The best cars with straight-six engines

The Jaguar E-Type, the BMW M5, the 'James Bond' Aston Martin DB5 and that gullwing-door Mercedes – some iconic cars, down the decades, have sported straight-six engines.

No wonder, in fact, as straight-six engines have always had much to recommend them. For one thing, they are a nice simple design. Placing all six cylinders all in a straight line (as opposed to offset, as in the contrary V6 six-cylinder design) keeps manufacturing costs low. No need for separate heads or valvetrains, as required in the V6 configuration; and only two camshafts required to open and close the valves.

The straight layout also means easy access to spark plugs, leads and all the other general maintenance apparatus – making a straight-six car a happy playground for an amateur mechanic or car restorer.

Another great feather in the straight-six's cap is its natural engine balancing. In this layout, the pistons move in pairs, in a mirror formation with their opposite number on the other side of the engine block. Result: the forces are balancing each other out, giving you a beautifully smooth-revving engine. The bewitching sound of BMW's S50 engine roaring away in their first-generation M3, or of the Toyota Supra's 2JZ engine, show you in a single fruity rumble just what straight-sixes can achieve.

Below, we've picked out some of our favourite cars to go the straight-six way. The configuration seemed to reach a peak of popularity in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, meaning that most of the cars we have chosen here have now reached genuine classic status (and, goodness, there are some lookers among them, too). If you ever find yourself lucky enough to be in possession of any of these motoring icons, we'd definitely recommend protecting your investment with some good classic motor insurance.

Jaguar E-Type

Failure to mention the hallowed E-Type in any rundown of great straight-six engines (in any rundown of great cars, full stop) would surely result in some form of public enquiry.

Jaguar's eternally graceful 1960s grand tourer was both head-turningly beautiful and, with its claimed 150mph top speed and 0-60 sprint in under seven seconds, properly quick, too. Elsewhere, its rack-and-pinion steering, disc brakes and independent front and rear suspension made it a genuinely ground-breaking car for its time.

And just look at the thing. No wonder that, when the car came out, Enzo Ferrari (who knew a good-looking motor when he saw one) called it the most "beautiful car ever made" – or that, over 50 years later, the E-Type topped a Daily Telegraph online list of the 100 most beautiful cars of all time.

Celebrities and racing enthusiasts alike joined the queue for an E-Type after its launch in 1961. Jag's swoopy GT quickly became as synonymous with the Swinging Sixties as the Beatles and the mini skirt.

And the engine? The straight-six that featured in the E-Type had already brought Jaguar five victories at Le Mans during the 1950s, in its predecessor, the D-Type racer. In its 3.8-litre guise inside the Mk1 E-Type, it produced 265bhp and 260lb ft of torque, making this Jag one of the world's fastest production cars at the time.

Toyota Supra Mk4 / A80

Until its fourth generation, unleashed upon the world in 1992, Toyota's Supra had simply been a rather fast, distinctly good-looking sports car (we particularly like the first generation's rakish, late-1970s good looks) with an inline-six engine. The fourth generation A80, though, stepped things up significantly.

The A80 was given two brand new engines: Toyota's naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE, which put out 220hp, and a twin turbocharged 2JZ-GTE that produced 276hp. For exports to Europe and the US, Toyota upgraded the latter engine (thanks to smaller, steel-wheeled turbochargers and bigger fuel injectors), increasing output to 321hp. That turbo engine could propel the car from 0-60 mph in times as low 4.6 seconds – and reach a top speed of 155mph.

The Mk4 Supra was given cinematic immortality (in lurid orange, no less) in the 2001 action movie The Fast and the Furious, in which Los Angeles policeman Brian O'Conner teamed up with street racer Dominic Toretto to resurrect a badly damaged '94 Supra. The car is referred to as a '10-second car' – one capable of a quarter mile drag race in under 10 seconds.

The straight-six engine even gets its moment on the big screen, when Toretto pops the bonnet of what appears to be an old banger – to reveal the immortal inline 6 2JZ-GTE.

BMW M5 (E28)

Was this the ultimate Q car? BMW waited until the second generation of their epoch-making 5 Series executive saloon to unleash a performance variant – but by golly, it was worth the wait.

The E28 BMW M5 has a special place in automotive history. It created a brand-new niche: the 'super saloon', or sensible-looking mid-size saloon endowed with supercar performance.

The M5's M88 straight-six engine had already been seen inside the Bavarian marque's very first supercar, the awesome and frankly rather beautiful homologation special M1, from 1978-1981. That car's looks gave every indication of its sporting capabilities: not so with the M5.

This handsome but sober beast looked, just like any other 5 Series, as if it ought to be ferrying its owner in serene comfort from board meeting to sales conference. The small difference, though, was that this one could manage no less than 278bhp, a little over that produced by a Ferrari 328 of the same vintage.

Typical BMW build quality, and its relative youth compared to some of the models we're listing here, means that there are a fair few E28 M5s still on the roads – all of them, we'd wager, protected with some good classic car insurance.

Datsun 240Z

There was more than a smattering of junior E-Type to the Datsun 240Z's looks – that long bonnet, those recessed headlights, that beautifully swooping rear – but to linger too long on its antecedents is to do this stunning 70s sporting icon a disservice.

Weighing in at just over a tonne, and thus blessed with impressive agility, the 240Z made sports car performance affordable to the masses in ways similar to contemporaries like the MGB and Lancia Fulvia Coupe. It was nicely built, modern-looking and properly fast – and was a big hit across the world.

Apart from anything else, the 240Z merits its inclusion here because, arguably, it turned around global perceptions of Japanese cars. No longer was the Japanese automotive industry associated merely with functional little 'econoboxes' – here was proof positive that cars with real beauty, style and performance were coming out of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Maserati 3500 GT

This is another one that makes the list partly for its looks alone. However, the 3500 GT is also a notable chapter in the Maserati story, as it marks the moment when the Italian brand's output moved from racing cars to elegant, luxurious grand tourers – and when it moved up through the gears from producing a dozen to a few hundred cars a year.

Such glorious statements of 1970s 'gran turismo' cool as the Merak, Indy, Khamsin and Kyalami (and what about those names!) were to follow, but the gorgeous 3500 GT tourer was a very strong start.

The 12-valve, straight-six engine was derived from those that had served in the Maserati 350S, the marque's 1950s racer – one of which was memorably crashed by Stirling Moss in the 1956 Mille Miglia road race. We trust that any subsequent owners of the plush, elegant 3500 GT ferried that car around with a little more care and attention – and that any that are still out on the roads have the protection of some adequate classic car insurance.

Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Much like the E-Type above, we just couldn't leave out the 300SL from this list. Of course, the headline grabbers on its launch in 1954 were those spectacular 'gullwing' doors that opened outwards and upwards, high above the roofline of the supremely elegant coupe / roadster.

The interest and drama didn't stop with those doors, though: under the bonnet was a water-cooled, three-litre straight six that had previously been seen in the marque's W186 luxury sedan and M194 race car. However, the 300SL's engine featured – very innovatively for the time – a Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection system derived from a World War II Messerschmitt fighter plane. Chocks away!

For its looks and its place in automotive history, the 300SL deserves the much-touted 'icon' status. If ever a car deserves the protection of some top-drawer insurance for a classic car, this would be that car.

Renault 40CV

It hasn't produced so many luxury cars in recent years (step forward the Avantime and Vel Satis), but before World War Two Renault was well known for its prestige automobiles.

Made from 1911 through to 1928, the rakish-looking 40CV came with an enormous straight-six engine – first displacing 7.5-litres, later upgraded to a staggering 9.1-litres. The 40CV must have been a thirsty beast.

The car was designed to be an elegant, refined luxury model. However, it also happened to be rather quick – quick enough, in fact, to win the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally, driving all the way from Tunis in North Africa to the French Riviera to claim the prize. The following year, a single-seater version of the 40CV set a new 24-hour world speed record, averaging 108mph.

The car also served, for eight years, as the official runabout for two successive French presidents. Formidable!

Aston Martin DB5

Shaken, not stirred… the iconic DB5 was actually the third Aston Martin to appear in the James Bond film franchise – but it's easily the best known, featuring in no less than eight movies to date, from 1964's Goldfinger to the forthcoming No Time to Die.

Looks-wise, the DB5 was fairly similar to its DB4 predecessor. There were a few improvements, though, of which Sean Connery's Bond would surely have approved. Electric windows, a five-speed gearbox… and a jump in engine size from 3.7 to four litres, though the straight-six-cylinder configuration remained unchanged, continuing to emit that delicious throaty roar so beloved by straight-six aficionados.

Nissan Skyline GT-R R32

At the end of the 1980s, Nissan revived its GT-R racing name with the R32 Skyline GT-R – and a racing and sports car icon was born.

The GT-R R32 was a very clever car for its time, blessed with an all-wheel-drive system, featuring a computer-controlled hydraulic centre differential and a limited-slip rear differential.

The car even rejoiced in a rear-wheel steering system – the back wheels could turn in the same direction as the fronts, or contrarywise, making the GT-R R32 superbly manoeuvrable at low speeds and perfectly stable higher up the speedometer.

Its 2.6-litre straight-six engine, meanwhile, with its parallel twin turbochargers, could put out a claimed 280hp, sprinting to 60mph in 5.6 seconds, and reaching a maximum speed of around 155mph.

Out on the track, meanwhile, the Skyline quickly attained legendary status, winning four successive Japanese touring car championships, and dominating Australian Group A racing to such an extent that it acquired the nickname 'Godzilla'.

Spyker 60hp

And finally, let's go back to the source. Built by Amsterdam blacksmith brothers Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker in 1903, the Spyker 60hp – a racing car, the clue to whose impressive power output is in the name – featured the world's very first six-cylinder engine.

In fact, the car was designed specifically to compete in the disastrous 1903 Paris-Madrid race, which ended with several casualties. When it came to it, the Spyker wasn’t ready in time for the race. A blessing in disguise, perhaps.

The 60hp was pioneering on several levels, in fact – it also included two other very impressive developments for its time, in the form of four-wheel brakes and a very early use (perhaps the first) of four-wheel-drive technology. Yes, here's where it all began, Land Rover owners…

Protect your straight six with classic car insurance

With their smooth power delivery, fruity engine roar and, let's face it, often stunning good looks, the straight-six icons in this list inspire huge devotion in their owners.

You may have a classic car that you feel similarly passionate about – and if so, you will want to protect it with some suitable classic car insurance.

At Lancaster Insurance, we have been proudly arranging classic car insurance for over 35 years.

Using our wealth of experience and knowledge of the industry, we can quote for virtually every classic car available.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you protect your classic.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.