1956 Lotus 11
Colin Chapman's genius distilled into one of his most beautiful — and dangerous — racing cars. Like most Lotuses, the Eleven's strength lay in its weakness: Its light weight and intelligent suspension design gave it both astounding speed and intimidating fragility.
Go here to vote! 1960 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB
The trick to spinning the Spyder's odometer back to what Cameron's dad memorized? Run the car in reverse with its rear wheels in the air. Just try not to launch it into the ravine, huh?
Go here to vote! 1965 MG MGB GT
The MGB GT might not have the most powerful engine in the world, or the best electrical system, or even much room inside its cockpit, but the looks are what get you: The car often called "the poor man's Aston Martin" was sex and a half on a budget.
Go here to vote! 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The first Trans Am was $725 option that received no promotion or advertising at its launch. With ram-air induction, blue racing stripes, and 442 lb-ft of torque, it wasn't subtle, and only 697 were built. It was an inauspicious beginning for one of the most legendary muscle-car badges on the planet.
Go here to vote! 1971 AMC Javelin AMX
AMC was just beginning to make bad decisions in 1971, but the Javelin AMX wasn't one of them. Bigger and more powerful than its predecessor, the '71 AMX came with a 355-hp, 401-cubic-inch V-8. Mark Donohue drove one in the Trans-Am, which makes it OK in our book.
Go here to vote! 1971 Chrysler Plymouth GTX
Arguably the meanest of Chrysler's "fuselage" models, the GTX was the last of the honest-to-God muscle cars. Its optional 426 Hemi made 425 hp at a time when emissions regulations strangled Chevrolet's Corvette to just 270 hp.
Go here to vote! 1971 De Tomaso Mangusta
"Mangusta" is Italian for "mongoose," an animal that eats cobras, but the Mangusta didn't take down a lot of Shelbys. Its flexible backbone frame and 32/68 front/rear weight distribution added up to notoriously tricky — albeit grin-inducing — handling.
Go here to vote! 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Eastbound and down, Sally Field in the passenger seat, slide ass-first around every corner and jump every humpbacked bridge. Don't even think about driving one without a cowboy hat and a real man's mustache.
Go here to vote! 1977 Saab 99 Turbo
When Saab paired the then-novel turbocharger with its quirky 99 hatchback, it created a monster. If you can stand the 99's legendary lag, you'll be rewarded with a healthy dose of front-wheel-drive shove. The blueprint for all great Saabs that followed, and the peak of the marque's 1970s glory. Go here to vote! 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio Verde
Despite having a nearly three-decade run, the Alfa Romeo Spider wore essentially the same Pininfarina styling its whole life. The Spider Quadrifoglio Verde, introduced at in the mid-1980s, came with 130 hp, a duck-tail spoiler, special aero bits, and a distinctive removable hard top.
Go here to vote! 1986 Honda CRX Si
Virtually perfect handling, a sub-2000-pound curb weight, and a cheeky demeanor: The first generation of Honda's manic, front-wheel-drive snotrocket is also the best.
Go here to vote! 1986 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165
A locking differential, all-wheel drive, a six-speed manual, and 265 hp courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four: The ST165 doesn't sound like your run-of-the-mill Toyota, and that's because it wasn't. In 1990, with the help of driver Carlos Sainz, it became the first Toyota to win the World Rally Championship.
Go here to vote! 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
After winning forty consecutive British touring-car events, the Ford Sierra Cosworth was effectively banned from competition. The RS500 is the barely streetable, Tickford-built homologation version of that car. Gobs of power and a massive spoiler were standard.
Go here to vote! 1988 Holden Commodore SS Group A SV VL
The VL-chassis Commodore was offered in many guises, but the SS Group A SV — a Group A homologation special, natch — was the tackiest, most potent of the bunch. Tom Walkinshaw Racing had a hand in the car's aerodynamics and drivetrain, and the 5.0-liter, 241-hp V-8 under the hood made short work of Aussie highways. Just 750 were built.
Go here to vote! 1989 Ford Taurus SHO
A cult classic, the 1989 Ford Taurus SHO sports a much-loved, 220-hp, Yamaha-developed V-6 and a manual transmission. It is that rarest of 1980s sedan beasts: one that doesn't stink.
Go here to vote! 1990 Subaru Legacy RS-RA
A turbo flat four and a WRC vibe you could buy in showrooms: The Legacy RS gave Subaru its first win in international rallying — thank you, Colin McRae — and it set the template for more than a decade of Scooby showroom success. Impreza STI, this is your daddy.
Go here to vote! 1990 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185
Solidifying Toyota's mid-'90s WRC dominance, the ST185 was the first homologation-special Celica to be sold to the public. It was also the first Toyota to compete in Castrol's iconic red, white, and green livery.
Go here to vote! 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Forbidden fruit in America, the '92 Escort RS Cosworth is a pocket rocket of the highest order. The 2.0-liter four between the front wheels was rated at 224 hp, but enterprising tuners can easily raise that number. The Cosworth's awesomeness was only supplanted by that of the second-generation Ford Focus RS.
Go here to vote! 1993 GMC Typhoon
Pair one GMC Jimmy and one turbocharged, 4.3-liter, 280-hp V-6, and you have a supertruck capable of outsprinting a Ferrari 348 to 60 mph. The sister model to the hot-like-love GMC Syclone.
Go here to vote! 1994 Vauxhall Corsa GSi
Although the early-'90s Corsa is one of the dopiest European hatchbacks in existence, the GSi was nevertheless a Must Steal item if you lived on a housing estate in Liverpool in 1995. The 1.6-liter, 108-hp four under the hood let you easily outrun the rozzers' Astras, and the bodywork was as under-the-radar as hot hatches get.
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