (Nissan Skyline R31, Nissan Patrol GQ) the aftermarket for these cars has absolutely soared. People are making huge power with small budgets thanks to the potential stored inside the RB30 engine.

Number 2 on my list is...
The 1998 Subaru Impreza WRX STi 22B

The 1990's Subaru Impreza WRX put Subaru on the map as a manufacturer with its success in the world rallying championship (WRC). In response to changing rules in the late 1990's, car's were allowed to be wider and more powerful - Subaru decided to take advantage of this and design something great. Based on the first generation (GC8) Impreza, the 22B was an STi coupe, which was modified by hand to have huge wide guards to fit larger tyres, this gave the car an incredible look, you could tell exactly what it was built to do. Go fast. The engine was also brought up from 2.0 Litres to 2.2 Litres resulting in 210kw (280BHP). Many think this denotes the '22' in the name which is a fair assumption. In order to allow the car to compete in the WRC however, it had to be based on a road car. So to meet this rule, a limited 400 22B's were sold to the public - It is reported that they were completely sold out within the first hour of release.

Number 1 on my list was a very hard choice as you can imagine, but I decided to go with....
The 1970 Dodge Charger R/T

I'm sure you've seen this before. The second generation Dodge Charger has been in TV series, games and movies countless times. For me, the car has a great low-slung, masculine look that says "Don't piss me off". Seeing (and hearing) these car's makes me feel like a kid, and for that I am grateful. If I am ever given the chance to own, drive or even sit in one of these I won't hesitate - It's just too beautiful and charismatic to pass up. The Charger came with an array of engine options, but I think the 440 six-pack is coolest (although the 426 HEMI is a very close second), the 440 made 290kw (390BHP) - Not bad at all especially for a car over 40 years ago!

I hope you've enjoyed this list of mine, and have maybe learnt about some cars you've never seen or though much of before. As a 'car guy' it was impossible to ever be 100% happy with this list, so some honourable mentions I would like to add are: BMW 635CSi E24, BMW E30 M3, Nissan Skyline R32, Chevrolet Comaro Z28, the new MY2015 Ford Mustang Ecoboost, De Tomaso Pantera GT5 to name a few...



-Alex