15 Iconic Race Cars That Will Get You Feeling Nostalgic

1. McLaren MP4/4

This Honda-powered, red and white Marlboro-liveried machine dominated the 1988 Formula 1 season. Ayrton Senna just beat his team-mate Alain Prost to the title, and collectively they won 15 of the 16 races that year.

2. Audi Quattro

The Audi Quattro was a hugely successful car in the World Rally Championship’s epic Group B era. Featuring its now famous white and yellow livery, it was developed into an aggressive-looking machine as regulations changed. Between 1981 and 1987 it won two constructors’ titles, two drivers’ championships, 23 rallies and even Pikes Peak.

3. Lotus 79

The iconic black and gold car was the first to take full advantage of ground effect aerodynamics in F1, pioneered in its predecessor, the Lotus 78. It changed the sport and was pretty successful too, taking seven wins, 10 pole positions, one drivers’ title (Mario Andretti) and one constructors’ championship.

4. Subaru Impreza 555

This was the car all motorsport fans wanted in the 1990s. Sporting its well know blue and yellow livery, it was the machine that turned around Subaru’s WRC fortunes by winning three consecutive manufacturers’ titles between 1995 and 1997. The late Colin McRae also took the 1995 drivers’ championship.

5. Mercedes-Benz W196

Whether it was sporting the beautiful “Type Monza” bodywork or not, the W196 was a stunning machine. It was also very, very fast, winning nine of the 12 races it entered and two drivers’ championships in 1954 and 1955. One chassis was sold at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed Bonhams auction for a staggering £17.5 million.

6. Porsche 956

The Group C prototype won the overall Le Mans 24 Hours race four consecutive times between 1982 and 1985. It is one of the most successful prototypes ever produced, and the car also holds the Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record – 6 minutes and 11.13 seconds by Stefan Bellof during qualifying for the 1983 1000 km of Nürburgring.

7. Williams FW14B

The Adrian Newey-designed FW14B was raced by Williams in 1992, sporting the iconic blue, yellow and white Canon livery. Nigel Mansell won nine races at the wheel of the car and took the drivers’ title, with Riccardo Patrese’s one victory helping the team to the constructors’ crown. It remains one of F1’s most dominant and famous cars.

8. McLaren F1 GTR

The GTR was the racing version of McLaren’s bonkers F1 supercar. It is most famous for winning the overall Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995, beating prototype entries. The car also won the BPR Global GT Series twice as well as finding success in several other categories. To celebrate its Le Mans win, a GTR was recently taken for an epic thrash around Mid Ohio.

9. Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

Arguably the most iconic car of the touring car scene in the late 1980s, the brilliant Sierra Cosworth RS500 was as loud as it was good looking. It was hugely successful in a number of different categories and was also used as a rally car too.

Several different versions of the GT40 were raced in the mid-to-late 1960s, with the car taking Le Mans victories four times – in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 (the latter being the most famous). With its Gulf colour scheme, stunning looks and incredible speed, it’s no surprise the car has become so iconic.

11. Maserati 250F

This beauty raced in 46 F1 races between 1954 and 1960. The car won eight races and contributed to Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 title success before he made a mid-season switch to Mercedes. The Argentine returned to Maserati for 1957 and won his last championship. Sir Stirling Moss once said it was the best front-engined F1 car he drove.

Arguably the greatest estate car ever created, it wasn’t particularly successful, but became iconic through its appearance in the 1994 British Touring Car Championship. The unique, unusual machine scored a best result of fifth and a highest qualifying position of third before being replaced by a much less cool saloon version.

13. Lotus 49

Designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe and in the classic green and yellow Lotus colours, the 49 won on its F1 debut in 1967 with the great Jim Clark at the wheel. It was incredibly advanced for its time and continued to be developed and raced through to 1970, taking two drivers’ and two constructors’ titles.

14. Lancia Stratos

The Stratos remains one of the most successful cars in WRC history, winning titles in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977. 18 victories in the series between 1974 and 1981 have cemented its status as a legendary machine in the sport and it was the first to be designed specifically for WRC. Plus, how cool did it look in that white and green livery?

15. Mazda 787B

The 787B was a favourite amongst motorsport fans and is best known for being the car to bring Japan its first Le Mans win in 1991, with Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler beating Mercedes and Jaguar with the rotary-engine prototype. The result proved once again that it is not always the fastest car that wins the famous 24-hour race.

Obviously this is just a small selection of motorsport’s best and most famous race cars. What others do you think we have missed? Let us know in the comments!