Auto Trader's Top 10 Iconic British Cars

    OXFORD, ENGLAND, December 23, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Latest research by Auto Trader, from its 35 year heritage and beyond, has identified the British cars that have become icons of the automotive world. Some were very individual in their design, some were unique and many set new standards that influenced following generations of cars.

Jon Quirk, editor-in-chief of Auto Trader, said: "The British car industry has been enjoying a well deserved revival of late. The recent Paris Motor Show in particular saw British manufacturers out in force, stealing the limelight from the host marques, with a showcase of world-beating products. With new models from Bentley, Land Rover and McLaren, as well as the official debut of the stunning Jaguar F-Type sports car, things have never looked better. If, like us, you're a fan of British cars but feel that a deposit on a McLaren P1 would stretch the budget somewhat, it's worth considering some of Britain's past automotive triumphs."

Auto Trader's Top 10 list of iconic British cars is:

The Mini
Sir Alec Issigonis's miracle of front-wheel-drive packaging launched in 1959 has been the template for nearly every compact road car since.

Aston Martin DB5
Dubbed 'the most famous car in the world', thanks to its link to James Bond, the 1963 DB5 put Aston Martin on the map as the maker of the definitive GT car.

Triumph Stag
Launched in 1970, Britain's answer to the class-dominating Mercedes SL, the convertible Triumph Stag's performance and styling by Michelotti earned it a sizeable following in the UK.

Range Rover
From humble beginnings as a utilitarian mud-plugger in 1970, the Range Rover has evolved into a symbol of ultimate luxury, favoured by everyone from royalty to rappers.

McLaren F1
The fastest ever production road car for many years, the no-compromise 1998 McLaren F1 was the first ever carbon-fibre bodied car famously with an engine bay lined with gold leaf to deflect heat from its engine.

Jaguar E-Type
The secret of the E-Type's success was in its value. Launched in 1961 it had the performance and touring credentials of contemporary Ferraris and Aston Martins, but cost around a third of the price.

Reliant three-wheeler
The 1962 Reliant's fame is largely down to a starring role as Del Boy's company car in 'Only Fools and Horses' and as Rowan Atkinson's automotive nemesis in 'Mr. Bean'.

Lotus 7
Faithfully following Lotus founder Colin Chapman's philosophy of 'simplify and add lightness,' the 1957 Lotus 7 embodied the lightweight performance ethos that put British sports cars on the map.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Ford's reputation for creating affordable performance machinery was cemented in 1992 with the famous Escort RS Cosworth, following on from the similarly iconic Sierra Cosworth.

AC Cobra
The AC Cobra was created in 1962 when US automotive legend Carroll Shelby approached British based automotive manufacturer AC, requesting it build a race car around Ford's V8 engine.

About Auto Trader:
Auto Trader is the UK's number one motoring digital marketplace to sell your car with over 11 million monthly unique users, carrying out over 120 million searches on more than 410,000 new and used vehicles. Over 2.5 million people access Auto Trader via their mobile devices every month, through the mobile-optimised site and apps developed for iPhone, iPad and Android. Auto Trader is part of Trader Media Group. For more information, visit www.autotrader.co.uk.

Trader Media Group is Europe's largest specialist multi-media group and supplier of leading automotive marketing products and services. Brands included in the Trader Media Group stable include: Auto Trader, Deltapoint, RAZSOR, 2nd Byte and Autotrade-mail. Trader Media Group operates in the UK, Ireland and South Africa and is jointly owned by Guardian Media Group and Apax Partners. For more information, visit www.tradermediagroup.com

For further information, please contact:
Andrew Andersz
Trader Media Press Centre
Tel: +44 (0)1865 342104
Email: [email protected]

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