[article] 100 cars that changed motoring.

mike65

Aussie opinion piece from a Sunday paper
full text here

The top 10

No.1 - Ford Model T
This car put the world on wheels and also in many ways, replaced the horse. It was basic, cheap, reliable and it could do almost anything and go anywhere. henry Ford also used his T to introduce mass production to motoring.

No.2 - Austin Mini
A brilliant idea which was perfect for its time. The original Mini was conceived in the 1950s, but rocked through the swinging '60s as a fun city runabout which was cheap and cheerful. It also began the trend towards space-efficient front-wheel drive.

No.3 - Volkswagen Beetle
Reigned as the world's best selling car for decades because, like the Mini, it was basic and affordable. It could also tackle almost any terrain and was easy and cheap to fix. And the shape still a classic, and a car you want to hug.

No.4 - Toyota Corolla
The car that put Japan Inc. on the motoring map and paved the way for every car a company which has followed it since Toyota rolled it out in the 1960s. It was affordable, fun and reliable at a time when most other cars were big and clunky.

No.5 - Citroen DS
A futuristic shape with advanced technology and a hydraulic suspension system that defeated the world's toughest roads. Still looks contemporary today, 50 years after it hit the road, although Ciroen is still a quirky brand.

No.6 - Ferrari 246 Dino
One of the classics from Enzo Ferrari's company and a personal favourite. Not as collectible as some of the V12 supercars, but a sweet looker which rang a 12 year old's bell when a friend bought one with the proceeds from a lottery win.

No.7 - Willys Jeep
The original four-wheel drive was developed for World War II battlefields. Drive one today and you will be stunned by the agricultural feel and the lack of seat space, but it proved cars could go anywhere with the right gear.

No.8 - Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
One of the benchmark cars in the history of motoring, as it was so luxurious at a time when most cars were so basic. Rolls-Royce still has a pre-1920s model as its flagship car and it still says everything about the brand.

No.9 - Audi Quattro
Proof that all-wheel drive as as important for safety and performance as offroad ability. It steam-rolled the world rally championship, allowed huge power to be fed to the road and paved the way for everything from the Subaru Impreza WRX to the Porsche 911 Turbo in 2006.

No.10 - Toyota Prius
The world's first production hybrid car lost money, but proved a point. It showed Toyota was totally committed to new-technology powertrains, with a plan to build one million a year by 2010 and will go down in history as a benchmark car.

Fairly predictable except the Prius.

Some interesting choices further down the list including some Aussie heaps we've hardly heard of. Pity whoever transcribed the list forgot 11-19!

Mike.

crosstownk

I would have thought the VW Golf Diesel would have been there as it was really the first mass produced and correctly marketed diesel in a small passenger car. The VW Golf is probably the best selling car in history. Some argue that the Toyota Corolla was, but it changed from RWD to FWD which essentially makes it a different car with the same name.

The Audi Quattro was definitely the pioneer of 4WD and is always worth a mention.

I don't find the Prius unpredictable as its basically the most sucessful hybrid so far.

I think definetily the Model T deserves a mention simply because of the mass production techniques.

The Mini is probably worth a mention, especially in British circles, but lets face it, it was a unique design and certainley innovative.

unkel

mike65 wrote:

Fairly predictable except the Prius

Agree

"It showed Toyota was totally committed to new-technology powertrains, with a plan to build one million a year by 2010 and will go down in history as a benchmark car"

Benchmark? It will go down in history as the biggest waste of money and effort in the automotive industry ever

I mean, come on! Is it only Europeans that understand that short to medium term solutions do not involve petrol?

maidhc

crosstownk wrote:

I think definetily the Model T deserves a mention simply because of the mass production techniques.

It could also run on ethanol or homebrew alcohol without any modification, and you could also buy an "eros" coversion to make it into a tractor! Not to mention the fact it had a clutchless transmission and could run without a battery. Amazing car!

The Mk1 Golf deserved a place for definate. Both the diesel and GTi were groundbreaking for the time.

What about the Tracton Avant? I'd put it before most of the top 10!

unkel

maidhc wrote:

you could also buy an "eros" coversion to make it into a tractor!

I don't want to know what that conversion was all about. Must have been pretty kinky though

maidhc wrote:

What about the Tracton Avant? I'd put it before most of the top 10!

So would I

smash

Dunno about that list but you can see how mose of them are in it, I'd have chosen the cars below, but then again I'm a supercar freak!

Model T
Mini
Beetle
Golf GTI
Lambo Muira
Lambo Diablo
Ferrari F40
Hummer H2
Mazda MX-5
Zonda
Bugatti Veyron
Aston Martin DB7
Ferrari Enzo

peasant

How about the Renault 4 ??
As far as I know it was the first ever mass produced "hatchback" and started a whole new trend ... a good one and a half decades before anybody else.

The Mercedes Benz 170 (WWII) ...the first mass produced car whith a diesel engine

The 1959 Volvo Amazon ...the first car with three point seatbelts as standard

smash

the phateon - first car with a W12 engine....

peasant

The Matra Simca Rancho

The first ever european "SUV" (before that term existed)

A faux 4x4 with front wheel drive only but macho looks

http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/matra-rancho.html

MercMad

I think the list is good but the Toyota has no place there !

As mentioned its only that the name continues, the vehicles themselves, any Corolla, were never ground breaking !

The Anglia was replaced, effectively by the Escort and then the Focus, but if they all wore the name Anglia it would have the same claim, only even more justified !

smash

how about the new batmobile.......

maidhc

MercMad wrote:

I think the list is good but the Toyota has no place there !

As mentioned its only that the name continues, the vehicles themselves, any Corolla, were never ground breaking !

The Anglia was replaced, effectively by the Escort and then the Focus, but if they all wore the name Anglia it would have the same claim, only even more justified !

The Golf Mk1 and MkIV are hardly the same car either.. except maybe for the 1.6 engine Although the do share styling cues (i.e. the rear 1/4 panel), and probably deserve the title more than the Corolla.

Toyota, or at least the Japs in general deserve a very high place for completely revolutionising how cars were built and improving the level of engineeering and relaibility far beyond anything around at the time. They also helped British Leyland kill itself, which was a satisfactory achievment in itself!

prospect

What about the Mitsubishi Spacewagon, as the first mainstream MPV.
I remember seeing the first ones of those years ago and thinking, they'll never catch on...!!!...

MercMad

maidhc wrote:

The Golf Mk1 and MkIV are hardly the same car either.. except maybe for the 1.6 engine Although the do share styling cues (i.e. the rear 1/4 panel), and probably deserve the title more than the Corolla.

Toyota, or at least the Japs in general deserve a very high place for completely revolutionising how cars were built and improving the level of engineeering and relaibility far beyond anything around at the time. They also helped British Leyland kill itself, which was a satisfactory achievment in itself!

.................I agree completely.............however this is about 100 CARS that changed motoring, not companies or Countries ! Without doubt the Japs deserve recognition as people who perfected established practices for manufacturing cars, if not really inventing anything themselves !c

smash

toyota pickup - unbreakable as top gear pointed out.....

MercMad

Yes but it hardly changed the world..............unbreakable pick ups have been built in the USA since Christopher Columbas first landed there !

Ernie Ball

I looked and looked for the General Motors EV1 and finally found it at number 99 with this explanation:

"A failed experiment in electric motoring which was too early and badly underdone."

Anyone who has seen the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" will realise that it wasn't too early or too badly done. It was done too well.:mad:

smash

MercMad wrote:

Yes but it hardly changed the world..............unbreakable pick ups have been built in the USA since Christopher Columbas first landed there !

I know, I was just stating because someone mentioned how the japanese had revolutionised the motor industry with strong built cars.