Considering how contentious a discussion over the definition of the term “supercar” can be, trying to figure out which supercar is the greatest of all time seems like it would be more or less impossible. Nevertheless, according to a poll conducted for this year’s Classic & Sports Car Show in Great Britain, it’s not even a contest: the McLaren F1 was voted the Greatest Supercar Ever.
To which we say: Whoa, now.
Now, we have no quarrel with the methods behind the poll here. According to Autocar, a whopping 30 percent of the roughly 17,000 votes went for Gordon Murray’s groundbreaking 1990s-era supercar, beating 21 other contenders from a list that included vintage icons like the Ferrari F40 and Ford GT40 alongside modern marvels such as the Bugatti Veyron and the Pagani Zonda.
Nor do we have any complaints with the McLaren F1 itself. The supercar’s incredible engineering, wild design, and still-remarkable top speed of 243 miles per hour have clearly earned the F1 its place in the highest echelon of the automotive kingdom. It’s absolutely deserving of high praise, and it’s clearly a worthy contender for the king of the supercars.
But still…when we hear that a poll conducted for a British car show—one created named after a well-known British magazine, might we add—picked a British car as the greatest supercar of all time, we can’t help but wonder just how unbiased the respondents were.
And let’s face it, the list of supercars that the pollsters offered up (which we’ve included below) is woefully inadequate. Where’s the Porsche 959, or the 918 Spyder? Where are Koenigsegg’s modern-day monsters, like the Agera One:1? And do the Metallurgique Maybach and Bentley 4 ½ liter really deserve a place on this list over the likes of a Duesenberg SJ?
But enough from us. What do you think—does the McLaren F1 really deserve the title of “Greatest Supercar Ever?”
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Classic & Sports Car’s Contenders:
Mercedes 1908 GP
Metallurgique Maybach
Bugatti Type 43
Bentley 4 1/2-litre Blower
Bugatti Type 57SC
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900
Ferrari 166 Barchetta
Jaguar XK120
Mercedes 300SL “Gullwing”
Ferrari 250GT SWB
Lamborghini Miura
Ford GT40 road car
Lamborghini Countach
Porsche 911 Turbo (original)
Ferrari F40
Ferrari 288 GTO
McLaren F1
Jaguar XJ220
Pagani Zonda C12
Bugatti Veyron
McLaren P1
Ferrari LaFerrari