There was a time when Formula 1 cars were elemental and dangerous, yet stunningly beautiful, machines. The Maserati 250F may well be the pinnacle of the form, an extremely light, remarkably powerful machine with clean lines and singleness of purpose. Just look at it and marvel at its simplicity and beauty. The car competed in 46 grands prix between 1954 and 1960, with Juan Maneul Fangio and Stirling Moss among its most illustrious drivers.

Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, 1954. Photo Daimler

The utterly seductive Mercedes-Benz W 196 R looks modern even now. The sleek, streamlined version of the W 196 open-wheeler raced in 1954 and ’55 and won 75 percent of its races. That’s the great Juan Manuel Fangio on his way to victory at the French Grand Prix in 1954. His teammate, Hans Herrmann, took second. The only privately owned W 196 R sold for more than £20 million last year.

The Lotus 25, which raced in Formula 1 and the Indianapolis 500, epitomized Colin Chapman’s “simplify, then add lightness” ethos. Flickr/ Bas Bloemsaat

Colin Chapman was a trailblazer, and the Lotus 25 was the first monocoque chassis in F1, a design that created a significantly stronger, lighter and rigid car. Matched with the venerable Coventry Climax engine and Jim Clark at the wheel, the 25 won the World Championship in 1963 and 1965 and also competed in the Indy 500. We absolutely love British racing green, and few cars of the “cigar tube” era were so potent or, to our eye, so beautiful.

Mario Andretti in the pioneering Lotus 78, 1978. Photo Lotus

Yes, another Lotus. Chapman was a brilliant engineer, and the Lotus 78 was among his most innovative designs. It was the first car to use the Bernoulli principleof fluid dynamics to control air moving over and under the car. That nifty trick essentially sucked the car to the ground, creating incredible grip and allowing the car to corner faster–while also reducing drag. The Lotus 78 influenced every F1 car that followed. Even without that, it would be on this list because the livery is damn gorgeous.

The Tyrrell P34, which elicited shocked gasps from the audience when it was unveiled in 1976. Photo: Smudge 9000/Flickr

The 1970s were a period of great experimentation, and the Tyrrell P34 was among the craziest, most innovative cars of the era. The idea was simple: Four 10-inch front wheels instead of two standard wheels would improve aerodynamics and traction and look completely awesome. Others had experimented with the design, but only Tyrrell raced one. The P34 was moderately competitive in 1976 and brought Jody Scheckter a win at the Swedish Grand Prix. The car fattened up the following year and tanked, in large part because Goodyear stopped developing the tires. The rulesmakers eventually banned cars with more than four wheels, and the P34 was the last of its kind.

Aytron Senna, making it look easy in the McLaren MP4/4 at Monza, 1988. Photo Sutton Images/Corbis

To our eye, the cars of the late 1980s and early 1990s are the prettiest of the aero era, with crisp lines, clean styling and purposeful simplicity. Of them, the McLaren MP4/4 is our favorite. The car thoroughly dominated the 1988 season, winning 15 of 16 races and taking pole position 15 times at the hands of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Rarely has beauty, speed and dominance come together in so sharp a package as the MP4/4.

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Ivan Capelli, in the gorgeous Leyton House Racing CG901, 1990. Photo: Pascal Rondeau/Getty

Adrian Newey is the mad genius and one reason Red Bull Racing is utterly dominant. The Leyton House CG901 was one of his very first designs, and shows the tidy packaging and sublime aerodynamics he is famous for. It was, frankly, a dog of a car and unreliable to boot, but it is astoundingly beautiful.

Rubens Barichello leading teammate Michael Schumacher in the amazing Ferrari F1-2004 of 2004. Photo Ferrari

The Ferrari F1-2004 was one of the most successful racing cars ever built. With the incomparable Michael Schumacher and his sidekick Rubens Barichello driving, Ferrari won 15 of 18 races during the 2004 season, took 12 pole positions and set a slew of lap records–many of which still stand. It also brought Schumacher his fifth consecutive world title and Ferrari its sixth consecutive constructor’s championship. A great car, with a pair of great drivers. Forza, Michael.

Lewis Hamilton, lighting them up in the McLaren MP4-23 of 2008. Photo by Sean Dempsey/AP

No F1 car was ever so crazy as the Tyrell P34, but the McLaren MP4-29 of 2008 comes close. It is the pinnacle of the aero-above-all ethos of the aughts, and so singular in purpose that it takes on a certain beauty. It helps that the car is slathered in chrome paint, and that Lewis Hamilton drove the wheels off of it. The car helped him earn the World Championship.

The retro-licious Williams FW36 of 2014, resplendent in old-school Martini livery. Photo by Williams Martini F1

Don’t get us wrong: This season’s cars are ugly. But Williams did the best it could with the new rules to create an elegant car, then wrapped it in classic, yet modern, Martini livery. This is our pick for the most beautiful car of 2014. Williams, a storied and once strong team, has struggled of late, but we hope to see this car on the podium more often than not.

SIMILAR GALLERIES

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Stirling Moss, long before he was knighted, at speed in the Maserati 250F in 1955. Photo: Klemantaski Collection//Getty

There was a time when Formula 1 cars were elemental and dangerous, yet stunningly beautiful, machines. The Maserati 250F may well be the pinnacle of the form, an extremely light, remarkably powerful machine with clean lines and singleness of purpose. Just look at it and marvel at its simplicity and beauty. The car competed in 46 grands prix between 1954 and 1960, with Juan Maneul Fangio and Stirling Moss among its most illustrious drivers.

Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, 1954. Photo Daimler

The utterly seductive Mercedes-Benz W 196 R looks modern even now. The sleek, streamlined version of the W 196 open-wheeler raced in 1954 and ’55 and won 75 percent of its races. That’s the great Juan Manuel Fangio on his way to victory at the French Grand Prix in 1954. His teammate, Hans Herrmann, took second. The only privately owned W 196 R sold for more than £20 million last year.

The Lotus 25, which raced in Formula 1 and the Indianapolis 500, epitomized Colin Chapman’s “simplify, then add lightness” ethos. Flickr/ Bas Bloemsaat

Colin Chapman was a trailblazer, and the Lotus 25 was the first monocoque chassis in F1, a design that created a significantly stronger, lighter and rigid car. Matched with the venerable Coventry Climax engine and Jim Clark at the wheel, the 25 won the World Championship in 1963 and 1965 and also competed in the Indy 500. We absolutely love British racing green, and few cars of the “cigar tube” era were so potent or, to our eye, so beautiful.

Mario Andretti in the pioneering Lotus 78, 1978. Photo Lotus

Yes, another Lotus. Chapman was a brilliant engineer, and the Lotus 78 was among his most innovative designs. It was the first car to use the Bernoulli principleof fluid dynamics to control air moving over and under the car. That nifty trick essentially sucked the car to the ground, creating incredible grip and allowing the car to corner faster–while also reducing drag. The Lotus 78 influenced every F1 car that followed. Even without that, it would be on this list because the livery is damn gorgeous.

The Tyrrell P34, which elicited shocked gasps from the audience when it was unveiled in 1976. Photo: Smudge 9000/Flickr

The 1970s were a period of great experimentation, and the Tyrrell P34 was among the craziest, most innovative cars of the era. The idea was simple: Four 10-inch front wheels instead of two standard wheels would improve aerodynamics and traction and look completely awesome. Others had experimented with the design, but only Tyrrell raced one. The P34 was moderately competitive in 1976 and brought Jody Scheckter a win at the Swedish Grand Prix. The car fattened up the following year and tanked, in large part because Goodyear stopped developing the tires. The rulesmakers eventually banned cars with more than four wheels, and the P34 was the last of its kind.

Aytron Senna, making it look easy in the McLaren MP4/4 at Monza, 1988. Photo Sutton Images/Corbis

To our eye, the cars of the late 1980s and early 1990s are the prettiest of the aero era, with crisp lines, clean styling and purposeful simplicity. Of them, the McLaren MP4/4 is our favorite. The car thoroughly dominated the 1988 season, winning 15 of 16 races and taking pole position 15 times at the hands of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Rarely has beauty, speed and dominance come together in so sharp a package as the MP4/4.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ivan Capelli, in the gorgeous Leyton House Racing CG901, 1990. Photo: Pascal Rondeau/Getty

Adrian Newey is the mad genius and one reason Red Bull Racing is utterly dominant. The Leyton House CG901 was one of his very first designs, and shows the tidy packaging and sublime aerodynamics he is famous for. It was, frankly, a dog of a car and unreliable to boot, but it is astoundingly beautiful.

Rubens Barichello leading teammate Michael Schumacher in the amazing Ferrari F1-2004 of 2004. Photo Ferrari

The Ferrari F1-2004 was one of the most successful racing cars ever built. With the incomparable Michael Schumacher and his sidekick Rubens Barichello driving, Ferrari won 15 of 18 races during the 2004 season, took 12 pole positions and set a slew of lap records–many of which still stand. It also brought Schumacher his fifth consecutive world title and Ferrari its sixth consecutive constructor’s championship. A great car, with a pair of great drivers. Forza, Michael.

Lewis Hamilton, lighting them up in the McLaren MP4-23 of 2008. Photo by Sean Dempsey/AP

No F1 car was ever so crazy as the Tyrell P34, but the McLaren MP4-29 of 2008 comes close. It is the pinnacle of the aero-above-all ethos of the aughts, and so singular in purpose that it takes on a certain beauty. It helps that the car is slathered in chrome paint, and that Lewis Hamilton drove the wheels off of it. The car helped him earn the World Championship.

The retro-licious Williams FW36 of 2014, resplendent in old-school Martini livery. Photo by Williams Martini F1

Don’t get us wrong: This season’s cars are ugly. But Williams did the best it could with the new rules to create an elegant car, then wrapped it in classic, yet modern, Martini livery. This is our pick for the most beautiful car of 2014. Williams, a storied and once strong team, has struggled of late, but we hope to see this car on the podium more often than not.

(Be sure to click “full size” for the full experience.)

There’s no denying that this year’s crop of Formula 1 are, well, let’s say aesthetically challenged. They’re so bad it makes us long to see the Williams F1 “walrus nose”car racing again. This isn’t entirely the designers’ faults; they had to work around a slew of new rulesmeant to increase safety and competitiveness. The result is a grid full of cars that look like proboscis monkeys. Or anteaters. And the Ferrari looks like an aardvark.

That sound you heard is the ghosts of Colin Chapman laughing and Enzo Ferrari sobbing.

There was a time, though, when Formula 1 cars didn’t all look the same, and designers somehow managed to meld great beauty with raw speed. Today’s cars are faster than ever, but they don’t make the heart skip like the Mercedes-Benz W 196, a car that seemed ripped right from the pages of a 1950s sci-fi comic. Neither do they break new ground, like the Lotus 78, or push the bounds, like the six-wheeled Tyrell P-34.

From the seductive Maserati 250 F to the retro-licious Williams FW-36, here are our picks for the most beautiful F1 cars ever built. We’ve probably overlooked your favorite, so share your picks in the comments.