Car and Driver
There are as many different styles in the automotive world as there are types of vehicles. And these schools of stylistic thought transcend body style and segment. “Menacing” describes a Lamborghini Aventador, but a Lexus NX’s angry mug, too. And a Rolls-Royce might be stately, but so is a Range Rover. But no matter the size or style of vehicle, or the guiding principle in its design, there are those special examples that combine proportions, surface treatment, and detailing to an unusually special degree. These are what we consider to be the 15 most beautiful cars for sale today. If you don’t agree, well, that’s the beauty of subjectivity.
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Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo’s pointy, shield-shaped grille may not be for everyone, but the Giulia wears it well and the rest of the car is truly gorgeous. This sport sedan is perfectly proportioned, with a long hood and a cabin set back toward the rear wheels, and the body surfacing and details are exquisite. And every Giulia shares the same good looks; Alfa Romeo doesn’t muck up the base models or reserve the choicest flourishes for the range-topping, high-performance Giulia Quadrifoglio. We think that the base Giulia’s tamer front and rear bumpers, lack of side vents, and additional chrome trim actually add to the design’s appeal.
- Rosso (Red) Competizione Tri-Coat Paint: $2200
- Dark Tecnico Wheels: $500
- Exposed Carbon Roof: $2000
Audi RS6 Avant/RS7
Audi’s latest V-8–powered RS cars offer similar below-the-beltline musculature with your choice of greenhouse and roofline. The RS6 Avant and RS7 look like their pedestrian A-level siblings on a steady drip of steroids, with every surface flexed and exaggerated. Both feature wider fenders and a lower ride height, lending them an aggressive but elegant presence on the road. The RS6 Avant is a welcome challenger to the Mercedes-AMG E63S at the top of the miniscule U.S. wagon market. Equally as elegant and perhaps even more sinister is the RS7, which trades the long roof for a sloping roofline and a more streamlined silhouette.
- Tango Red metallic: $595
- Black Optics Package: $2750
- Red brake calipers: $500
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
If any automaker knows how to make a beautiful car, it’s Aston Martin. The DBS Superleggera is both the brand’s newest model and the best expression of its current design language. While it is based on the DB11, the DBS’s bodywork is unique save for the roof. The whale shark–like grille design somehow isn’t too big, its yawning opening harking back to Astons of yore, and the squared-off rear, short front overhang, and wide fenders give it excellent proportions. The DBS’s more traditional detailing relative to the more futuristically styled DB11 further helps it earn the b-word descriptor.
- 21-inch gloss black twin spoke wheels: $5300
- Carbon fiber roof panel: $4545
- Yellow painted brake calipers: $1600
Bentley Flying Spur
As beautiful inside as its stately exterior suggests, the Flying Spur has amenities that could shame Air Force One. The newest edition of the Spur features more athletic styling than its predecessors, with creased, muscular haunches in the rear that flow into a handsomely sculpted, square-jawed front end. Inside, each and every nuanced detail has been taken into account. From the rich leather swaddling nearly every touchable surface, to the genuine wood trim, and knurled metal switchgear, this aristocrat exudes class.
- Beluga White paint: $6090
- Naim for Bentley audio: $8800
- First Edition Specification: $44,735
Bugatti Chiron
Bugatti’s Veyron, while striking and undeniably iconic thanks to its record-setting top speed, was not necessarily an attractive car. To many it was stubby, bulbous, and weird-looking. While only incrementally faster, its successor, the Chiron, is a whole lot prettier. The design is more aggressive, with larger air scoops and vents. The whole rear end is practically one big mesh grille with taillights stuffed into its void. Each side of the car is dominated by a C-line that curves around the doors and visually splits the body into two distinct sections; this demarcation doubles as the color division for the Bugatti’s available two-tone paint jobs. It’s all very purposeful and dramatic. And beautiful. Especially the Pur Sport.
Ford GT
Ford updated its GT supercar for the 2020 model year, and with it came the option for a body in completely naked carbon fiber. That comes at a steep price compared to the GT’s $500,000 base, though, adding about 50 percent to the sticker. As gnarly as the exposed carbon looks, we’d choose the updated and modernized Gulf Racing Heritage livery Ford GT rolled out at the same time.
- Frozen White paint
- Lightning Blue Stripes
- Blue painted calipers
Koenigsegg Gemera
Equal parts android and stealth fighter jet, the Gemera is Koenigsegg’s first 4-seater hypercar and it boasts a hybrid powertrain with a total output of 1677 horsepower. The reason for the Gemera’s spot on this list though lies not in that insane amount of power or torque, but in its exotic physique. The Gemera looks like something out of a sci-fi film, it has swooping curves, buttress-integrated exhaust exits, and stalk-mounted cameras for side mirrors. And don’t forget the cockpit’s jetfighter-like wraparound glass, the big, Tesla-like infotainment screen, or the long, sweeping dihedral synchro-helix doors that swing up and push out for ingress and egress. As it sits, the Gemera is one of the most intriguing cars on the market with a combination of attributes that simply aren’t offered together in one package from anywhere else, much less with four seats.
Lexus LC
The outrageous Lexus LC began life as a similarly wild-looking 2012 concept car that Lexus had no plans to build. Four years after that show car debuted, it made a nearly edit-free transition to production. The LC’s classic grand tourer proportions are just the beginning, embellished with a dramatic hourglass grille, squinting headlights, spectacularly wide and muscular rear fenders, and roof that appears to float thanks to blacked-out C-pillars. Minimalist the Lexus’s design is not, but we think its sci-fi detailing adds to the car’s beauty. For 2021, Lexus will add a convertible to the lineup, and it looks at least as stunning as the coupe.
- 21-inch forged wheels: $2650
- Heads-up display: $900
- Touring Package: $5290
Maserati MC20
As Maserati reinvigorates its identity, it is in desperate need of a halo car to showcase that work. The absolutely stunning mid-engine MC20 is the car to do it. Apart from its powerful twin-turbo V-6, the MC20 differentiates itself from other cars of its ilk through its smooth edges. The MC20’s body looks as though it was shaped by the air of the development wind tunnel, and because of that, it boasts uninterrupted lines and contours that flow across the body with a purpose—like feeding the artfully sculpted roof and side vents. If you’re looking for the sharp angles of the Aventador, you’ll be hard pressed to find any on this Italian beauty.
- 20-inch Birdcage Wheels: $1500
- Blue Painted Brake Calipers: $1200
- Black Roof: $4000
Mazda 3
The previous-generation Mazda 3 already was one of our favorite designs on the market, but Mazda’s all-new 3 is even better. Keep in mind, this is an affordable, right-sized car, albeit one with sophisticated body panels shaped to use light to their advantage. Creases and body lines are held to an absolute minimum. The 3’s shark nose pairs surprisingly well with the sedan’s curving roofline and nicely sculpted trunk, and again, we should remind you that this is a compact front-wheel-drive sedan that drives like anything but. We understand that the 3 hatchback, which has a curiously thick C-pillar and sports a severely raked rear window, might appeal to a narrower subset of the public, but we dig it.
- Polymetal Gray metallic: $0
- Red leather: $0
- Illuminated door sill trim plates: $0
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan
In keeping with its history, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan remains smooth and subtle, but prominent styling cues better define the model’s lineage—all while maintaining its position as the brand’s pinnacle of new technology. From the outside, the new S-Class appears far more athletic than its predecessor, as if all the excess sheet metal were whittled away, swept back, and pulled tight over the pronounced styling lines running the length of the hood and body panels where they were previously much flatter. Inside, the transformation is even more notable, two large screens comprise the instrument panel and infotainment, and much of the cabin is appropriately covered with leather and wood trappings. If the sedan looks this good, we’re excited to see how the new styling befits the coupe and cabriolet.
- Night Package: $400
- Designo Diamond White paint: $795
- 20-inch AMG multi-spoke wheels with black inlays: $950
Polestar 1
Volvo and China’s Geely are extremely unlikely parents for a new performance brand, but Polestar is here and focused not only on performance, but design. The company’s first effort, the Polestar 1, bears a passing resemblance to a high-style Ford Mustang but with a cleaner simplicity to its lines. It’s certainly different to see Volvo design language used on a flagship coupe like this, but damn does it work well.
- Osmium matte: $5000
- 21-inch Diamond Cut wheels: $0
- Charcoal with zinc seats: $0
Porsche 911 Carrera S
There are few examples throughout the Porsche 911‘s history of bad design. Surely somebody loves the 996-generation’s scrambled-egg headlights, and the ’80s 911s’ bumpers could have been better, but the rear-engined sports car has consistently qualified as beautiful. The new 992 generation is the most streamlined 911 yet, all big hips, smooth edges, and clean lines. It represents a wholly modern take on the classic 911 theme, but Porsche tossed some retro 911 touches in for good measure, including the squared-off hood and the full-width taillights.
- Guards Red paint: $0
- Guards Red Seatbelts: $540
- Manual Transmission: $0
Porsche Taycan
Arguably the best looking EV to date, the Porsche Taycan provides hope for aesthetes in an electric future. Like the Panamera, the Taycan has four doors, but it has a trunk instead of a hatch and looks as if a 911 were melted and stretched. Even the newly streamlined Panamera seems staid in comparison. The Taycan pulls its design directly from the Mission E concept and lost very little of that jaw-dropper’s specialness. Smooth curves, low stance, and wide hips make for a great combination. If all EVs looked like the Taycan, our arms would be open a little wider for them.
- Mamba Green metallic paint: $0
- 21-inch Mission E wheels: $3570
- Wheels painted in Saturn Aurum: $1290
- Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) with Calipers in Yellow: $5580
Volvo V60
Since being sold to Geely in 2010, Volvo has elevated its styling from quirky Swede to modern chic, establishing a standout style even among the distinct personalities in the luxury space. The Volvo V60 is not only an example of Volvo’s stylistic resurgence, but also its dedication to building attractive wagons. The V60 looks like a scaled down V90, and that’s not a bad thing considering its larger sibling—while even more beautiful and premium—is only a special order in the U.S., making it a rare sight on public roads.
- Bursting Blue metallic paint: $695 (not pictured)
- Exterior Styling kit: $1615 (not pictured)
- 19-inch 5-triple spoke wheels: $800 (not pictured)
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