9 of the most iconic car designs of all time

The most iconic car designs can mean several different things. It might be a car that is instantly recognisable, one that everybody and their grandmother around the world can identify and name. Equally, it might be a car that typifies an era, or a car that had a massive influence on everything that came after, even if it wasn’t initially appreciated in its own time.

With the help of a few experts in the field, I’ve compiled this list of some of the most truly iconic cars ever designed. The list isn’t exhaustive – no such list could be – but it captures a flavour of some of the most outstanding car designs from the past century-plus. Some are iconic for their practicality, some for their innovative use of materials, some for their adoption by pop culture and Hollywood – and some, of course, for their sheer, face-melting speed.

For more automotive design goodness, check out our rundown of the best car logos of all time, and our ranking of the best adverts of all time also features a few car-centric standouts.

1. Austin Mini-Cooper S

When the British public was recently surveyed to find the nation’s favourite car design, you might have expected the results to return something like James Bond’s Aston Martin, or an extravagant Rolls Royce. Nope – the car the people voted for was none other than the Mini Cooper. And when you’re looking for a car design that counts as iconic, something that the vast majority of people are going to instantly recognise, the Mini Cooper is hard to top.

Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, Mini Cooper cars were first introduced in 1959 and became iconic symbols of the 1960s, helped in no small part by their starring role in daredevil car chases in the film The Italian Job (1969). The car became a symbol of fun and adventure, but was also incredibly practical – despite its small size, it still offered four seats thanks to a number of clever design choices. The engine was mounted sideways (or transverse) and the gearbox placed underneath it, while the small wheels were mounted as close to the corners as possible, maximising space in the centre.

Mini Cooper cars are such an iconic design that there have been many cameos and brand collabs – there’s even been a Pokemon version. However, my personal favourite Mini Cooper appearance is the car that Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne uses to evade his pursuers across Paris in The Bourne Identity (2002) (here, watch it again, it still whips). The way it nips through little alleyways, bumps down stairwells and dodges around the much less manoeuvrable police cars – it all just exemplifies what makes the Mini such a cool, adventurous car.

2. BMW i3

Lee Walton is an experienced designer and art director who works in the games industry, specialising in racing games. With a Masters Degree in Automotive Design, he also runs the blog autostyling, and his pick for the most iconic car design is the BMW i3.

“A future classic which changed the way cars look, but was vilified for being ugly at launch,” he says. “Ten years ahead of its time – new technology and design in all senses. A $1billion factory was built to construct it from carbon fibre, recycled fabrics and plastic bottles. One of the most radical and thorough projects in the history of vehicle design.”

An electric car from the era before electric cars were the new hotness, the BMW i3 was built with construction methods that took cues from high-end supercars, housing its passengers in a light but sturdy carbon fibre shell, with added aluminium structures. As Lee explains, there was even a version that could use a tiny internal combustion engine to recharge its own battery. Unfortunately, the car proved a commercial failure on release, as its relatively high production costs ran up against the widespread public perception that small cars should be cheap.

However, Lee points out that many of the things the i3 got right have made their mark on the world of car design. “The public is slowly realising how good these cars are,” he says. “We are seeing the styling of this car appear in ranges such as Kia and Hyundai, or nearly all smaller SUVs and crossovers in Europe and the world. The radical front end with solid grille, and triple colour schemes such as warm grey metallic, gloss black (bonnet/hood) and blue accents along the sills are now standard practice on many mass-market cars. All done first on the i3.”

3. Jaguar XJS

Amy Shore is an automotive photographer who has worked with the industry’s most instantly recognisable names, including Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, BMW and more. Her pick for the most iconic car is the one she owns herself – the hardtop Jaguar XJS.

“When it was first launched, it was considered too far forward in design, being released just one year after the curvaceous E-Type stopped production,” she says. “The buttresses that swoop from the roof to the rear lights were initially considered ugly, but have now become iconic in the design (and my personal reason for loving the design of this car).”

Like many great designs that have gone on to become classics, it seems like people just needed time to get used to it. “I think that the world missed the beauty of the XJS when it was first released but in recent years, opinions have started to shift and people have finally started to understand this cool, British power car in a whole new way,” Amy says.

Will this go on to be true for the infamous Jaguar rebrand of 2024, widely mocked on social media? Only time will tell – though we’ve been impressed by some of the designs that have been unveiled since the rebrand.

4. Porsche 911

Sleek, powerful, instantly recognisable, the Porsche 911 is “the car that even its manufacturer could not replace or kill off,” according to Lee Walton. “A car with such an iconic shape and character that it spawned an entire new industry of restomods (old cars remanufactured and modernised) fifty years after it first appeared.”

Originating in the 1960s, the Porsche 911 sports car inspires serious devotion in its fans, with many enthusiasts simply refusing to accept anything but the real thing, eschewing the legions of similar knock-offs. Its air-cooled design allowed it to carry less weight than water-cooled rivals, and its rear-seated engine provides a distinctive feel of power that other sports cars simply can’t touch.

5. Ford Model T

As the year 1999 drew to a close, the Global Automotive Elections Foundation held an election to determine the Car of the Century – the most influential and iconic vehicle of the past hundred years. Polling more than 100 automotive journalists and experts in the field, and conducting several rounds of voting, the election eventually ruled decisively in favour of the Ford Model T.

While to a modern eye the Ford Model T looks like something Mr Burns would drive, on its release in 1908 it felt like the future, as it quickly established itself as the first automobile that was affordable to the average middle-class American. Thanks to Ford’s pioneering of assembly-line production, the costs of making “Tin Lizzie” were significantly lower than those of handcrafted cars. As such, she became an American icon.

6. Volkswagen Beetle

Despite its infamous origins as the car of the Nazi party in the 1930s, the Volkswagen Beetle went on to completely reinvent its image and become one of the most distinctive and recognisable shapes of car in the world. In the 1960s, the Volkswagen Beetle became a symbol of Flower Power, as well as being immortalised as the Disney character Herbie in the long-running film series beginning with 1968’s The Love Bug.

As Lee Walton points out, this car was practically single-handedly responsible for creating one of today’s largest car manufacturers, following the regeneration of Volkswagen under the stewardship of British army officer Ivan Hirst in the aftermath of World War II.

Today of course it is better known as VW, with new versions of the Beetle still retaining those classic design elements having been released as recently as 2018. It also has one of the most recognisable logos in the automotive world – check out our recent rundown here.

7. 1936 Cord 810 Westchester sedan

Donald Pittenger runs the automotive styling blog Car Style Critic. His pick for the most iconic design is a car that arrived around the same time as the Beetle, but on the other side of the Atlantic – the 1936 Cord 810 Westchester sedan, an American car.

Donald explains that the front part of the design is the most significant, as is the case with most American designs in this period. He isolates it to four key factors:

1. “The ‘coffin-nose’, a rather angular hood that contrasts the strongly rounded front fenders – that contrast is important.”

2. “The parallel flanges that wrap around the outside of the engine compartment, covering the frontal air intake and (perhaps) head exhaust vents of the hood's sides – a strong, unique statement.”

3. “The forward positioning of the front axle line resulting in the leading edges of the fenders appearing significantly ahead of the front of the hood – resulting in a ‘racy’ aspect, not something static.”

4. “The separation of the front fenders from the hood/main body by narrow catwalks – very interesting relationships when viewed from behind.”

8. Lotus Esprit S1

Look, there was always going to be a James Bond car in here – we all knew that. But rather than going for the blindingly obvious, here’s a shout-out to Roger Moore’s wheels from 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, the Lotus Esprit S1. A sleek, manoeuvrable supercar, the Lotus Esprit was affectionately referred to by the film’s crew as “Wet Nellie” – and anyone who remembers the film will know exactly why.

“While the Lamborghini Countach has featured on bedroom walls for decades, and effectively defined what a supercar is to most people, the Lotus Esprit was a purer shape and lived on for longer,” says Lee Walton. “It was such a simple shape. It will always be remembered as a very believable submarine, carrying James Bond away from the bad guys.”

9. McLaren F1

Finally, we have a car that has repeatedly topped enthusiast polls since its creation in the early 1990s – the McLaren F1. “Still the fastest and greatest sports car ever created,” says Lee Walton. “Ironically a very logical and sensible design, based around superb packaging of three adults and luggage – in a strong but light carbon fibre monocoque. It could also do 256mph.”

It was the first production car to use such a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, in keeping with chief engineer Gordon Murray's vision of a car blending high performance with very low weight. Despite this, the F1 was also extremely safe, passing its crash tests with flying colours. It remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car ever built.