Top Cars From Each Decade Since the Dawn of the Automobile
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132 years. That is how long the automobile has been with us; and for better or worse it has become inextricably woven into every facet of our lives.
To progress from those very early days when merely completing a short journey was an achievement in itself to the high tech semi-autonomous marvels on the road today we have seen some amazing technological advancements get us here.
While there have been some great cars along the way that have secured a place at the very top of the desirability list, the ones we will be focusing on in our list are the game changers, the ones that rewrote the rule book and shifted the way the industry operated.
We have picked 14 cars that helped shape and define each decade of motoring history. Narrowing the list down was not an easy task and many worthy entrants narrowly missed the cut so feel free to post your favourite cars in the comments section.
1885- Benz Patent-Motorwagen
We all have to start somewhere and for the internal combustion automobile this is Genesis.
The very first and by default best car of the 1880s, Karl Benz’s Benz Patent Motor Car was essentially a tricycle powered by a 0.5bhp 1 litre single cylinder engine, it was crude and slow but it could motor along a rutted track under its own power and that was akin to magic.
Benz Motorwagen No.2 and 3 soon followed, offering more power and mechanical sophistication paving the way for the development of the automobile.
1890 – Stanley Steamer/Duryea Motor Wagen/Electric ‘Hummingbird’ Cab
The dominance of the internal combustion engine was by no means assured in the early days of the automobile race; steamers and electric powered cars were serious contenders up until at least the turn of the century.
So to illustrate the nature of the playing field we have a three way tie here between the fastest (Stanley Steamer at 35mph) the first series production car (Duryea Motor Wagon – 13 built) and the first electric cabs in London introduced by Walter C. Bersey, nicknamed ‘Hummingbirds’ thanks to their buzzing electric motors.
What a tumultuous period, soon though things were about to change. (Stanley Steamer pictured).
1906-Rolls Royce Silver Ghost
Fiddly cold-start procedures and a lack of electric charging infrastructure (that one sounds a bit familiar) spelled the beginning of the end for the steam and electric powered hopefuls, the internal combustion engine slowly gained control at the turn of the century and the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was the car to deliver the final blow.
While most early motor cars struggled to get out of their own way and broke down with metronomic regularity, the Silver Ghost was a revelation.
Providing effortless performance, requiring minimal servicing to its 7-bearing 7litre engine and providing a level of unparalleled sophistication it was dubbed the ‘best car in the world’ by Autocar way back in 1907.
In production for 20 years it was continually updated with innovations such as electric lighting and starting as well as servo-assisted brakes. A true technological pioneer.
Notable Mention: Ford Model T
No ‘top car’ list can be complete without at least a nod to the once all-conquering Ford Model T.
Introduced in 1909, the mass production techniques used to build it allowed for cost effective manufacturing, quick implementation of improvements and low of prices. Democratising the motor car and mobilising millions.
1916-Cadillac Type 53
Cadillac made a name for itself in the US producing V8 powered land yachts perfectly suited for cruising for hours along long motorway stretches.
While they have introduced a number of notable motoring innovations in their time, the one that has possibly had the most lasting effect was introduced in the humble Cadillac Type 53 in 1916.
Namely the standardisation of a vehicles controls. Up until this point (and for a few years afterwards), the location of the accelerator pedal, handbrake or gear lever were placed in a car at the designer’s whim.
The Type 53 may only have been produced for 1 year but its legacy lives on in every car built since.
1927-Bentley 4 ½ Litre
The Bentley 4 ½ Litre or ‘Blower Bentley’ as the supercharged versions were nicknamed, was not a particularly commercially successful vehicle, where it made its name was on the harsh proving grounds of the world’s race tracks.
It won the 24-hours of Le Mans in 1928 thanks to a rugged design and advanced 4.4litre engine.
Supercharged versions were somewhat less reliable on the track but racing versions produced up to 240bhp and they set some impressive speed records, most notably a 138mph top speed run at Brooklands.
1938-VW Beetle
The VW Beetle may have had its beginnings tangled up in the unsavoury Nazi regime but through various twists of fate it left an indelible mark on the automotive world.
Its mechanically simple air-cooled engine and extremely rugged construction made it popular the world over, it became a base for kit cars, army vehicles and was the preferred mode of transport for the 1960’s hippie generation.
Even the original Porsche 356 borrowed most of its running gear from this little car. With over 20 million produced the VW Beetle is still a common sight in many countries to this day.
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Notable Mention: Auto Union
The only race car in our list, the Auto Union was such a monumental technical achievement that it shouldn’t be ignored.
The final iteration of the supercharged V16 engines could produce up to 550bhp and a streamlined version achieved 199mph on a stretch of Italian motorway. All this in 1935.
Tricky handling aside, these monsters were the racing cars to beat until the outbreak of WWII.
1940-Tucker Sedan 48
A fascinating mix of technologies that were perhaps ahead of their time combined with a man mired in controversy, the Tucker Sedan 48 was an amalgamation of automotive free thinking.
Preston Tucker’s car was to feature a near 10 litre fuel-injected engine (a no-less aspirational helicopter engine was finally used), occupant safety cell, ultra-low drag coefficient and 4-wheel disc brakes.
Not all of these innovations made it into production and continued negative media publicity saw the Tucker Car Corporation fold after only 51 cars had been built.
The lasting legacy of this blue-sky thinking was to push the big auto manufacturers into releasing new designs and incorporate some of Tucker’s own innovations into their products.
1955-Citroen DS
Aside from its space age styling and quirky French charm, the Citroen DS revolutionised the industry by taking automotive hydraulic systems to an entirely new level.
Pioneered in the Citroen Traction Avant the updated hydraulic system powered the clutch, gearbox and suspension system giving the DS an incomparable ride over rough surfaces while still offering good handling.
It proved its superiority in motorsport where various DS models achieved wins in various rallying disciplines. It was so good that Citroen didn’t put an all-new design into production for 15 years for fear that it would not match up to the innovative DS.
Notable Mention: Mini
The 50’s were an innovative decade and a mention should be made to the Alec Issigonis designed Mini, with its revolutionary front-wheel drive setup and go-kart like handling it changed small car design forever.
Notable Mention: Mercedes 300SL
The Mercedes Benz 300SL rounds of our 1950’s entrants. It was the world’s first supercar, capable of 160mph, featured the very first fuel-injected production engine and it set the standard in its segment for years to come.
1967 – NSU Ro 80
The NSU Ro80 was not just the first luxury production car with a Wankel engine it also featured an aerodynamically advanced body shell, innovative automatic clutch, disc brakes all-round and even independent suspension at all four corners.
All this advanced tech could not hide the fact that the smooth and revvy rotary motor was thirsty, used too much oil and was notoriously unreliable.
NSU worked hard to rectify the issues at a huge financial cost, but by 1970 it was all over. Bankrupt and with a severely damaged reputation it was acquired by VW which merged it and Auto Union into a new company you may have heard of named Audi.
1978 – SAAB 99 Turbo
The Oldsmobile Jetfire may have been the first turbocharged production car but the 124mph Saab 99 Turbo refined the technology enough to make it viable for continued mass-production at an attainable price point.
This early design may have suffered from turbo-lag but when it was on boost the 143bhp SAAB 99 Turbo could worry some very exotic machinery indeed. While the ill-fated SAAB motor company may have been an early adopter of this technology, the rest of the industry didn’t introduce it into their mainstream products until decades later.
1986 – Porsche 959
1986 was the year the seminal 959 arrived and in one fell swoop instantly made every other super car look 10 years out of date. It is quite likely that a fair few of the technological innovations in your daily driver today made their debut in this car.
While Porsche’s 911 range had stayed broadly unchanged for over a decade, the 928 and the Porsche racing program showed that the tech department hadn’t been idle. The 959’s computer controlled four-wheel drive system and suspension allied with a massively powerful 2.9l twin-turbocharged engine made it an absolute weapon and thanks to its robust underpinnings gave it a 1-2 finish in the 1986 Paris-Dakar.
The blueprint for the future, it is one of the very best supercars of the 1980’s.
Notable Mention: Ferrari F40
The total antithesis to the 959s techno-laden approach, the F40 was a pared down minimalist take on the supercar genre.
The body may have been made of carbon fibre and Kevlar but that was about as high-tech as it got. Utterly involving (and plain terrifying on a wet road) to drive it deserves a place here just for its sheer commitment to driving enjoyment. Which brings us neatly to our next entrant…
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1992 - McLaren F1
There are no superlatives left to describe what to many experts is the pinnacle in pure automotive design.
A vast budget allowed for the very best designers to apply the most advanced technological solutions to the F1. Need to dissipate heat, no problem, use gold foil in the engine bay. Want the most advanced naturally aspirated engine, get BMW to design one just for the F1.
The innovations under the skin were endless. Its record-breaking headline grabbing performance figures were by-products of a more noble pursuit, namely to produce the finest performance automobile ever made. In this aspect, it has yet to be surpassed.
2005 – Bugatti Veyron
The Top Trumps card which elicits an evil little laugh whenever it is picked, the Bugatti Veyron is all about big numbers.
Many said that it couldn’t be done, delay upon delay to its launch date seemed to be confirming the worst, when, in 2005 the 16 cylinder, 8 litre, quad-turbo 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron descended onto the automotive landscape scattering doubters and smashing records in the process.
With dozens of challengers inching ever closer, the Super Sport model arrived in 2009, now with 1200bhp. The Veyron finally relinquished its crown in 2017 to a car from within its own ranks, the 1476bhp Bugatti Chiron.
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2014- BMW i8
3-cylinders and 1.5 litres may not seem like much but when combined with cutting-edge turbocharging and electric power the resultant 357bhp power train provides supercar levels of performance with city car consumption.
Mega horsepower supercars are still the flavour of the moment but even they have adopted hybrid powertrains to enhance their performance and efficiency. The i8 deserves the top spot for the way it showcases this technology, for underneath all that wizardry is a car that shows that the electric future can be just as exciting and entertaining as the fuel guzzling supercars we don’t want to relinquish.
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Notable Mention: Tesla Model S
History truly does repeat itself, the turn of the 19th century saw electric cars ultimately being unsuccessful in competing with petrol power for top spot.
A century later they are back, it was slow at first, manufacturers testing the waters with hybrids, but then Tesla came along, first with the Tesla Roadster and then the supercar slaying all-electric Model S. This four-door saloon offers Ferrari humbling 0-60 mph acceleration with negligible running costs and continuous development promising ever-increasing range from its battery packs. This time resistance may well be futile.
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