Which car company has made the most great cars?

[CraigRT]

I'd probably go with Ferrari honestly..
So many classic designs.

F40
250
355
512
550/575
599

I'm sure there are lots more.. I think each and every one of those cars is incredible.

 

[roguerower]

+1 for Ford.

While Jaguars are beautiful, I would call them far from great. To me, a company that is great has the following attributes:

(a) Longevity. Ford was founded in 1903, Jaguar in 1922

(b) Production Capacity. Ford produced almost 5mil cars in 2010. Jaguar/Land Rover's full production capacity is 240,000 (Source: http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=WJnBsn6/wXI=)

(c) Ownership. Ford is still owned by the Ford Motor Company, 108 years later. Jaguar has been owned by BLMC, Ford, and now Tata. Your "UK" company is owned by the Indians.

(d) Spectrum of Production. Ford produces compacts, sedans, SUVs, and trucks. Ford currently produces 15 models in the US alone. Jaguar currently produces 3 different types of cars, worldwide.

(e) Motorsport involvement. Ford is involved in F1 racing, stock car racing, rally racing, touring. Jaguar does not currently have any official presence in motorsports and has not since 2004.

You can continue to try to cling to your miscontrued idea that Jaguar is the greatest manufacturer, but you are sadly mistaken. You are confusing iconic with great, and while jaguars are certainly the former, the company is by no means great.

 

[Elfear]

That is because you picked a manufacturer and pretty much listed every car they made that was even halfway decent. If we all did that we would essentially have a huge thread of every half decent car ever made, and there are tons of them. Elfear's post is a perfect example, and I would argue that in my definition of greatness, his list makes more sense than yours.

We all get it man, you are a proud Brit, that's a good thing to love your country. Hearing it over and over again in thinly veiled threads gets a little old. Yes, I could just as easily avoid your threads (actual posts would be impossible since you have a shotgun posting style) and be on my way, but it does kind of bug me when you drag cars into it, because I love cars.

I personally would never be able to say whether or not a car is great unless I had owned one. Yeah, cars can look great in numbers, in sheetmetal, on the track, but true greatness for me is a formula that involves those things as well as everyday livability.

So maybe you are getting so few responses with lists of cars because so few are taking this thread seriously?

+1

HAL - I think almost all auto manufacturers have made some great cars and it is a lesson in futility to try and say "Who had the most greats". Everyone has an opinion. Most of the cars on your list aren't all that good looking IMO but I'm sure you would say the same thing about my list. And that's okay.

You can't make a claim like you do and then disagree with everyone when they have a different definition of what "great" means.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Camaro
Chevelle
Malibu
Mako Shark
Impala (60's)
Nomad
Bel Air
Corvette
GTO
Solstice
CTS-V

I'm going to remove some of those because they are garbage and/or don't really cut it as great cars. I'm also removing the Firebirdy and the Trans-Am as they are essentially just Camaros anyway. I'm also removing the Sky because it is a Solstice.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Ferrari > Jaguar

 

[HAL9000]

+1 for Ford.

While Jaguars are beautiful, I would call them far from great. To me, a company that is great has the following attributes:

(a) Longevity. Ford was founded in 1903, Jaguar in 1922

(b) Production Capacity. Ford produced almost 5mil cars in 2010. Jaguar/Land Rover's full production capacity is 240,000 (Source: http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=WJnBsn6/wXI=)

(c) Ownership. Ford is still owned by the Ford Motor Company, 108 years later. Jaguar has been owned by BLMC, Ford, and now Tata. Your "UK" company is owned by the Indians.

(d) Spectrum of Production. Ford produces compacts, sedans, SUVs, and trucks. Ford currently produces 15 models in the US alone. Jaguar currently produces 3 different types of cars, worldwide.

(e) Motorsport involvement. Ford is involved in F1 racing, stock car racing, rally racing, touring. Jaguar does not currently have any official presence in motorsports and has not since 2004.

You can continue to try to cling to your miscontrued idea that Jaguar is the greatest manufacturer, but you are sadly mistaken. You are confusing iconic with great, and while jaguars are certainly the former, the company is by no means great.

You misread my post. I'm not talking about great companies I'm talking about a company that made the most great cars.

 

[JulesMaximus]

+1 for Ford.

While Jaguars are beautiful, I would call them far from great. To me, a company that is great has the following attributes:

(a) Longevity. Ford was founded in 1903, Jaguar in 1922

(b) Production Capacity. Ford produced almost 5mil cars in 2010. Jaguar/Land Rover's full production capacity is 240,000 (Source: http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=WJnBsn6/wXI=)

(c) Ownership. Ford is still owned by the Ford Motor Company, 108 years later. Jaguar has been owned by BLMC, Ford, and now Tata. Your "UK" company is owned by the Indians.

(d) Spectrum of Production. Ford produces compacts, sedans, SUVs, and trucks. Ford currently produces 15 models in the US alone. Jaguar currently produces 3 different types of cars, worldwide.

(e) Motorsport involvement. Ford is involved in F1 racing, stock car racing, rally racing, touring. Jaguar does not currently have any official presence in motorsports and has not since 2004.

You can continue to try to cling to your miscontrued idea that Jaguar is the greatest manufacturer, but you are sadly mistaken. You are confusing iconic with great, and while jaguars are certainly the former, the company is by no means great.

Actually, Ford is not involved in F1 racing at present.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You misread my post. I'm not talking about great companies I'm talking about a company that made the most great cars.

Um, Ferrari has made way more great cars than Jaguar.

 

[HAL9000]

Um, Ferrari has made way more great cars than Jaguar.

I disagree. Feel free to present me with a list of their truly great cars and If I agree I'll change my mind.

 

[KentState]

I disagree. Feel free to present me with a list of their truly great cars and If I agree I'll change my mind.

250
250GTO
Dino
308
F40
Testarossa
Enzo
599 GTO
F430
458 Italia
California

 

[roguerower]

Actually, Ford is not involved in F1 racing at present.

Ah, thank you for correcting me. they got out of it when they sold jaguar.

 

[HAL9000]

250
250GTO
Dino
308
F40
Testarossa
Enzo
599 GTO
F430
458 Italia
California

I agree with a lot of them, not all, but a lot. But that list is 12 Cars, my list was 13.

Also the 308 I'd swap with the 355. And not a fan of the Testarossa

 

[KentState]

I agree with a lot of them, not all, but a lot. But that list is 12 Cars, my list was 13.

Also the 308 I'd swap with the 355. And not a fan of the Testarossa

The difference between my 12 and your 13 is that everyone I listed is a distinct car unto itself. You have duplicates like the XK and XKR. I would also not consider the current cars to be great as they are very average among competitors. That leaves your list at 10 if not less.

 

[HAL9000]

The difference between my 12 and your 13 is that everyone I listed is a distinct car unto itself. You have duplicates like the XK and XKR. I would also not consider the current cars to be great as they are very average among competitors. That leaves your list at 10 if not less.

I haven't got the XK and the XKR.... There aren't any duplicates in my list.

 

[KentState]

I haven't got the XK and the XKR.... There aren't any duplicates in my list.

Meant XK and XK8.

 

[HAL9000]

Meant XK and XK8.

Well they are different cars.

XK8:

XK:

 

[JulesMaximus]

250
250GTO
Dino
308
F40
Testarossa
Enzo
599 GTO
F430
458 Italia
California

I would add the following:

275 GTB
166 MM
512 (although a race car this is just a beautiful car)
365 GTB/4

 

[Elfear]

I'm going to remove some of those because they are garbage and/or don't really cut it as great cars IMO.

Fixed.

Come on. This is a completely subjective list. "Great" is a rather nebulous term so if someone wants to define greatness as a sweet disco dash, then the Trans Am makes the list. If someone wants to define greatness as small and cute, then I guess the Smart Fortwo would fit the bill.

I'm thinking Hal's criteria are island-manufactured and boringly named. :biggrin: I kid, I kid. I really like some of Hal's choices. Jaguar's new lineup is dead sexy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Fixed.

Come on. This is a completely subjective list. "Great" is a rather nebulous term so if someone wants to define greatness as a sweet disco dash, then the Trans Am makes the list. If someone wants to define greatness as small and cute, then I guess the Smart Fortwo would fit the bill.

I'm thinking Hal's criteria are island-manufactured and boringly named. :biggrin: I kid, I kid. I really like some of Hal's choices. Jaguar's new lineup is dead sexy.

I can agree with that. The Chevy Vega though? Come on! :whiste:

BTW-I've spent the last 30 minutes searching for a 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider and I only found one for sale for $14k and it is kind of rough and right hand drive. It is dead sexy though.

 

[Pariah]

250
250GTO
Dino
308
F40
Testarossa
Enzo
599 GTO
F430
458 Italia
California

Ok, I think it would have been easier for you to list the Ferrari's you didn't think were great. Some of those are debatable, the Testerossa was just awful, and is not debatable. It's also rather dubious to pick a manufacturer that sells cars that cost 10x or more what the other candidates here are producing. Is the 458 an engineering marvel? Absolutely. Does the base MSRP of nearly $190,000 significantly detract from its credentials for being a great car. IMO, yes.

One of Ford's great cars, the Mustang, can be had in GT trim for around $30,000. Is the 458 six times better at anything than the Mustang? What Ford has done with the Mustang for $30,000 bringing great performance to the masses is far more worthy of greatness than what Ferrari has done. Doing more with less is more deserving of praise than doing more with more.

 

[Pariah]

Jaguar's new lineup is dead sexy.

Not all of it.

I do agree it has improved significantly overall though. Probably because the guy designing them used to work for Aston Martin and you can definitely see the similarities in design philosophies. Before this current generation, going back 20+ years I have hated the look of basically every Jaguar except the XJ220. They've all either been forgettable or just ugly.

 

[HAL9000]

Not all of it.

I do agree it has improved significantly overall though. Probably because the guy designing them used to work for Aston Martin and you can definitely see the similarities in design philosophies. Before this current generation, going back 20+ years I have hated the look of basically every Jaguar except the XJ220. They've all either been forgettable or just ugly.

I've always loved the XJ and the XK8 was a beautiful car

 

[HAL9000]

I can agree with that. The Chevy Vega though? Come on! :whiste:

BTW-I've spent the last 30 minutes searching for a 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider and I only found one for sale for $14k and it is kind of rough and right hand drive. It is dead sexy though.

I can definitely get behind Ferrari or Alfa as another answer

 

[Elfear]

I can agree with that. The Chevy Vega though? Come on! :whiste:

BTW-I've spent the last 30 minutes searching for a 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider and I only found one for sale for $14k and it is kind of rough and right hand drive. It is dead sexy though.

I only put the Vega on the list because that's the car that made me a car guy (family friend had a '72 with a 350hp small block). The 70'-73' models look like mini Camaros, they were light-weight, and had a big engine compartment. Obviously the 458 Italia and a slew of other cars look much better, but for the budding 16-yr old car enthusiast, the Vega was a great car.

 

[darkswordsman17]

+1 for Ford.

While Jaguars are beautiful, I would call them far from great. To me, a company that is great has the following attributes:

(a) Longevity. Ford was founded in 1903, Jaguar in 1922

(b) Production Capacity. Ford produced almost 5mil cars in 2010. Jaguar/Land Rover's full production capacity is 240,000 (Source: http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=WJnBsn6/wXI=)

(c) Ownership. Ford is still owned by the Ford Motor Company, 108 years later. Jaguar has been owned by BLMC, Ford, and now Tata. Your "UK" company is owned by the Indians.

(d) Spectrum of Production. Ford produces compacts, sedans, SUVs, and trucks. Ford currently produces 15 models in the US alone. Jaguar currently produces 3 different types of cars, worldwide.

(e) Motorsport involvement. Ford is involved in F1 racing, stock car racing, rally racing, touring. Jaguar does not currently have any official presence in motorsports and has not since 2004.

You can continue to try to cling to your miscontrued idea that Jaguar is the greatest manufacturer, but you are sadly mistaken. You are confusing iconic with great, and while jaguars are certainly the former, the company is by no means great.

Ownership in a modern corporate share world is pretty silly. I really don't know how that even impacts the argument, as Jaguar's cars while being owned by Tata are some of the best they've ever made.

Production capacity, who cares? Sure its more impressive to do that with more cars, but I guess that means Ferrari and Porsche don't count since they're far behind even Jaguar.

Longevity. This one is probably the most baffling. You're knocking Jaguar for 19 years later when its been around for close to 100 years?

I get that your point is Ford vs Jaguar, but half of your points don't really matter much if at all.