Most iconic British-built cars of all time are revealed in new survey – and the top pick may take you by surprise
THE Mini Cooper has been voted the most iconic British-built car of all time, according to a new survey.
Forget Bentley and leave out Lotus, the British car we’re most proud of is the classic little Mini.
The original Mini was designed for British Motor Corporation by Sir Alec Issigonis and first hit the streets in 1959.
But it was in the swinging sixties in Britain that it became an icon and its legendary appearance in The Italian Job cemented its position as a global classic.
The research found that a third of Brits (27%) feel affection towards the small motor, placing it ahead of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (23%), James Bond’s Aston Martin DB-5 (22%) and even the Jaguar E-Type (22%).
Jaguars appear in the top 40 list seven times making it the nation’s favourite car brand, with the XJ6 MK1 (9%), XK120 (9), MK2 (9%), F-Type (8%), XF (6%) and F-Pace (5%) all being considered among the best British cars ever built.
Fifteen-per-cent of the 2,000 Brits surveyed chose the Morris Minor as their favourite British built car, while 15% love the Aston Martin DB11.
A further 13% went for the Land Rover Defender, according to the survey, commissioned to celebrate the 100th episode of TV show Bangers & Cash which airs on Thursday 19 April at 8pm on TV channel Yesterday.
Ford Escort MK1 (13%), Ford Cortina MK1 (13%), Aston Martin Vanquish (13%), Rolls-Royce Dawn (12%) and Triumph Stag (12%) also have places in the nation’s heart.
Derek Mathewson from Bangers & Cash said: “The research shows that there is a lot of affection and love for the Mini Cooper even now, and rightly so.
“It was a bit of a revolutionary design when it first arrived, and although it actually started quite slowly the fact that it sold upwards of 5.3 million and represented the British car industry on a global scale for so long is no surprise to me.
“Sixty-five years later, the Mini Cooper is still held in high regard and has proven itself to be a popular choice over the years.
“We’ve seen a fair few come through the auction on Bangers & Cash, some in better condition than others, it has to be said, but all of them have at one time been cherished and come with some great personal stories with them.
“We found a rare Cooper S in a shed in our first ever episode and we get a Mini Mayfair out of a barn in our 100th episode which is a great way to round of our century.”
As a nation we love our cars so much that over half (53%) see their car as part of the family, with the average Brit feeling affection towards four cars in their lifetime.
Eighty-one-per-cent think it is normal to love a car like it is part of the family, even going so far as to feel sad (68%) when they’ve had to get rid of it or trade it in.
The Mini Cooper is still held in high regard and has proven itself to be a popular choice over the years.
Derek Mathewson
In fact, almost half (45%) go so far as to name their cars with Baby (8%), Speedy (7%), Flash (6%), Beast (6%) and Betty (6%) the most popular names across the country.
Eighty-four-per-cent agree that their car expresses their style and personality.
Our love for our four wheels goes so deep that 57% admit they can get jealous of a family member or friends’ car, while 61 per cent secretly judge people based on their choice of car.
Seven in ten (71%) agree that buying a vehicle is as important a purchase as buying a house, with the average Brit taking five months to mull over, research and decide which make and model they want to get.
Cost (70%), mileage (55%), age of the vehicle (51%), full-service history (45%), insurance (44%), colour (40%) and engine size (39%) are the most important factors when buying a car.
One in five (17%) always look at the number of scratches, while 16 per cent won’t even consider buying it if it doesn’t have a sat nav.
The nation’s love of Mini’s run so deep that 31% of the 2,000 surveyed said that world famous car chase in 1969 film, The Italian Job was their favourite car chase in cinema history.
The police chase in The Fast and Furious (21%), the tube scene in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job (19%) and the iconic race through San Francisco in Bullitt (12%) also get our gears going.
The most iconic British-built cars, according to drivers:
1. Mini Cooper – 27%
2. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost – 23%
3. Aston Martin DB5 – 22%
4. Jaguar E-Type – 22%
5. Morris Minor – 15%
6. Aston Martin DB11 – 15%
7. Land Rover Defender – 13%
8. Ford Escort MK1 – 13%
9. Ford Cortina MK1 – 13%
10. Aston Martin Vanquish – 13%
11. Rolls-Royce Dawn – 12%
12. Triumph Stag – 12%
13. Bentley Continental GT – 10%
14. Jaguar XJ6 MK1 – 9%
15. Land Rover Discovery Series 1 – 9%
16. Jaguar XK120 – 9%
17. Jaguar MK2 – 9%
18. Ford GT40 – 8%
19. McLaren F1 – 8%
20. Austin Healey 3000 – 8%
21. MGB – 8%
22. Range Rover Evoque – 8%
23. Jaguar F-Type – 8%
24. Triumph Herald – 8%
25. Land Rover Freelander – 8%
26. Jensen Interceptor – 8%
27. Ford Sierra – 8%
28. Lotus Esprit – 8%
29. Delorean DMC-12 – 7%
30. McLaren P1 – 6%
31. Lotus Elan MK2 – 6%
32. Jaguar XF – 6%
33. McLaren 570S – 6%
34. Austin Seven – 6%
35. Jaguar F-Pace – 5%
36. Rover SD1 – 5%
37. Vauxhall Viva – 5%
38. Lotus Elise – 5%
39. Caterham/Lotus Seven – 5%
40. AC Ace/Cobra – 4%