18 Most Iconic Classic Cars of All Time (with Pictures)

If you’re an automobile enthusiast, you probably miss the days when you could tell one company’s car apart from another without looking at the hood ornament. You may visit car shows and daydream about the classic models you wish were in your garage. If so, this list is for you. You can scroll down to get your fix of classic cars; we’ve featured 18 of the most iconic automobiles in history from the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

The 18 Most Iconic Classic Cars of All Time

1. Cadillac Eldorado

The Cadillac Eldorado is one of the road’s longest-running luxury legends. With an astoundingly long history spanning 12 generations from 1952 to 2002, the Eldorado is synonymous with American luxury cars. It represents Detroit’s first serious challenge to England, Germany, and Italy. Its chrome rims and shark fins are the very definitions of iconic.

2. Ford Model T

Henry Ford wrote in his autobiography that in 1909, he said his customers “can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.” Whether or not he said that at the time, it remains impressive that Ford managed to flood the market with a car that only came in one color. Ford’s efficient assembly lines allowed Model Ts to be sold at an affordable price, which made them available for all consumers instead of just wealthy ones.

3. Jaguar E-Type

The ’61 and ’62 E-Types are almost single-handedly responsible for Jaguar’s worldwide reputation. It was, and is, the epitome of a British sports car. When Enzo Ferrari and The Daily Telegraph agreed the car was the most beautiful of all time, few could doubt their judgment.

4. Datsun 240Z

In the United States, the Datsun 240Z was to import cars what the Model T was to cars in general. It was a trailblazer that opened up a whole market to the middle class. First appearing in 1970, the 240Z was nearly the spitting image of a Jaguar E-Type for a much more economical price. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s why you can find so many high-quality Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans in the West today.

5. Ford Boss 429 Mustang

The “Boss 9” or just “the Boss” is spoken of with a special reverence among muscle-car fanatics. Ford’s engineers stripped out basically everything but the engine to pack in as much power as possible, resulting in a barely street-legal car that could churn out 500 horsepower. There are less than 1,500 in existence, so if you ever get a chance to drive the Boss, do not pass it up.

6. U.S. Army Jeep

“The Jeep, the Dakota airplane, and the landing craft were the three tools that won the war,” said General and President Dwight Eisenhower, who should know. From launching sneak attacks on Erwin Rommel in North Africa to ferrying French Resistance fighters under the noses of the Nazis, Jeeps made by Ford and Willis were used by every branch of every Allied military in World War II. Cadillacs and Corvettes might look cooler, but have they ever saved the world?

7. Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger, now in its seventh generation, has muscle car cred and iconic style. A Charger Daytona was the first car to break the 200 mph barrier on a NASCAR track. While the 1969 model is famous as the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard, we prefer the 1970 Charger R/T driven by Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, when the franchise movies were about street racing.

8. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The second generation of Corvettes, known as the Stingray line, could have made America dominant in the 1960s auto market all on its own. In addition to being a classic muscle car, the Stingray is a great entry point to classic car collecting, with plenty still floating around at affordable prices.

9. Lamborghini Miura

When it first came out in 1966, the Miura was a shot across Ferrari’s bow, letting the world know there was more going on in Italy. With a V12 engine and six carburetors, a Miura could probably launch into orbit off a big enough ramp.

10. Volkswagen Beetle

The VW Bug won the audition for the title role in The Love Bug because Disney employees couldn’t resist petting it. We know the feeling. In an era when cars lose their individual flavors, the Beetle stands out with its iconoclastically adorable design. We hope it never changes.

11. Plymouth Road Runner Hemi

Named for the “meep-meep” cartoon character, the Plymouth Road Runner is a lean muscle car designed to compete with Ford and Dodge. Although the Road Runner didn’t dominate the market, its 7-liter V8 Hemi engine provided an incredible experience for its owners.

12. Porsche 911

The 911 helped make Porsche a serious competitor in the sports car market. It looks beautiful, tears up the racetrack, and has massive value as a collector’s item. However, our favorite thing about the Porsche 911 is you can easily find one to restore today. Porsche doesn’t want any of their cars to be museum pieces, and the 911 proves it.

13. Aston Martin DB5

Is it even possible to read those words without the 007 theme starting to play in your head? Sean Connery’s James Bond and his tricked-out Aston Martin are one of the 20th century’s finest star-car partnerships, and it’s easy to forget the DB5 is a real car. It is the pinnacle of British luxury, even without the oil slick or the ejector seats.

14. Toyota 2000GT

Speaking of Bond, he didn’t only give English autos a boost. On his visit to Japan to battle Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, 007 rode in a 1967 GT, giving American audiences a taste of what the Datsun 240Z would bring to fruition three years later.

15. Pontiac GTO

Any discussion of 1960s muscle cars has to start with the Pontiac GTO series. From the 1964 GTO, whose oversized engine was powerful enough to violate GM’s policies, to 1965’s Catalina 2+2, which managed 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, Pontiac formed the backbone of the muscle car era.

16. Chevrolet Camaro

Chevy rushed to work on the Camaro after the smash-hit Ford Mustang convinced them that powerful, compact pony cars were the wave of the future. Together, the Camaro and Mustang defined the last years of the muscle car boom before the downturn in the 1970s.

17. 1957 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

If you thought John DeLorean invented gullwing doors, you’re mistaken. If Marty McFly had traveled back to 1957 instead of 1955, the farmer outside Hill Valley might have thought he was a German rather than a space alien. Besides the signature doors, the Mercedes 300 SL is a fantastic car in its own right, with a pioneering fuel injection system that could get it up to 160 miles per hour.

18. Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Rounding out the list is the tightest design ever created by Carroll Shelby, who was played by Matt Damon in the movie Ford vs. Ferrari. With a more economical design than the GT500 Road Kings that followed it, the GT350 represents the perfect Mustang.

Conclusion

Our list included automobiles from around the world, but the United States seems to have more iconic vehicles than any country. Although he didn’t invent the automobile, Henry Ford’s inventive way of mass-producing Model Ts changed car manufacturing forever, and it took other companies several years to become competitive with Ford. However, it wasn’t long before other American producers caught up, and soon, British, German, and Japanese automakers produced remarkable vehicles that rivaled America’s best.

Featured Image Credit: 1967 Toyota 2000GT (Image Credit: Mytho88, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)