2. Porsche 911-993 (1993)
If you took every evolution of Porsche's 911-993 that appeared over the years, this list would resemble a back catalogue for the German marque. But we're only allowing ourselves a single entry for each model. Every Porsche enthusiast has a favourite ? for some it's the RS 3.8, while for others it's the Turbo. Whatever your preference, there's no denying that between 1993 and 1997, the 911 ruled the supercar roost. Challenging yet rewarding to drive, 911s make every journey an event, and although none is cheap to run, they are immaculately, engineered and always dependable.

1. McLAREN F1 (1992)
If a flight from Italy to Heathrow had taken off on time in the summer of 1988, the McLaren F1 may never have seen the light of day. With time to kill, four passengers set to take that flight, McLaren directors Gordon Murray, Ron Dennis, Creighton Brown and Mansour Ojjeh soon began talking about cars. Within hours, they had the idea of building a road vehicle as a showcase for the company's considerable Formula One expertise. It was to become the McLaren F1 ? the finest and fastest sports car the world has seen. To say the odds were stacked against McLaren is a huge understatement. The company had never designed a road car, had no experience of production and was about to enter one of the toughest sectors of the market. The machine that emerged in May 1992 was a four-wheeled tribute to both McLaren's engineering skills and its determination not to deviate from the brief. What makes the F1 so revolutionary is its packaging. From the unique 'arrowhead' layout that puts the driver in the centre and passengers either side, to the innovative transverse gearbox, the F1 makes all its rivals look bloated. A carbon composite body and the absence of driver aids such as power?steering and traction control mean the F1 is light and strong. The engine ? a normally aspirated V12 ? is essentially a pair of BMW straight?sixes bolted together to produce 627bhp. It isn't only a pretty face, either; the McLaren F1 is 'yet' officially the fastest road car in the world, boasting a top speed of 240.1 mph.