Greatness is defined. The biggest problem with putting together the Great Cars issue is a bunch of people who have different opinions on what makes a great car.
It can be the effect of a specific car. It’s hard to argue against the statistics. Sometimes it’s a more detailed take on greatness that gets our vote.
The Lotus 72 was one of the most successful cars in Formula 1 history, with two drivers’ titles and 20 grand prix victories. The direction of F1 cars all the way through to the advent of the ground-effect era was defined by that.
The Lotus 72 is also our cover car, with Ricardo Santos’s brilliant illustration showing what we feel is the definitive take on a classic design: Ronnie Peterson, 1973, and those morally dubious but evocative John Player Special colors.
The PSA 905 Group C prototype is a car that we like. Nine wins from 17 starts, including two victories in the 24 Hours of LeMans, show that. It was quicker than most of its F1 competitors.
Swift was a contender in the late 1990s. Four wins in three seasons doesn’t make for a watertight case. The greatness of the 007.i, 008.c and 012.c comes from the “how” and not just the “what.” An American junior open wheel manufacturer wants to challenge itself at the highest level in North America against the might and experience of Reynard. We think that’s nice. We chose it as our choice.
We also looked at the current F1 turbo-hybrid era and decided 2020’s Mercedes F1 W11 was best of the breed — not just for the stats, but because of the way its designers found ingenious advantages, despite working with a rule book seemingly built to snuff out innovation. F1’s turbo-hybrids get a major makeover in 2026, which has lured in Audi. With a track record at Le Mans of pioneering diesel tech and taking the first hybrid win in 2012, can it raise the bar with its F1 designs, too? If so, it could be a future candidate for our Great Cars issue…
Beyond the issue theme, there is plenty of other great reading, including insight on Formula 1’s driver chain reaction involving Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
Add in a look at how IMSA’s GTD and new GTD PRO classes are playing together, an interview with MotoGP winning machine “Pecco” Bagnaia, and a meet-up with NASCAR rising star Noah Gragson, and we think you’ll enjoy a deeper dive.
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