Podcast: Autosport@70 - choosing the greatest sportscar of all time
Autosport debates the greatest sports-racing car of all time in the latest of our special series of podcasts to celebrate our 70th birthday
The first issue of Autosport magazine appeared on 25 August 1950 and as part of our celebrations we have taken on the challenge of selecting the greatest competition cars from each of the major international categories.
Our panel of experts will debate the most successful and important machines. The first episode was on grand prix cars, with rally machines, touring cars, Indycars and junior single-seaters still to come, but this episode is all about the type of cars that have battled it out in the Le Mans 24 Hours and other major endurance events.
The winner from each episode will progress to a grand final, where we will select Autosport's greatest competition car of all time. Special articles will also be produced on the winners.
Comparing competitors across different eras is always a tricky task, but the main judging criteria will be the level of success each of the cars enjoyed, how far they changed motorsport with their innovations, and how exciting they were on-track. Are they cool?
In this episode Chief Editor and host Kevin Turner is joined by sportscar guru Gary Watkins, who has been covering Le Mans and international endurance racing for three decades, and Plus Editor James Newbold, who is our British GT correspondent and sportscar enthusiast.
Although Autosport is 70 years old, we talk about the cars that helped shape the sport before World War Two, meaning the classic Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 is part of the debate alongside other legendary cars, including the Jaguar D-type, Ford GT40 and Porsche 962.
There are some superb cars that have missed out, but we've tried to put together a range of cars that have had the biggest impact on sportscar racing since the category was born.
As well as the podcasts, we'll also celebrate our birthday with features from the Autosport magazine archive, covering seven decades of incredible motorsport moments, and produce an Autosport 70 special magazine featuring the greatest cars, drivers and races from motorsport history, out in October.
Le Mans winner Tandy set to return in Algarve Pro-run LMP2 with Jarvis
Reduced car count won't lessen Le Mans GTE Pro fight - Tincknell
Bird's Diriyah FE podium a "reward" for Jaguar team's hard work
Sam Bird says that his return to the podium at the Diriyah E-Prix was an "amazing reward" for Jaguar's work after the Mexico Formula E opener.
Binotto praised for helping Vasseur’s Ferrari F1 handover
Former Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto has been praised by replacement Fred Vasseur for helping talk him through their handover.
Buemi: Diriyah FE pole pace just the beginning, "sad" at how Nissan spell ended
Sebastien Buemi says his pole position pace at the Diriyah E-Prix is "just the beginning", but conceded it left him "sad" at how his time with Nissan ended.
Grosjean upbeat ahead of Lamborghini debut in Daytona 24 Hours
Romain Grosjean has expressed his satisfaction with the build-up to this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, which will mark his first outing as a factory Lamborghini driver.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.