Race Car of the Century

Motor Sport readers have voted the Lotus 49 as the Race Car of the Century, with almost 10,000 having their say on the greatest racing car of the past 100 years.

Colin Chapman’s masterpiece marked the debut of the Cosworth DFV engine, which was installed as part of the car’s chassis — a layout that has endured ever since. It won on its 1967 debut in the hands of Jim Clark, raced to the 1968 title, and was still competing in 1970.

In a close-run vote, the F1 Lotus pipped Porsche‘s legendary 917 sports car. It was followed in the results by the McLaren MP4/4, which dominated the 1988 F1 season, ahead of the iconic Subaru Impreza.

The shortlist of cars was chosen from every significant racing car that has featured on our pages in the past century, from Bentley’s Le Mans-conquering Speed Six to today’s hybrid F1 cars, Formula E machines and even autonomous racers.

Scroll down for the full shortlist, or click below to read more on the victorious Lotus 49

Race Car of the Century: Lotus 49

More from Motor Sport‘s centenary celebrations

Read more

Race car of the Century candidates

1920s Bentley Speed Six The Bentley Boys’ Le Mans-winning beast Read more	1930s Mercedes W154 Silver Arrow that delivered a formidable GP winning streak Read more

1940s Ferrari 166 Le Mans, Targa Florio, and Mille Miglia victor Read more	1950s Jaguar D-type The groundbreaking Le Mans winner Read more

1960s Lotus 49 Revolutionary car with era-defining engine Read more	1970s Porsche 917 Endurance racing’s monster Read more

1980s McLaren MP4/4 F1 car that won 15 races out of 16 Read more	1990s Subaru Impreza Rally car that defined the 1990s Read more

2000s Audi R8 The car that changed endurance racing forever Read more	2010s Red Bull RB9 F1 machine that sealed the team’s first dominant era Read more

More from our Race car of the Century partners