Each decade in America had an iconic event that shaped history indefinitely. Along with iconic events, each decade had an iconic vehicle to go with it. Here are our picks for the most iconic vehicles in each decade.
1940s: Original Jeep
The Jeep is on here for one reason only… World War II. The Jeep served as a scouting vehicle on the front-lines of the Allies and their troops. Jeep decided to keep the iconic military look to remember the struggle and valor that was shown in World War II by the Allies. Although the Jeep Wrangler (closest thing to the war-time Jeep) is still a gas guzzler, it is still a fun ride that all can enjoy.
1950s: Chevy Corvette
This vehicle was one of America’s recreational sports vehicles. This vehicle gave inspiration to the famous Ford Mustang model and many other sporty cars in America. The Chevy Corvette is a classic convertible with sleek design that many car enthusiasts still love today.
1960s: Volkswagen Beetle
Ferdinand Porsche was the founder of Porsche (obviously) and Volkswagen. The most iconic Volkswagen is by far the Beetle. The Beetle survived World War II as well, but this time from the German side. Once production came to America, the Beetle was more popular than ever because Americans were getting tired of sedans from the decade before. The Volkswagen Beetle sold to over 21 million people before going out of production in 2003.
1970s: Lamborghini Countach
The Countach is what put the term “super car” into our modern language. The swinging- winged door make this car iconic, as well as its appearance and insane speed. Looking back at it though, the Countach would have had even more success if the Arab Oil Crisis didn’t take place in the 70s, but it was still a superstar car.
1980s: Lexus LS400
The 1980s was a competition landscape for the best luxury vehicle. BMW and Mercedes were dominating the market in terms of luxury vehicles, but Toyota was more reliable, cheaper, and lasted a longer time. Toyota decided to build their own luxury brand and named it Lexus. When they released the LS400, it quickly overtook the previous brands and became the pinnacle of luxury vehicles.
1990s: Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer has been largely popular ever since the 90s. The reason being is because focused more on being a family car instead of solely work. Station wagons were a thing of the past when the Explorer came onto the market, but it did suffer when gas prices went up. However, the Explorer remains one of Ford’s top selling vehicles.
2000s: Toyota Prius
Toyota wanted to stop the SUV industry in its tracks. How was it going to do this? By creating a vehicle that would get better miles per gallon, but also be an electric-gas hybrid. Although the design is not lavish, the amount you save at the gas pump is well-worth it, at least that’s what Prius owners think. The Prius has changed the way car brands make vehicles, especially now.
2010s: Tesla Vehicles
Tesla made electric cars absurdly popular. Fully-electric vehicles were small, slow, and not stylish at all. However, Tesla has perfected a great electric vehicle that can even rival super cars in both speed and design. Not only are they electric, they are also beginning to be fully autonomous.
We hope to see cars evolve even more because it only makes us consumers happy, either with their design, performance, or amount that we can save. But improvements in vehicles seem to be pushing greener sources of energy, which only benefits the whole world. Here’s to more years and more innovations braking car barriers.
