100 Cars That Matter
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The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL earned Mercedes a reputation for building advanced performance cars.
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1987 Ruf CTR Yellowbird: 100 Cars That Matter
In 1987, a modified Porsche 911 from the little-known tuner Ruf beat the best supercars of the day as it became the fastest car in the world.
Kirk Bell -
1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750: 100 Cars That Matter
The 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 was a road and race car that dominated racing in 1929 and 1930.
Sean Szymkowski -
1963 Aston Martin DB5: 100 Cars That Matter
The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was a strikingly beautiful and powerful car, but it earned its place in history with a starring role in several James Bond films.
Sean Szymkowski -
1992 Acura Integra GS-R: 100 Cars That Matter
The 1992 Acura Integra GS-R fulfilled the fledgling automaker's performance mission and introduced buyers to accessible power at high revs.
Sean Szymkowski -
1990 Acura NSX: 100 Cars That Matter
The original Acura NSX proved supercars could be livable and reliable.
Sean Szymkowski -
The Bugatti Type 35C put the brand on the map as a powerhouse in racing.
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2005 Bugatti Veyron: 100 Cars That Matter
The 2005 Bugatti Veyron set the course for a revived Bugatti, a course that included big power and world speed records.
Sean Szymkowski -
1992 Acura Legend: 100 Cars That Matter
Honda blazed a trail in 1986 with its Acura luxury brand that Nissan and Toyota soon followed with Infiniti and Lexus, respectively. Although the Legend and Integra went on sale in the mid-1980s with the brand’s genesis (no pun intended), it wasn’t until the 1990s that both took off and...
Sean Szymkowski -
1990 Chevy Corvette ZR-1, the "Corvette From Hell": 100 Cars That Matter
They called it “King of the Hill”—and when it emerged in 1990, the Chevy Corvette ZR-1 would forever reformat what drivers thought about GM’s ever-evolving sports car. In the 1950s, the Chevy Corvette staked out a new performance frontier for General Motors. In the 1960s...
Sean Szymkowski -
1988 Honda CRX Si: 100 Cars That Matter
The second-generation Honda CRX Si dialed things up and paved the automaker's future.
Sean Szymkowski -
1960 Chevrolet Corvair: 100 Cars That Matter
The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair was developed for consumers who wanted affordable, fun cars. While it was killed by Ralph Nader's activism, that lead to much-needed safety regulations.
Sean Szymkowski -
It took a couple of years for Chevrolet to respond to the success of the Ford Mustang, but when it did with the 1967 Camaro, it kicked off a great automotive rivalry.
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1987 Buick Grand National: 100 Cars That Matter
Inspired by its NASCAR racer, Buick turned the pedestrian Regal into a modern muscle car for the 1980s complete with a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6.
Sean Szymkowski -
1961 Lincoln Continental: 100 Cars That Matter
The Elwood Engel-designed 1961 Lincoln Continental set the pace for luxury in the 1960s and to this day is the Lincoln that resonates most with classic car enthusiasts.
Sean Szymkowski -
1989 Ford Taurus SHO: 100 Cars That Matter
A 220-horsepower Yamaha-tuned V-6 and sporty suspension tuning made the 1989 Ford Taurus a real American sport sedan.
Sean Szymkowski -
1991 Ford Explorer: 100 Cars That Matter
The Ford Explorer changed the face of the auto industry and defined what a Sport Utility Vehicle is.
Sean Szymkowski -
1964 1/2 Ford Mustang: 100 Cars That Matter
Also-rans and wannabes would come and go, and some remain today, including the Chevrolet Camaro. But the Ford Mustang is the original pony car—a car that would define an entire segment in the years to come. The story began with Lee Iacocca, who championed a new kind of personal-luxury car...
Sean Szymkowski -
Small roadsters were a dying breed in the 1980s. A decade earlier, tiny British and Italian sports cars darted across Europe and America, but by 1989, most were history. It was up to the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata to rekindle their spirit. Mazda took a decades-old concept and smartly updated it with the Miata in 1990. The Japanese roadster showed the world that fun wasn’t reserved to powerful supercars, or raucous V-8 engines. The Miata’s journey to production channeled the great British roadsters of yesteryear, specifically with an admiration for the Lotus Elan. Its journey...
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Shelby AC Cobra: 100 Cars That Matter
Carroll Shelby raised a family and chickens, and nursed a leaky heart valve in Texas in the 1950s. He also raced cars and his body bore all the signs, scarred skin and busted bones. From those humble beginnings 36-year-old Shelby was already well on his way to becoming a globally known automotive...
Sean Szymkowski -
1992 Dodge Viper: 100 Cars That Matter
In the late 1980s, post-K-car Chrysler was desperate for attention. The good fortune of the decade had begun to dwindle and the automaker knew it needed something big to turn the limelight back on its aging products. Enter the Dodge Viper. Chrysler made more than a splash in 1989 when the Viper...
Sean Szymkowski