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100 Greatest Cars Of All Time Named By Edmunds
This is the definitive list to end all 100 Greatest Cars lists. You'll never have to read another list, and this list is absolutely, scientifically, precisely and transcendently correct. That is until we have a few more PBRs.
Greatness, for the reason of this list, is defined by a vehicle's direct, significant contribution to American automotive culture. That does not mean that a car had to actually have been sold in America, but that its legend changed how other cars are seen in its shadow. Some of the choices here are actually racecars.
So it's a biased list in favor of cars that enthusiasts love, but it also acknowledges those everyday cars that have shaped our lives.
Still, sales success doesn't matter here, but greatness does come in batches. So these are production vehicles. No one-offs like the Batmobile or Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's Hot Wheels Funny Car. And there are no flying cars either, unless you count the 1965 Shelby Cobra 427.
So crack open a juice box and get on with it.
100. 1997 Acura Integra Type-R: Hand-ported heads, 8,000-rpm redline, and the best-handling front-drive chassis ever. It's still the ultimate sport compact.
99. 1991 Ford Explorer: It defined the 1990s with its ubiquity and made the SUV the standard family hauler. Its rep has fallen, but its impact hasn't faded.
98. 1993 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo: Though it never sold in huge numbers, this was the first import capable of being modified to make (and withstand) 1,000 horsepower.
97. 1968 Datsun 510: A Japanese box on wheels that could beat Porsches in SCCA races. It was a half-price BMW 2002 and a model of simplicity producing greatness.
96. 1984 Toyota Corolla AE86: The mundane rear-drive Toyota that taught the world how to drift. Its simplicity — and DOHC 1.6-liter engine — are its greatest virtues.
95. 1992 Hummer H1: Ludicrously impractical on-road and stunningly capable off. From Baghdad to Beverly Hills, it's still the ultimate SUV.
94. 1986 Lamborghini LM002: Audacious, outrageous and powered by the Countach's V12. It was the first luxurious high-performance SUV, a segment now filled with Cayenne Turbos and X5 Ms.
93. 1986 Acura Legend: It's the car that proved the Japanese could build a true luxury machine and had to be taken seriously.
92. 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII: This is the Evo that came to America and reset every performance expectation. It's the high-tech rally car for the common man.
91. 1963 Jeep Wagoneer: With its unique mix of 4x4 toughness and carlike luxury, it invented the family SUV category. In production for a full 30 years, the biggest surprise is that Jeep isn't still building it.
90. 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo: After more than a decade of soft Z-cars, Nissan reclaimed sports car supremacy with the overwhelmingly capable 300-horsepower "Z32" turbo.
89. 1995 BMW 7 Series: The E38 7 Series is the first big BMW that drove and looked as good as the smaller BMWs. These timeless sedans proved that a full-size car can be a driver's car.
88. 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG: A 604-hp turbocharged V12 elevates this sedan into the realm of exotic performance cars. It may as well be a Gulfstream.
87. 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500E/E500: Mercedes goes after the M5 with the 322-hp E500 and starts one of the great performance wars. Built with help from Porsche.
86. 1988 BMW M5: The first of the Motorsport Division variations on BMW regular production sedans. Its
3.5-liter six only made 256 hp, but that was enough to be the best sport sedan of its time and to launch the M5 legend.
85. 1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z: The official car of New Jersey and the most underappreciated muscle machine ever built. Wore the best-looking 16-inch wheels ever forged and the 1LE was a showroom stock world-beater.
84. 1939 Lincoln Continental: Edsel Ford's invention was the concept of the American "personal luxury" car with this V12-powered coupe. Long hood, short deck and a tire on the rump.
83. 1968 Toyota Corolla: The best-selling automotive nameplate ever makes its first appearance in America — two years after its debut in Japan. It's still here.
82. 1930 Cadillac V16: Only 4,076 of these most extravagant cars were built over their 11 years in production. When Cadillac was the standard of the world, this was the car that set that standard.
81. 1979 Mazda RX-7: When it seemed sports cars were dead and gone in the late '70s, along comes this simple Japanese-made, rotary-powered two-seater to reignite the passion.
80. 2003 Bentley Continental GT: 6.0 liters of turbocharged W12 wrapped in bodywork with the visual impact of a rattlesnake strike. Bentley roars back under VW's care.
79. 1950 Volkswagen Type 2: The VW microbus could do so much so well for not a lot of money that it made utility and the van fun. The official vehicle of hippies, surfers and smoke shop owners since the Summer of Love.
78. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: With its supercharged 638-hp LS9 V8, this car announced that GM, though nearly bankrupt at the time, could still do greatness. It's the best Corvette ever.
77. 1986 Ford Taurus: The car that saved Ford. It set a new design standard and proved America could build a modern front-drive sedan that could stand in the ring with the Camry and Accord.
76. 1936 Cord 810/812: Beyond innovations like hidden headlamps and hidden door hinges, the "coffin nose" Cord 810 and supercharged 812 have set automotive style for 75 years.
75. 1953 Ford F-100: The first truly stylish truck and the first pickup to develop a true enthusiast following. This is a design that stretched the definition of classic.
74. 1946 MG TC: The spindly sports car that American servicemen learned to love while stationed in England. It started the British sports car invasion and is still its epitome.
73. 1951 Ford Country Squire: The wagon generations of us grew up in. This is the definitive family car of the '50s through the '80s, with awesome fake wood along its flanks.
72. 1955 Chevrolet Corvette V8: America's sports car didn't hit its stride until its third year and the introduction of the small-block V8. Great things were still to come.
71. 1964 Ford GT40: Purpose built as a racecar, it was nonetheless also used as a great road car. Won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for four straight years, 1966 through 1969. It's the Ford that defeated Ferrari.
70. 1968 Jaguar XJ6: So beautiful that Jaguar didn't dare screw much with the styling for 41 years. Maybe the only good car Britain produced during the '70s and '80s.
69. 1948 Jaguar XK120: The Bugatti Veyron of its day. Long, low, sleek with a great big six under its hood, the XK120 was the fastest car you could buy at the time, with an incredible top speed of 120 mph.
68. 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost: It was the best car in the world. It's also the car that proved that a car could be regal, glamorous and a beautifully built piece of art.
67. 2010 Porsche Panamera: It's the four-door every other manufacturer feared Porsche could build. Capable in every way, even if you don't like how it looks. A game-changer.
66. 1970 Range Rover: Originally, it was just a more capable, slightly more comfortable version of the Land Rover. But the Range Rover soon became the epitome of luxurious SUVs and has continued in that role.
65. 1941 Jeep MB: Built to help win World War II, the original military Jeep MB would develop into the civilian CJ and, eventually, today's Wrangler. It is the 4x4 that made the idea of four-wheel drive acceptable.
64. 1955 Chrysler 300: The big 300-hp Hemi V8-powered coupe that dominated NASCAR and was the prototype for the muscle cars that were to come a decade later.
63. 1934 Chrysler Airflow: It was an aerodynamic unibody car in an era when no other cars were. Today virtually all cars are built how it was built more than 75 years ago.
62. 1963 Aston Martin DB5: The most famous car of all time thanks to James Bond in the movieGoldfinger. It's the car that launched generations of automotive fantasies as well as many other gadget-filled Bondmobiles.
61. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster: An engineering and styling marvel. One of the best-looking cars of all time and one of the most powerful of its era with a supercharged straight-8. An exotic car before there was such a thing.
60. 1984 Chrysler Minivans: When Chrysler was up against bankruptcy, it took some K-Car pieces, remodeled them into the minivan and reinvented family transportation. You grew up in this.
59. 1976 Porsche 930: The 911 Turbo, icon of 1970s performance and the car that reignited interest in turbocharging. Wicked fast for its time, it took a talented driver to get the most out of it.
58. 2011 Nissan Leaf: The first mass-produced all-electric car from a major manufacturer. The Leaf proves it can be done.
57. 1982 Ford Mustang 5.0: Would hot-rodding and/or street racing have survived the 1990s without the 5.0-liter Mustang?
56. 2005 Bugatti Veyron: Just your average 1,001-hp, 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 powering an all-wheel-drive, two-seat, $1-million-plus hypercar. Top speed 253.52 mph. Or there's the 1,200-hp Super Sports at 267.85 mph.
55. 2002 Subaru WRX: Before the WRX, Subarus were bought by college professors in Maine. The WRX made Subaru cool. It literally and figuratively turbocharged Subaru's image.
54. 1977 Lotus Esprit: It was Lotus' first shot at building a midengine GT and it was good enough to hang around for 27 years. It also had the unique ability to transform into a submarine.
53. 1962 Shelby Cobra 260 and 289: The AC Ace was a boring English sports car with a half-hearted Bristol engine. Carroll Shelby put the small-block Ford V8 in it and created a legend.
52. 1965 Shelby Cobra 427: Shelby designed its own coil-sprung chassis, and fit the massive Ford 427 V8 to create the incredible Cobra 427. It's still one of the quickest cars ever built and it's somehow still in production today.
51. 1975 Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS: Ferrari was foundering in the '70s. Its road cars were flaccid and boring. Then came the midengine, V8-powered 308 and the company had a hot seller. It saved Ferrari.
50. 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: A DOHC, 32-valve, 5.7-liter all-aluminum V8 was exotic stuff in 1990. And 375 hp was awesome. The first Corvette to really take on and outrun Europe's best.
This is the definitive list to end all 100 Greatest Cars lists. You'll never have to read another list, and this list is absolutely, scientifically, precisely and transcendently correct. That is until we have a few more PBRs.
Greatness, for the reason of this list, is defined by a vehicle's direct, significant contribution to American automotive culture. That does not mean that a car had to actually have been sold in America, but that its legend changed how other cars are seen in its shadow. Some of the choices here are actually racecars.
So it's a biased list in favor of cars that enthusiasts love, but it also acknowledges those everyday cars that have shaped our lives.
Still, sales success doesn't matter here, but greatness does come in batches. So these are production vehicles. No one-offs like the Batmobile or Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's Hot Wheels Funny Car. And there are no flying cars either, unless you count the 1965 Shelby Cobra 427.
So crack open a juice box and get on with it.
100. 1997 Acura Integra Type-R: Hand-ported heads, 8,000-rpm redline, and the best-handling front-drive chassis ever. It's still the ultimate sport compact.
99. 1991 Ford Explorer: It defined the 1990s with its ubiquity and made the SUV the standard family hauler. Its rep has fallen, but its impact hasn't faded.
98. 1993 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo: Though it never sold in huge numbers, this was the first import capable of being modified to make (and withstand) 1,000 horsepower.
97. 1968 Datsun 510: A Japanese box on wheels that could beat Porsches in SCCA races. It was a half-price BMW 2002 and a model of simplicity producing greatness.
96. 1984 Toyota Corolla AE86: The mundane rear-drive Toyota that taught the world how to drift. Its simplicity — and DOHC 1.6-liter engine — are its greatest virtues.
95. 1992 Hummer H1: Ludicrously impractical on-road and stunningly capable off. From Baghdad to Beverly Hills, it's still the ultimate SUV.
94. 1986 Lamborghini LM002: Audacious, outrageous and powered by the Countach's V12. It was the first luxurious high-performance SUV, a segment now filled with Cayenne Turbos and X5 Ms.
93. 1986 Acura Legend: It's the car that proved the Japanese could build a true luxury machine and had to be taken seriously.
92. 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII: This is the Evo that came to America and reset every performance expectation. It's the high-tech rally car for the common man.
91. 1963 Jeep Wagoneer: With its unique mix of 4x4 toughness and carlike luxury, it invented the family SUV category. In production for a full 30 years, the biggest surprise is that Jeep isn't still building it.
90. 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo: After more than a decade of soft Z-cars, Nissan reclaimed sports car supremacy with the overwhelmingly capable 300-horsepower "Z32" turbo.
89. 1995 BMW 7 Series: The E38 7 Series is the first big BMW that drove and looked as good as the smaller BMWs. These timeless sedans proved that a full-size car can be a driver's car.
88. 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG: A 604-hp turbocharged V12 elevates this sedan into the realm of exotic performance cars. It may as well be a Gulfstream.
87. 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500E/E500: Mercedes goes after the M5 with the 322-hp E500 and starts one of the great performance wars. Built with help from Porsche.
86. 1988 BMW M5: The first of the Motorsport Division variations on BMW regular production sedans. Its
3.5-liter six only made 256 hp, but that was enough to be the best sport sedan of its time and to launch the M5 legend.
85. 1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z: The official car of New Jersey and the most underappreciated muscle machine ever built. Wore the best-looking 16-inch wheels ever forged and the 1LE was a showroom stock world-beater.
84. 1939 Lincoln Continental: Edsel Ford's invention was the concept of the American "personal luxury" car with this V12-powered coupe. Long hood, short deck and a tire on the rump.
83. 1968 Toyota Corolla: The best-selling automotive nameplate ever makes its first appearance in America — two years after its debut in Japan. It's still here.
82. 1930 Cadillac V16: Only 4,076 of these most extravagant cars were built over their 11 years in production. When Cadillac was the standard of the world, this was the car that set that standard.
81. 1979 Mazda RX-7: When it seemed sports cars were dead and gone in the late '70s, along comes this simple Japanese-made, rotary-powered two-seater to reignite the passion.
80. 2003 Bentley Continental GT: 6.0 liters of turbocharged W12 wrapped in bodywork with the visual impact of a rattlesnake strike. Bentley roars back under VW's care.
79. 1950 Volkswagen Type 2: The VW microbus could do so much so well for not a lot of money that it made utility and the van fun. The official vehicle of hippies, surfers and smoke shop owners since the Summer of Love.
78. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: With its supercharged 638-hp LS9 V8, this car announced that GM, though nearly bankrupt at the time, could still do greatness. It's the best Corvette ever.
77. 1986 Ford Taurus: The car that saved Ford. It set a new design standard and proved America could build a modern front-drive sedan that could stand in the ring with the Camry and Accord.
76. 1936 Cord 810/812: Beyond innovations like hidden headlamps and hidden door hinges, the "coffin nose" Cord 810 and supercharged 812 have set automotive style for 75 years.
75. 1953 Ford F-100: The first truly stylish truck and the first pickup to develop a true enthusiast following. This is a design that stretched the definition of classic.
74. 1946 MG TC: The spindly sports car that American servicemen learned to love while stationed in England. It started the British sports car invasion and is still its epitome.
73. 1951 Ford Country Squire: The wagon generations of us grew up in. This is the definitive family car of the '50s through the '80s, with awesome fake wood along its flanks.
72. 1955 Chevrolet Corvette V8: America's sports car didn't hit its stride until its third year and the introduction of the small-block V8. Great things were still to come.
71. 1964 Ford GT40: Purpose built as a racecar, it was nonetheless also used as a great road car. Won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for four straight years, 1966 through 1969. It's the Ford that defeated Ferrari.
70. 1968 Jaguar XJ6: So beautiful that Jaguar didn't dare screw much with the styling for 41 years. Maybe the only good car Britain produced during the '70s and '80s.
69. 1948 Jaguar XK120: The Bugatti Veyron of its day. Long, low, sleek with a great big six under its hood, the XK120 was the fastest car you could buy at the time, with an incredible top speed of 120 mph.
68. 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost: It was the best car in the world. It's also the car that proved that a car could be regal, glamorous and a beautifully built piece of art.
67. 2010 Porsche Panamera: It's the four-door every other manufacturer feared Porsche could build. Capable in every way, even if you don't like how it looks. A game-changer.
66. 1970 Range Rover: Originally, it was just a more capable, slightly more comfortable version of the Land Rover. But the Range Rover soon became the epitome of luxurious SUVs and has continued in that role.
65. 1941 Jeep MB: Built to help win World War II, the original military Jeep MB would develop into the civilian CJ and, eventually, today's Wrangler. It is the 4x4 that made the idea of four-wheel drive acceptable.
64. 1955 Chrysler 300: The big 300-hp Hemi V8-powered coupe that dominated NASCAR and was the prototype for the muscle cars that were to come a decade later.
63. 1934 Chrysler Airflow: It was an aerodynamic unibody car in an era when no other cars were. Today virtually all cars are built how it was built more than 75 years ago.
62. 1963 Aston Martin DB5: The most famous car of all time thanks to James Bond in the movieGoldfinger. It's the car that launched generations of automotive fantasies as well as many other gadget-filled Bondmobiles.
61. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster: An engineering and styling marvel. One of the best-looking cars of all time and one of the most powerful of its era with a supercharged straight-8. An exotic car before there was such a thing.
60. 1984 Chrysler Minivans: When Chrysler was up against bankruptcy, it took some K-Car pieces, remodeled them into the minivan and reinvented family transportation. You grew up in this.
59. 1976 Porsche 930: The 911 Turbo, icon of 1970s performance and the car that reignited interest in turbocharging. Wicked fast for its time, it took a talented driver to get the most out of it.
58. 2011 Nissan Leaf: The first mass-produced all-electric car from a major manufacturer. The Leaf proves it can be done.
57. 1982 Ford Mustang 5.0: Would hot-rodding and/or street racing have survived the 1990s without the 5.0-liter Mustang?
56. 2005 Bugatti Veyron: Just your average 1,001-hp, 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 powering an all-wheel-drive, two-seat, $1-million-plus hypercar. Top speed 253.52 mph. Or there's the 1,200-hp Super Sports at 267.85 mph.
55. 2002 Subaru WRX: Before the WRX, Subarus were bought by college professors in Maine. The WRX made Subaru cool. It literally and figuratively turbocharged Subaru's image.
54. 1977 Lotus Esprit: It was Lotus' first shot at building a midengine GT and it was good enough to hang around for 27 years. It also had the unique ability to transform into a submarine.
53. 1962 Shelby Cobra 260 and 289: The AC Ace was a boring English sports car with a half-hearted Bristol engine. Carroll Shelby put the small-block Ford V8 in it and created a legend.
52. 1965 Shelby Cobra 427: Shelby designed its own coil-sprung chassis, and fit the massive Ford 427 V8 to create the incredible Cobra 427. It's still one of the quickest cars ever built and it's somehow still in production today.
51. 1975 Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS: Ferrari was foundering in the '70s. Its road cars were flaccid and boring. Then came the midengine, V8-powered 308 and the company had a hot seller. It saved Ferrari.
50. 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: A DOHC, 32-valve, 5.7-liter all-aluminum V8 was exotic stuff in 1990. And 375 hp was awesome. The first Corvette to really take on and outrun Europe's best.
