Anyone can bench race about the most powerful or fastest car. The true gear head can bench race about what car has the best brakes for stopping power, pedal feel and advances in engineering. Here are my top five cars for the best brakes.

1952 Jaguar C-type

Why?: First car to win a major race with four-wheel disc brakes.

How good was it?: Compared to the drum brakes of the era, this car was revolutionary. The Dunlop/Girling system had six-piston calipers in the front. Chassis XKC 005 fitted with the first system won more than a dozen races major in a three-year period.

BMW 2002tii

Why?: Great pedal feel and balance. The ATE system on some BMW 2002tii models have four-piston front calipers from the larger sedans. Also, the brake pedal was mounted on the floor like a proper racecar.

How good was it?: In the days before ABS, a good driver could threshold brake better than almost any car on the road.

1970 AMC Javelin SST/AMX

Why?: Early Javelin models came with a Delco Moraine four piston calipers that worked great and made for a stiff and responsive brake pedal. For 1971, AMC went with a Kelsey Hayes and Bendix single-piston floating calipers that had great feel if the right brake pads were used.

How good was it?: Compared to other cars of the day, the performance of the system was well above average for fade resistance and stopping power. But, the factory AMC Javelin Trans-Am Challenge racecars are the stuff of Penske legend. In 1970, Roger Penske installed Girling brake calipers that were previously used for the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512LM. This gave driver Mark Donohue an unfair advantage.

1966 Ford GT40 MkII

Why?: One of the most over engineered brake systems of all time. Ford engineered the GT40 brakes to last more than 48 hours of racing, twice the distance of the Le Mans 24-hour race. Ford used a brake dynamometer at Link Engineering in Detroit to simulate 200mph+ laps of the French circuit.

How good was it?: The GT40 won Le Mans four years straight. The robustness of the brakes was credited as the reason for the 1968 victory.

Ferodo Promotional Movie about the 1968 Race 

1949-1952 Crosley Hot Shot

Why?:  It was the first American car to be fitted with 4-wheel caliper disc brakes. The sub-compact car weighed a little over 1,200 lbs. and resembled a golf cart. It was not a slouch when it can to performance. Often, owners would remove the interior, windshield and other items to go racing. It could out brake and out handle cars three times it’s size.

How good was it? Not good. But, in 1949 it was a great leap forward. While the Hot Shot could stop on a dime, many owners complained about the noise.

What cars would be in your top five? Leave your answer in the comments.