Germany has produced some of the greatest all round cars of all time. But could you pick the definitive top ten?
10 Ruf CTR Yellowbird
Poster child for insane German tuning industry. Beat the Ferrari F40 to first production car with 200MPH top end. ‘Nuff said.
9 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL 6.9
The most outrageous S-class borrowed the 6.9-litre engine from the vast Pullman limo. James Hunt had one, and stored it on bricks when he couldn’t afford the tax
8 Auto Union V16
Legendary, terrifying, Hitler-sponsored racers with over 500bhp: it took decades for post-war Formula 1 cars to get close
7 BMW 507
Albrecht Goertz’s iconic design was early proof that the reborn German car industry could do gorgeous as well as good
6 Volkswagen Golf GTi
Groundbreaking hot hatch, and still sensational to drive. We’ll have ours in Mars red, please
5 BMW E39 530d
Arguably — pound-for-pound — the best car Germany has ever made because it so comprehensively eclipsed its rivals
4 Volkswagen Beetle
Where it all re-started for the German car industry after the war; the original stayed in production in Mexico until 2003
3 Benz Patent Motorwagen
Innovative wagon from the early years of internal combustion. Look out for the AMG version!
2 Porsche 911
Of course it has to be in this list, but which do you pick? An early seventies, 2.4-litre 911S is arguably the sweetest of the lot
1 Porsche 917
Like Wagner on four wheels. Count Rossi’s road-registered version is possibly the coolest thing ever to wear number plates
from .influx.
