18 Most Stylish Cars Ever Made By Top Automakers
When I was a kid, my neighbor had a Jaguar E-Type tucked under a faded tarp. Every few weeks, he’d uncover it and let it idle like it was royalty waking from a nap.
Even covered in dust, it looked like it belonged in a museum, not a driveway. Some cars don’t just look good – they redefine cool.
Whether cruising through Paris or parked outside a diner, certain designs seem to pull focus without even trying.
1. Jaguar E-Type
Enzo Ferrari himself called it “the most beautiful car ever made,” and who am I to argue with Il Commendatore?
Unveiled at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the E-Type caused an absolute sensation with its impossibly long hood and perfectly proportioned curves.
Under that gorgeous skin lurked racing technology derived from the Le Mans-winning D-Type.
Even today, six decades later, the E-Type’s feline grace makes modern supercars look overdesigned and fussy by comparison. Quite simply automotive perfection.
2. Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Nothing screams 1960s Italian glamour quite like the 250 GT Lusso. Far from just another pretty face in
Ferrari’s legendary 250 series, the Lusso (Italian for “luxury”) represented the perfect marriage of competition breeding and grand touring comfort.
Pininfarina’s design gave the car a delicate, almost ethereal quality with its graceful fastback profile and airy greenhouse.
Steve McQueen owned one, naturally. With its 3.0-liter V12 singing the sweetest mechanical aria, the Lusso remains the quintessential gentleman’s Ferrari.
3. Aston Martin DB5
Bond. James Bond. Even without its 007 connection, the DB5 would still rank among the automotive world’s greatest hits.
Those perfectly tailored aluminum panels, crafted by Italian coachbuilder Touring, give it the presence of a British aristocrat in a bespoke suit.
The long hood houses a silky-smooth 4.0-liter straight-six that produces a soundtrack so intoxicating it should require a license.
More than just a movie prop, the DB5 represents the golden age of grand touring—a gentleman’s express that could hustle from London to Monaco without breaking a sweat.
4. Porsche 356 Speedster
Simplicity at its most sublime! Created at the urging of American importer Max Hoffman, the bare-bones Speedster stripped the already minimalist 356 down to its essence.
The result? Pure automotive poetry.
With its chopped windshield, bucket seats, and side curtains instead of proper windows, the Speedster prioritized driving joy over practicality.
James Dean loved his Porsche 356. The Speedster’s clean, uncluttered shape established Porsche’s design DNA that continues to this day—proof that sometimes less truly is more.
5. Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Those doors! Opening skyward like the wings of some exotic bird, the Gullwing’s signature portals weren’t just for show—they were engineering necessity due to the car’s revolutionary space-frame chassis.
Launched in 1954, the 300SL was essentially a road-going version of Mercedes’ W194 racing car. Its fuel-injected straight-six was the most advanced production engine of its day.
More than just a technological tour de force, the Gullwing’s sensuous curves and distinctive profile make it the undisputed crown jewel of Mercedes’ heritage.
6. Lamborghini Miura
Marcello Gandini was just 27 when he penned the revolutionary Miura for Bertone. His creation didn’t just move the goalposts for supercar design—it obliterated them completely!
With its transversely-mounted V12 nestled behind the cockpit, the Miura pioneered the mid-engine layout that supercars still follow today.
Those sensuous curves and eyelashed headlights gave the Miura an almost feminine presence, belying its ferocious performance.
Named after a fierce fighting bull, the Miura announced Lamborghini as Ferrari’s most flamboyant rival and remains their most beautiful creation.
7. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Lightning doesn’t often strike twice, but Alfa Romeo managed to create a modern classic with the 8C Competizione.
Released in 2007 as a limited-production model, the 8C combined retro-inspired curves with thoroughly modern detailing.
Those voluptuous fenders and the short rear deck pay homage to Alfa’s racing heritage while creating a thoroughly contemporary shape.
Pop the hood to find a Ferrari-derived 4.7-liter V8 that produces a soundtrack so glorious it should be prescribed as therapy. Only 500 coupes were built, making this Italian masterpiece as rare as it is beautiful.
8. Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
Only four were ever built, and just two survive today. The Atlantic’s extraordinary value—Ralph Lauren owns one; the other sold for over $100 million—reflects its status as perhaps the ultimate automotive objet d’art.
Jean Bugatti’s masterpiece features a spine-like seam running along its length, riveted from outside for structural integrity.
Those voluptuous fenders and teardrop profile create an almost alien silhouette.
Powered by a supercharged straight-eight engine, the Atlantic wasn’t just beautiful—it was the fastest production car of its era, capable of 123 mph in 1936!
9. BMW 507
Count Albrecht von Goertz created automotive perfection with the 507, a roadster so beautiful it nearly bankrupted BMW.
Intended to compete with Mercedes’ 300SL in the American market, the hand-built 507 proved so expensive to produce that BMW lost money on every single one.
Elvis Presley owned two of them during his military service in Germany.
With its perfectly proportioned body, kidney grilles, and those subtle fins trailing from the rear fenders, the 507 established BMW’s roadster DNA that would later inspire the Z8.
Only 252 were ever built, making this perhaps BMW’s most precious classic.
10. Citroën DS
Utterly revolutionary when unveiled in 1955, the DS (pronounced “déesse,” French for “goddess”) looked like a visitor from another planet!
Flaminio Bertoni’s streamlined masterpiece featured technology decades ahead of its time – hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, semi-automatic transmission, and power steering.
The French philosopher Roland Barthes described it as “fallen from the sky.”
With its teardrop profile, covered rear wheels, and that fantastic single-spoke steering wheel, the DS remains the most avant-garde mass-production car ever created.
11. Ford GT40
Born from Henry Ford II’s vendetta against Enzo Ferrari, the GT40 wasn’t just beautiful—it was a weapon designed for one purpose: to humiliate Ferrari at Le Mans.
Mission accomplished with four consecutive wins from 1966-1969!
Standing just 40 inches tall (hence the name), the GT40’s impossibly low profile and functional aggression make it the automotive equivalent of a coiled spring.
Those circular headlights and the signature Gulf Oil blue and orange livery have become iconic.
The ultimate expression of form following function, this Anglo-American hybrid changed motorsport history forever.
12. Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963)
Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda’s 1963 split-window Sting Ray remains the high-water mark of American automotive design.
That distinctive divided rear window lasted just one model year, making the ’63 coupe the holy grail for collectors.
Inspired by Mitchell’s Mako Shark concept car, the C2 Corvette featured hidden headlamps, boat-tail styling, and those muscular fender peaks.
For the first time, America had created a sports car that could compete with Europe’s best not just in performance but in sheer beauty.
The Sting Ray’s influence can still be seen in Corvette design nearly 60 years later.
13. Maserati Ghibli (original)
Giorgetto Giugiaro was at the height of his powers when he designed the original Ghibli for Ghia in 1966.
Named after a hot Saharan wind, the Ghibli combined Italian passion with surprising restraint—a shark-nosed grand tourer with perfect proportions.
Unlike the extroverted Miura, the Ghibli’s beauty lies in its understated elegance. That long, low hood houses a magnificent 4.7-liter V8 fed by eight thirsty Weber carburetors.
The Ghibli’s sleek fastback profile influenced sports car design for decades. Maserati’s modern incarnation of the name pays homage to this original masterpiece.
14. Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe
Brutally elegant! The Phantom Coupe combines the imposing presence of a bank vault with the sleek proportions of a grand touring coupe.
That massive Parthenon grille and suicide doors announce this as no ordinary luxury car. Inside, you’ll find a starlight headliner—1,600 hand-placed fiber optic lights that recreate the night sky.
The 6.75-liter V12 delivers its massive power with such refinement that Rolls-Royce famously described the car’s performance metric as “adequate.”
The Phantom Coupe represents perhaps the ultimate expression of automotive luxury—a handcrafted masterpiece that makes ordinary supercars seem almost vulgar by comparison.
15. Lexus LC 500
Finally, Japan created a truly breathtaking GT car! The LC 500 started life as the jaw-dropping LF-LC concept, which nobody expected would reach production looking so… concept-y.
But Lexus shocked everyone by keeping almost every stunning detail intact.
Those impossibly slim triple-LED headlights and that dramatic hourglass grille make the front end unforgettable. Around back, the 3D taillights appear to stretch into infinity.
The naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 provides the perfect soundtrack for this rolling sculpture. The LC 500 proves definitively that Japanese design has evolved far beyond mere efficiency.
16. Acura NSX (first gen)
Ayrton Senna helped develop it, Ferrari benchmarked it, and car enthusiasts everywhere worshipped it. The original NSX wasn’t just beautiful—it was revolutionary, proving supercars could be both exotic and reliable.
Those pop-up headlights and cab-forward design were inspired by F-16 fighter jets. The all-aluminum body kept weight down while the mid-mounted VTEC V6 screamed to 8,000 rpm.
Unlike temperamental Italian exotics, you could drive an NSX daily without fear of mechanical drama. Honda’s masterpiece forever changed what we expect from supercars.
17. Tesla Model S
Franz von Holzhausen’s Model S design accomplished something remarkable—it made electric cars sexy! Before Tesla, EVs were either dorky econoboxes or weird science experiments.
The Model S changed everything with its sleek, minimalist aesthetic. That fastback profile and flush door handles create a slippery 0.24 drag coefficient without resorting to visual gimmicks.
The clean interior, dominated by that massive touchscreen, established a new design language for the digital age.
Love or hate Elon Musk, the Model S deserves credit for showing that sustainable transportation can be drop-dead gorgeous.
18. Audi RS7
German muscle wrapped in a tailored Italian suit! The RS7 combines supercar performance with four-door practicality, all dressed in some of the sexiest sheet metal ever to come from Ingolstadt.
That aggressive fastback roofline makes conventional sedans look positively dowdy.
Massive air intakes and flared fenders hint at the twin-turbocharged V8 lurking within. Those optional 22-inch wheels fill the arches perfectly.
At night, the RS7’s distinctive LED light signature announces its arrival like a technological predator. Who needs a two-seat supercar when you can have this much style and still fit the family?