The Dozen Most Important Cars of All Time

[RIOT]

According to TIME

I don't agree. What happened to the '55 Tbird or the '64/'65 Mustang or the '47 Tucker which introduced seatbelts for crying out loud. Although I thought it was still interesting. What do you all think?


http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1701729_1701728,00.html

 

[Copper]

It seems a bit strange to leave out some of the cars that you mentioned - particularily the Tucker and instead include entire classes of vehicles - "Sports Utility Vehicles 1990 - present" is just ridiculous. The Ford F150, though prolific, has never been innovative or influential in my mind... it just is.

They certainly missed out on the Land Rover Series/Defender and the Toyota Land Cruiser as being of worldwide influence. The inclusion of the Nano is similarily ridiculous as there aren't any yet save for preproduction models. Though it has potential for revolution in the third world, it is not influential at all yet.

 

[kpreed]

According to TIME

I don't agree. What happened to the '55 Tbird or the '64/'65 Mustang or the '47 Tucker which introduced seatbelts for crying out loud. Although I thought it was still interesting. What do you all think?


http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1701729_1701728,00.html

I think a bunch of autos where not listed, but my vote would be for the "Tucker"

 

[carter]

Idiocy in the 21st Century!

Absolute hogwash! Talk about your narrow world view. [huh]

At least three of the vehicles listed haven't been around long enough to know if they'll have a significant impact or not.

Trucks, Minivans, and SUV's are not cars. They are vehicles. Not to be picky but c'mon!

We'd get a better thought out and certainly more justifiable top 10 from the Lounge.

I'm surprised they included the VW even though that's a no-brainer. Consider the utility of an American vehicle during the same period, especially WWII. How did they manage to overlook the Jeep ?

No Ferrari, Lamborghini, Triumph, MG, Morris, Jaguar, Mercedes, Saab, Porsche, and the list goes on and on.

 

[Pilgrim]

According to TIME

I don't agree. What happened to the '55 Tbird or the '64/'65 Mustang or the '47 Tucker which introduced seatbelts for crying out loud. Although I thought it was still interesting. What do you all think?


http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1701729_1701728,00.html

Well, the '55 T-Bird was essentially a "me too" of the Corvette which slightly preceded it.

The Tucker truthfully is more a curiosity than a significant car. Like many other brands, it came and went. (Recently, see: Delorean.)

The '55 Chevy on their list was most significant (IMO) because of their introduction of the ubiquitous small-block V8, not necessarily because of the vehicle itself. The Civic and Corolla definitely didn't BOTH need to be in that list, IMO. I do support the SUV - it changed the way Americans drive and between it and the minivan 9which is also on the list), pretty well killed station wagons.

But the Mustang was one of the most significant cars in the past 50 years. I would have bumped the Corolla for it!

 

[jamespowers]

I have to agree with the Chevrolet and the Airflow. The Civic and Corolla are jokes, right?! :eusa_doh:
They left out great American marques though. No Cord, Duesenberg, Graham Hollywood, Cadillac V-16s or even a Pierce Arrow?! :eusa_doh:

 

[SamMarlowPI]

replace the civic with the mustang because the corolla came out before it...and maybe the nano or F-150 with a cord for the front wheel drive factor...i would've replaced SUV with specifically Land Rover or Land Cruiser(like said above) b/c they are like the start of that movement...oh well...love the Airflow though. have to remember its the "most important cars of all time" not "most important American cars of all time"

 

[TM]

I'm confused. Is this supposed to be a list of "most important" cars, or "most boring" cars?

Tony

 

[Bruce Wayne]

dont be badmouthing the corolla, now. i have had a rental one up to a buck thirty on the toll road @ night. at that speed it starts to feel like you are floating...

 

[Benny Holiday]

The Mustang and the Tucker are definites in my list. I'm right with SamMarlowPI with replacing some of those turkeys they put in there with the Cord and Land Rover. Where's the now considered ultimate 50's Atomic Age automobile, the 1959 Cadillac?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

"Most Important" in terms of transportation? Then I'd say the Ford model T, the VW Bug and the Dodge Dart. Any driver between the ages of 30 and 100 has had at least one of those three. I've had two out of three.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

The Mustang and the Tucker are definites in my list. I'm right with SamMarlowPI with replacing some of those turkeys they put in there with the Cord and Land Rover. Where's the now considered ultimate 50's Atomic Age automobile, the 1959 Cadillac?

i was thinking the '59 too but i just couldn't think of a "breakthrough" factor that it had like the Cord with front wheel and Airflow with aerodynamics and so on....but i do want a drop top to cross country with because it IS the ultimate road machine of the atomic age...

 

[SamMarlowPI]

"Most Important" in terms of transportation? Then I'd say the Ford model T, the VW Bug and the Dodge Dart. Any driver between the ages of 30 and 100 has had at least one of those three. I've had two out of three.

i've had one and i ain't 30 lol

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Perhaps there are more than a dozen important vehicles.

 

[Flivver]

Perhaps there are more than a dozen important vehicles.

Happyfilmluvguy, I think you're absolutely right!

While most of the picks made by Time are more or less defensible, their list is far from complete.

And like most lists of this kind, it's too present-day biased. Here are some older vehicles that I believe were far more significant than some on their list:

1886 Daimler and Benz vehicles...the first practical automobiles

1900-1905 Curved Dash Olds...mass produced years before the Model T

1908 Cadillac...the start of true parts interchangeability

1912 Cadillac...first self starter

1916 Hudson Super Six...first high speed balanced crankshaft engine

1929 Cord...mass produced front wheel drive

I could go on and on. And my list is very U.S. centric. I'm sure there are more European cars that should be on the list and which might pre-date some of the American "firsts" I've listed.

This is not an easy task...but it sure is a fun one!

 

[RIOT]

Ah yes, the Cadillac, an innovation in style alone.

 

[Twitch]

From the list I'd say forget the Honda, Corolla, the Mini Cooper and the Nano. The Datsun did more pioneering the Jap/Am marketplace.

Aside to this handy dandy 10-says-it-all there are way too many autos over the years that contributed in important ways to the industry.

It's like saying "here's the top 10 aircraft of all time." Yeah, impossible.

 

[KeyGrip]

They left out the McLaren F1. Thirteen year old design, and still the best in it's class. Not to mention what it did for production sports car technology. That list should have been longer, and a few replacements made. Perhaps broken down into categories; sports car, sedan, coupe, etc.

 

[Jerekson]

Anything that excludes the T-bird is off my vote.