This is a great article written for Auto Trends Magazine online:
By Lyuben Georgiev
If you look at the evolution of cars, you will find out that as soon as the internal combustion engine was invented, the sport car was born. The sole purpose of this type of cars is to allow us to drive with higher speed and get the adrenaline pumping in our bodies.
Each year, there are dozens of sports cars introduced on the market, but only a couple have managed to stand the test of time to show us the genius of their inventors. Here is the list of 10 of the best sports cars ever made:
1. Ferrari 250 GTO – According to almost all car experts, this is the best car Ferrari ever made. This amazing car was introduced in 1962 and there are only 36 units manufactured. The 250 GTO has incredible V12 engine with displacement of 3 liters. All this resulted in capability of producing 302 horsepower and to accelerate from zero to hundred km/h in 6.1 seconds. The Ferrari 250 GTO is a must have for every car lover.
2. AC Cobra 427 – This is the main reason for the introduction of the speed limits in the United Kingdom. Manufactured in the 1960s due to order by the race driver Carroll Shelby, this car is capable of accelerating from zero to hundred km/h in 4.2 seconds. The main thing that makes the AC Cobra different from all the other sports cars is that it is made from parts borrowed from other cars – BMW steering rack, Jaguar disk brakes and a Ford engine.
3. Chevrolet Corvette 1968 L88 – This car is the third generation of Corvettes and it is the most powerful street legal car in the world. This jewel has a 7-liter engine capable of producing 460 horsepower. However, some of the owners of that car found out that it is capable of producing 560!
4. Dodge Viper – I am pretty sure that at some point of your life, you dreamed of driving Dodge Viper on the streets of your town. With this car, Dodge reintroduced the aggressive look of the American sports cars. This beast is capable of accelerating from zero to hundred km/h in 4 seconds and its top speed is 306 km/h…
5. Lamborghini Diablo – Did you know that Diablo means Devil in Spanish? I can assure you that this car deserves that name and since it was introduced in the 90s it became an icon for all sports cars all over the world. The first versions of this car were focused only on performance, but later Lamborghini made its forms softer. Top technical parameters of this Devil are its 5.7 liter engine, capable of producing 492 horsepower and top speed of 325km/h.
6. Ferrari F40 – There is no way not to mention a couple of models from Ferrari. The F40 was produced in a critical moment for Ferrari in the early 1990s. Despite the edgy design of this car, it offers outstanding performance and it remains one of the fastest legal cars in the world. The Ferrari F40 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and has a maximum speed of 324 km/h.
7. Jaguar E-Type Series 1 – This car brought revolution to the sports car industry, because it was the first one ever made that costs a reasonable amount of money. The Series 1 were produced with 2 engines – one 3.8 liter and one 4.2 liter. With maximum speed of 215 km/h it was one of the fastest cars in the UK during the 1960s.
8. Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato – Introduced in 1960, the Zagato was quite an innovation for its time. It had great design and pretty good performance. Its engine had the ability to accelerate from 0-100km/h for 6.1 seconds and had top speed of 254 km/h. The DB4 GT Zagato is a jewel for every car collection and nowadays it costs more than $1 million.
9. Porsche 911 (996 Series GT3) – Without a doubt, when you think of a sports car the Porsche 911 is the first that comes in your mind. This car was introduced in the 1960s and became popular for the combination of aggressive design and outstanding performance. The car is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds and has a 3.6 liter engine – what more can you want from a sports car?
10. McLaren F1 – This is the best sports car for the 1990s and I think for now, there are only few others that can match this beast. There are many things that make this car unique and one of them is the combination of race and street car. The top speed of the F1 is 240.1 mph, which makes it the second fastest car in the world (it was actually the fastest before the Bugatti Veyron came on the market).
