Cool is entirely in the eye of the beholder — what one person considers the height of style, another might dismiss entirely. Yet that hasn't stopped people from attempting to crown the coolest car of all time, a debate that's as fascinating as it is contentious.
With over 120 years of automotive history and thousands of contenders to consider, Auto Express put the question to 6,000 of its readers to settle the argument once and for all.
Taking the top spot is a vehicle that has graced the silver screen in films including Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's Gattaca, and can be snapped up for a surprisingly modest sum, depending on its condition. That car is none other than the Citroën DS.
Covering the Auto Express readers' verdict, Sam Naylor wrote: "According to our readers, if there's one car that is the absolute epitome of cool, it's the Citroen DS.
"It's not the fastest or the most exclusive car in our list, but it certainly has style and clever engineering on its side, while the DS name is a play on the French word for Goddess (déesse).
"You can easily envisage the DS wafting serenely around Paris, along the Champs Elysee and around the Arc De Triomphe before parking up in front of a cafe in the city."
While some vehicles on the list command eye-watering price tags, a glance at car buying website Car and Classic reveals that a Citroën DS can be yours for as little as £3,850. That said, for those with deeper pockets, a UK-based example can fetch upwards of £100,000.
Auto Express readers' rankings arrive at a crucial moment for the motor industry as it wrestles with its next move. Prior to the conflict in Iran, enthusiasm for electric vehicles was levelling off, before surging as fuel costs climbed, but should the Strait of Hormuz reopen and enthusiasm wane, what direction should manufacturers take?
One possibility is to back alternative fuels – not electricity, but options such as synthetic fuels and e-fuels. While synthetic fuels incorporate some natural components, e-fuels are manufactured using man-made hydrocarbons.
In simple terms, this means certain alternative fuels don't release any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – they are carbon neutral.
Sometimes, petrol vehicles don't require modifications to run on some fuels, though in other instances, minor adjustments are necessary.
With the sector split on where to focus their efforts, some have proposed that synthetic fuels could offer one solution to maintain classic motors like the Citroen DS on Britain's roads.
Writing in Car Magazine, journalist Graham King stated the technology was already gaining traction, though expense remained a concern.
He concluded: "eFuels are also very expensive...That will come down over time but it's unlikely to ever dip below the £2.00 per litre mark that would make them a viable replacement for petrol and diesel for all vehicles.
"But eFuels and synthetic fuels will play a vital role in keeping interesting, old cars going for decades, even centuries after petrol and diesel is no longer available."