Among car enthusiasts, there’s an everlasting debate about which car is the most beautiful of all time. Is it the Jaguar E-Type, the Lamborghini Miura or the original Citroen DS? It’s impossible to get a real answer but the team at Autocar figured they’d give it a try and named their top 100 most beautiful cars of all time. Surprisingly, five BMW products made the list and some of them honestly weren’t expected.
The list starts at 100, the least beautiful car in the top 100, and makes its way to the number one most beautiful car in history. So let’s take a look at the BMW products on the list.
73. BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe
This one isn’t too much of a surprise but it’s still nice to see on the list. The 6 Series Gran Coupe is easily one of the very best looking BMWs of the modern era. It’s a stunning, sleek four-door “coupe” that seems to look better and better with each passing year. While its successor, the 8 Series Gran Coupe, is a great looking car in its own right, it still isn’t as pretty as the original.
58. MINI Cooper
While this one isn’t technically a BMW, it was still designed by the BMW Group. When BMW reintroduced the MINI to the market, it was a masterclass in redesigning a classic. Not only was it instantly recognizable as a Mini but it also looked modern (at the time) and still looks good today. The revived MINI Cooper will be just as much of a classic as the original in the future, simply because of its design.
51. BMW i8
We’re actually a bit surprised to see the BMW i8 on this list. The i8 is a stunning car and a masterful design but it’s not exactly beautiful, in the traditional sense. It’s a fascinating and awe-inspiring but beautiful? Autocar certainly thinks so. Personally, the BMW i8 is one of my favorite modern designs but even I’m not sure it’s beautiful. However, it sits shockingly high on this list, which is a testament to its impressive design.
24. BMW 3.0 CSL
This is no surprise. The BMW 3.0 CSL is a breathtakingly beautiful car. It features classically beautiful sports car proportions, clean lines and a lovely greenhouse design that not only looks fantastic but is also inviting as a driver. The original CSL-badged car is one of BMW’s best looking cars in its own history and apparently Autocar feels it’s one of the most beautiful cars of any brand in history.
20. BMW 507
If we were making a list of the most beautiful BMWs of all time, it’d be hard to not place the 507 at the tippy top of the list. The BMW 507 was one of the most beautiful cars when it was new in the ’50s and it’s still one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Its proportions are gorgeous and its details are equally so. The 507 has an unmistakable design and one that was even inspiration for one of BMW’s other great looking cars, the Z8.