Top Ten Race Cars Since 1950

Cool post! I’d love to see a 917 some day in iRacing.

Where’s the Cobra???

512bblm? 365 daytona?

is this list a joke? Chevrolet Impala SS as the second best car since 1950? I gotta say iRacing is a great sim but lacks lots of credibility trying to make their stuff look nice!
This list is a big joke1

awesome lol glad theres two nascars on the top

Hey Felipe, Did you not read? He said the list is in no particular order. Also, these cars are HIS favorite, not iRacing! Read the post. Your comment about iRacing’s lack of credibility trying to “make their stuff look nice”, doesn’t even make sense. And a joke? Whaaaat? Actually the only thing funny are your remarks. Geez! LMFAO!!! But, I did enjoy Sean’s list of his opinions on the top 10. Nice posting Sean.

Cool list. I certainly don’t agree with all of them, but this is YOUR list after all. Thanks for sharing.

@ Ken +1!

THAT! Is a proper top ten list. Ooorah.

The Porsche 962 definitely deserves a spot on that list. As does the Ford GT40. And how about Penske’s Mercedes-Benz powered Indycars of the early 90’s? Total domination there.

Provocative list. Like everyone else, not all of these would have made my top ten — for sure the Lotus 70 and the Merc, but where’s the Ligier Indy car But seriously, I like the out-of-the-box thinking on the Audi and Miata, and the effort to include lots of disparate cars.

I am constantly amazed that people do not include the Mclaren MP4/4 on lists like this. I realize these are simply your favorites but come on. I mean this car won all but one race that season and was so dominant that the sponsors started telling them to slow down to make the races more exciting (true story from Ron Dennis).
#2 and #10 I have to admit I dont understand. You are essentially saying that you liked the Nascar field those years because all of those cars are basically the same. Nascar stamped out innovation a long time ago.

WOW this list is HORRIBLE!!!!!!! No Porsche 956/962?!?!?!? The Greatest race car of ALL TIME!!!!

69 Penske/Donahue Sunoco Z/28 Camaro, followed closely by the 83-88 Monte Carlo SS.

I’d add the Williams FW14. Maybe not for it’s dominance but I believe it represents the pinnacle of what F1 is. I’m not really a porch fan… but yeah, you gotta add the 962 also . For rally I don’t think one should forget the Lancia Stratos.

I dunno about the ‘98 Monte Carlo. Did it even win anything other than the 500? I’d have put either the Brawn BGP001 or the Red Bull RB5. I don’t really think stock cars can fit into this list.

Ahh, yes…. Thank you Paul.

You simply must add the Sunoco and Yenko camaro’s along with Parnelli Jones’s Boss Mustangs. You should probably throw the AMX in there too. GREAT series.

I keep thinking of more… You can’t forget the Escort Mk-I. I mean really… it really launched Colin McRae’s career as I understand it.

Uhm, Nissan IMSA GTP?

Any list of the world’s greatest-looking race cars must include:

1. Dan Gurney’s Eagle-Weslake
2. Phil Hill’s 1961 “shark nose” Ferrari
3. Johnny Rutherford’s 1980 Indy 500-winning Pennzoil Chaparral
4. Bentley Speed 8 that won 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours

A good start. As others mentioned already, the Porsche 956/962 deserves more love. Great call on the MP4/4 as well. I’d add the Chevron B8 and Mclaren M8 series, BMW 3.0 CSL, and a long list of Porsche 911 customer race chassis. All of these were not only beautiful and successful race cars, but also had long racing histories, making them inarguably iconic.

USAC/Indy/CART/ChampCar had a healthy constructor history at one point, but it’s not something I know much about. Would love to hear about iconic cars from those series. Seems like the March/Cosworth combination was pretty dominant in the ’80s.

These are his fav cars, stop bashing jeez.

I would of had the Mazda 787b on there and the Corvette C5-R. Near complete domination from the moment it entered ALMS and more or less made the GT1 class disappear.

We need a Lotus 49 in iRacing please

No Indy Roadster

One thing wrong, Dale SR didn’t drive for DEI, that was a Richard Childress car.

Everyone forgot the Cessna 182…man it flies!;-)

Thanks, SidiousX – changed.

I nominate the Dallara IC 03/09 IndyCar (the current one):
This car featured one of the greatest and most spectecular open wheel races EVER, it is doing a very fantastic job on the ovals and of course it is / was a great seafty innovation letting so many drivers walk away after terrible crashs – sadly not all.

What is the difference between JJ’s 2009 #48 and Tony Stewart’s 2009 #14?
Answer – Driver and team.
But I thought this was about top ten cars? These NASCAR Spec mobiles do not belong here.

One that does however is the Audi R10 Prototype. I couldn’t agree more with Schumi’s 2002 F2002. That thing was so dominant it made me sick

HAHAHAHA! Really? I mean REALLY??? Yikes! This is HORRIBLE LIST! Almost makes me want to drop my membership.

I think whomever wrote this needs to do a little more research.

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that won Bobby Isaac the NASCAR Grand National Championship with in 1970 and the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird that Pete Hamilton won the 1970 Daytona 500 with. Winged cars were so good NASCAR had to write rules to specifically ban them.

However, for the sake of the blog… I will create a list of my own and post it as soon as I can.

Any list that is posted will be the subject for discussion, and there have been good points raised in the comments. The 962 was indeed a dominant car, as was the MP4/4. However, a McLaren that was dominant but overlooked so far was the M8 series of Can-Am race cars. Also, the Audi R8 and R10 cars could be worthy of a top ten list. And the Ford GT 40s were stout in their heyday.

A great list. I think the Birdcage Maserati is a possible contender, and perhaps a 57 Vette for it’s innovative engine and fuel injection. Another possibility that comes to mind is the Chapperals.

Thanks for the revisit to memory lane Sean.

Nothing about the Thunderbolt from the 60’s? What about the Dodge Daytona? figures its mainly roadie cars…

Awesome list of cars!, i vote for the Porsche 917 and the Lotus 49 for season 3 please
I’d add additional race cars like the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, etc to the list

Yeah… a “9. 1991 SPEC MIATA” is not one of the best cars from 1950. This man must be racing them himself.
I understand that this is his opinion but this list is still about 50% stupid with NASCAR cars in the top 10 when there are no Lancia Stratos or Audi R8 (from Le Mans of course).
I think that if you want to publish a list as serious as this (60 years range) you should look much more serious into what you’re doing not just smack what you think is “cool”.

i’m preety much new and i was wondering if i could get some facts about i racing if anybody can help me that would be great

i need help and some tips

umm also adding to ther comment by russ the audi r15 and soon to be the aston martin P1 car (cant remember full name)

The Ford GT40 would fit nicely here because it won like 3 straight 24 hours of LeMans. So would teh Bentley Speed 8 because that car broke Bentley’s curse at LeMans. What about Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird?

@Skylar

this isn’t iHungry… it’s iRacing. thanks for sharing.

The Audi R8 and R10 certainly belong on this list, after winning Le Mans 8 times in 10 years. The Bentley was basically a prototype for the R10 without the diesel engine. Seeing these cars in iRacing would go a long way toward getting me to subscribe.

cool, I like your recomendation… Johnny

the adjustable, high-winged hall-sharp chapparal racing 2E is as significant an advancement as any single car anyone has mentioned. and it was so cool to see it running away from the pack in its all-white livery. no doubt, the very dominant audi prototypes should receive serious consideration…as should one of the many offenhauer-powered, indy roadsters.

I love the Ferrari F2002 I wish Schumacher was still in Farrari

E30 M3 Top 10 Period….

I second the R10 – when they change the rules to just compete with you – you must be on to something

Anyone for the Indy Roadsters of the 50’s & 60’s? (AJ Foyt,Roger Ward,Jim RathmanJim Hurtubise for example). Listening to those cars and races on radio is what embedded motor-sports in a LOT of our brains….

“One thing wrong, Dale SR didn’t drive for DEI, that was a Richard Childress car.
March 31st, 2010 at 3:53 pm”
SidiousX
Sid it didnt say anything about it being a DEI car.The headline over the car states it was an RCR car……………….

Yes, yes, and yes again to a Lotus 49 in iRacing!

We will get there one-day. Once we have a larger subscription base that allows the team freedom to play with fielding niche’ cars like the ‘49 it will be amazing.

“Shivers down my spine recalling the good-old days of Grand Prix Legends”.

For me, it’s the Stone Brothers Racing Ford BA Falcon of 2003/04 of Marcos Ambrose, when he was still kicking butt in V8Supercars. What a beast!

Next best would be the FW14B Williams/Renault F1 cars of 1992 driven by Nigel Mansell. What a dominate car, and the 80s and 90s was a great era for F1 racing.

where is the lancia stratos or delta?

porsche 911?
bmw m3 ?
corvette
gt40

Where is Richard Petty’s 1974 charger? The kings favorite car, not on the list? Somethin’s wrong here.

Ok you guys dont know cars for your life. That kid that said that nascar specs shuldnt be on there well its the setup not the team. And same goes with Schumacher

My top 10
Porsche 935
Porsche 956
Porsche 911 (any year really)
Toyota GT1
Peugeot 908
Mazda 787b
McLaren MP4/4
Williams FW14
Lotus 49
Ferrari F40
McLaren F1
Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III
Holden Torana A9X

OK thats more than 10 and I haven’t even started with 90s BTTC or 60s sports cars

id have put the ferrari f2004 and williams fw25

when do we get these cars and races from the golden days when race cars had personality and identidy

c’mon… 1988 Mclaren Honda F1

Replace Jimmie Johnson’s car with Jim Chaparral’s 1970 2J “vacuum car”. Good racecar builders create lasting designs, truly great builders like Jim have their designs banned by the sanctioning body the following year

whoops, should read “Jim Hall’s Chaparral 1970 2J”…long night