The car was built for speed, and the aerodynamics served the purpose of not getting in the way of that end. Today, this museum piece is sought after by aficionados for its grace, its genius of design, and top-notch craftsmanship.

12. Acura NSX

It’s iconic of the 90s in its less-than-graceful lines—a blockiness oddly reminiscent of early computer graphics. But it was built to be a street-legal racecar, to perform, and that it does. With a 3.2L engine and a six speed manual transmission, this model offers a blend of speed and sensibility.

It gets up to 22 miles per gallon, and isn’t temperamental like many of its purebred cousins if you can’t open it up on the track. While some might enjoy it purely for its looks, it’s aged with grace because that was never the primary focus of design.

13. Audi S8

Audi, another relative of the Volkswagen German automotive tradition, has been putting this panther of a four-door sedan on the streets since 1994. The S8 followed two years later in 1996.

Perhaps, in addition to high-level craftsmanship under the hood and a sleek bodyline that draws the eye, Audi can be credited with being the first to introduce an aluminum chassis in a sedan model. This increases the effective power of the car, and allows for weight distribution to be allocated elsewhere. Say ‘thank you’ to our friends at Audi for consistently providing eye candy with functionality and power.

14. BMW M3

The M3 is a part of the 3 series designed by BMW—a line that’s been in production since 1985. Only in 2013 did the company decide it was time to move on to the 4 series. The “M” denotes special status to this signature car model series—designs proposed and implemented by an in-house team.

Over the years, this line has served our most vivid conceptualizations of both “good guys” and “bad guys” in cinematic tropes. But everyone wants a piece of the action, so even those shadowy, liminal spy characters will slide behind the wheel of one of these titans of the automotive haut-monde.