--- title: "What’s the Best-Looking F1 Car of the Last 75 Years?" date: "2025-05-13" modified: "2025-05-13" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/whats-the-best-looking-f1-car-of-the-last-75-years" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # What’s the Best-Looking F1 Car of the Last 75 Years? ![Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda line up before practice in their Ferrari 312T2 racers, Neither one would finish the race, French Grand Prix, Paul Ricard. (Photo by Giuliano Orzali/Klemantaski Collection/Getty Images)]() *\Klemantaski Collection\* The first-ever [Formula 1]() World Championship race was held 75 years ago today at [Silverstone](). The starting grid included some notable characters like a popular jazz musician and a Thai prince, some nobodies, and some names that we now associate with F1's greatest like Fagioli, Farina, and Fangio. The cars of the sport's early days were rudimentary but powerful, and most of all, they could handle Silvertone's 2.8 miles of high-speed corners and sharp bends with relative ease. Or perhaps it was the towering drivers who, unlike today's uber-healthy and uber-fit racers, were simply beefy daredevils with heavy cojones and a huge need for speed. Oh, and the average age among the 21 drivers from that historic day was 39 years old. After 2.5 hours of racing, 120,000 spectators (including King George VI, [Queen Elizabeth](), and Princess Elizabeth) saw Italian legend Giuseppe Farina win the British Grand Prix (also called the Grand Prix d’Europe) at the wheel of his beautiful Alfa Romeo 158, which was over a decade old at the time of the race. This got me thinking, in all 75 years of F1, what's the best-looking car of them all? It's probably impossible to choose just one, but maybe they can be broken up into periods or categories? Without further ado, here are my top three. ## Ferrari 312T Raced from 1975 until the end of the 1980 F1 season by heavy-hitting names like Niki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, Clay Regazzoni, Carlos Reutemann, and Jody Scheckter, it's hands-down one of the most special cars of the sport. Not just that, but it's brutish and beautiful. ![Formel 1, Grand Prix Brasilien 1977, Interlagos, 23.01.1977 Niki Lauda, Ferrari 312T2 www.hoch-zwei.net , copyright: HOCH ZWEI / Ronco]() *HOCH ZWEI* ## Jordan Mugen Honda I've waxed poetic about the coolness of the Jordan Grand Prix Buzzin' Hornets livery before, but seriously, look at it. Thanks for such a phenomenal-looking car, Eddie. ![BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 10: Testfahrten JORDAN MUGEN HONDA Saison 2000 Barcelona; Heinz-Harald FRENTZEN/GER Team JORDAN MUGEN HONDA (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images)]() *Andreas Rentz* ## McLaren-Honda MP4/4 Perhaps the most [iconic F1 car]() of them all, 'nuff said. ![1988: Ayrton Senna of Brazil in action in his McLaren Honda during the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa circuit in Belgium. Senna finished in first place. Mandatory Credit: Pascal Rondeau/Allsport]() *Pascal Rondeau* What do you think is the best-looking F1 car of them all? And while you're at it, what do you think they'll even look like when the sport's 150th anniversary comes around? *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()