Best Looking Car of 2016: Ford Mustang GT

Let's get one thing straight here – in no way am I objectifying the Ford Mustang. Despite my gaze lingering on that long, voluptuous bonnet, or those fantastic taillights… ah, who am I kidding? It’s a bloody good looking car.

We’ve had the Mustang shoved in our collective faces for a solid couple of years now – but the hype and hysteria fades away when you actually sidle up to one on the street only to be replaced by sheer awe.

It’s hard to quantify just why, though. Is it the overt yet beautifully executed 1960s-style fastback swoop? The blindingly bright yet darkly sinister hooded headlights? That dirty great mesh grille that so eschews modern styling, yet manages to be right on trend at the same time?

Few, if any, cars manage to capture the essence of what made their forebears such icons but the Mustang does it with casual aplomb. Even though the team gave themselves plenty of chances to muck it up, they didn’t. Let’s face it, with the exception of Catherine Zeta Jones, it’s the hottest 50-year-old you’ve ever seen.

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Its casual, muscular simplicity is key to its drop-dead good looks with proportions that are oh-so spot on. Rims that fill the muscled guards? Check. Even the sheer length of the doors gives the ’Stang an air of nonchalant hotness. You can almost imagine it covering a Mills and Boon novel.

And what makes it more amazing is the latest Mustang was penned outside the States. Early designs of the sixth generation car – known internally as the S550 – were sourced from Ford Europe’s Cologne office but the Ford bosses demanded a do-over halfway through the process. The final design, penned by German designer Kemal Curic, was approved in July 2014 – just 19 months before production kicked off.

From behind the wheel, you’re instantly transported to another time when roadsters ruled. The view over the bonnet seems to stretch into the horizon before falling off a bluff nosed cliff, and the narrow slit of a windscreen profile only adds to the awareness that you’re sitting behind a LOT of engine and the feeling of barely constrained power underneath.

Unfortunately, the interior isn’t quite as convincing as the beautiful exterior; the steering wheel and shifter score top marks, but the toggle switches aren’t executed with as much confidence as the car exudes.

It doesn’t matter, though. The Mustang’s definitely more than a one-trick pony when it comes to its ability to crack necks.

Honourable Mention:
BMW M3 Competition Package

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BMW M3 Competition Package. There’s something about a four-door M car that’s just right, and the new BMW M3 Competition Pack is more right than most. New, more minimalist rims with a hint of low offset, the perfect ride heigh (and can still go over bumps properly), blackened grille and roof, ridiculously cool bonnet bulge… it’s definitely the looker of the BMW M3/M4 collection.