Classic & Sports Car Presents.. Legends

We’ve dug into the best from the pages of C&SC over the past 15 years to compile our ultimate collection of features celebrating the rich history of the sports-car genre.

Pulling this together was no easy job, given the popularity of these classic cars, so we set ourselves some rules.

First, it had to have an open top: the wind in your hair is one of the key pleasures of a traditional roadster. And ideally only two seats – a sports car is a selfish indulgence, and all the better for it.

There are a few exceptions to both of these, but our third rule was non-negotiable. Forget practicality, and never mind big power outputs, heady top speeds and rapid 0-60 times: the key feature of each and every one of the 70-plus machines featured here is that it was designed with a singular purpose in mind – the pursuit of pure driving pleasure.

Starring everything from pre-war machines, through the Swinging ’60s, then continuing into the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, we are charting the evolution of this much-loved genre via mass-market models, niche offerings and some you might’ve forgotten. There’s something for everyone.