The late McQueen – nicknamed “The King of Cool” and immortalised in the memorable on-screen chases of Bullitt and The Great Escape – could only manage second place in the Hyundai survey, with Doncaster’s finest landing top spot.
Clarkson, who has just turned 60 and is best known as lead presenter of TV’s Top Gear, also saw off competition from the likes of Bond stars Sir Roger Moore, Daniel Craig and Sean Connery.
Now host of ITV favourite Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Clarkson is also making headlines this week for heading up his own online pub quiz – set to debut on Friday, April 17.
Kicking off at 7pm on the DriveTribe YouTube channel, the quiz is set to feature five rounds with subjects covering history, sport, general knowledge, and a “cunning” visual round.
Both of Clarkson’s former Top Gear co-hosts Richard Hammond (3rd) and James May (6th) also made the top 10 of screen icons, as voted for by 2,000 UK respondents.
Vin Diesel and Jason Statham also made the cut with fellow Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker, who was tragically killed in a car crash in 2013.
Here's the top 10 from Hyundai's survey:
Top 10 – Greatest Automotive Icons
- Jeremy Clarkson
- Steve McQueen
- Richard Hammond
- Vin Diesel
- Sir Sean Connery CBE
- James May
- Paul Walker
- Daniel Craig
- Sir Roger Moore KBE
- Jason Statham
Brits were also asked their favourite car film, with The Italian Job beating McQueen’s Bullitt to the top spot, also ranking first for the most-watched car film since isolation began. The Fast and Furious franchise took third.
Top Gear was voted the best car TV show ever, followed by Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard, while Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 was voted the best movie car ever, followed by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the DeLorean from Back to the Future.
Speaking about Clarkson’s upcoming quiz, Tim Rodie, editorial director at DriveTribe, told the PA news agency: “We’re very grateful that Jeremy’s taken time out from his farming to bring some joy to a world in lockdown.
“His time on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows he’s got the chops to handle the quizmaster role.”
Who's your automotive icon? Leave us a comment below.
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