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To put it simply, car manufacturers are the reason we enthusiasts love cars. If all cars were produced by the same company, or even just the same country, then there would be nothing interesting about them. The excitement of having a vast array of manufacturers spread across the entire world means that cars have character, personalities, and traits that come from those set manufacturers and models.
Many manufacturers have become so famous and synonymous with producing excellent machines that almost everyone in the world knows their name – car enthusiast or not. These companies have often helped shaped the car industry and how it stands today: either with a new piece of technology or a greatly reliable engine or model.
In this article, we’ve compiled ten of some of the most famous car brands and their most influential car that helped forge their identity. Whether it be through stellar performance, great reliability, or a revolutionary design, each of these classic cars has shaped the world of motoring into what it looks like today.
10 Volkswagen – The Beetle
Love it or hate it, the Volkswagen Beetle is an icon of classic cars, and with good reason too. Since its inception in 1938, the Beetle has been a mainstay of popular culture and remains an affordable classic car option today. For Volkswagen, the Beetle was the car that got them going, and you just have to take one look and the sales figures to see why the model was so influential.
The Beetle was designed to be an affordable vehicle that could be mass-produced and made accessible to the general public. It aimed to fulfill the vision of a car for the masses, as put forth by the German government at the time. Because of this, the Beetle was an overwhelming success for decades and decades, with 23 million units being sold worldwide in its 81-year production life. The Beetle may have been a bit of a lemon at times, but there’s no doubting its importance in history, and for that reason, the Beetle is ok in our books.
9 Honda – The Civic
First introduced in 1972, the Honda Civic has evolved through multiple generations, becoming one of the most popular and best-selling compact cars worldwide. The model has produced some brilliant cars for enthusiasts too, with the Type-R and the Si becoming Japanese classics.
The Civic became a great car for Honda for a couple of reasons, mainly, it has consistently offered excellent fuel efficiency, making it appealing to consumers looking for an economical small car. While this obviously worked well in Japan, with the size restrictions on vehicles, also worked well in Western countries that had just started to move away from big gas-guzzling cars due to the oil crisis. Combined with an exceptional history of reliability, the Civic stands proud as a legend of compact cars, and one that probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
8 Ferrari – The F40
It’s very easy to sum up what Ferrari stands for as the world’s most famous supercar manufacturer: passion, excellence, and speed. And that’s exactly what the F40 is, a pure driving experience handcrafted by some of the most talented engineers and designers the automotive world has ever seen. It’s difficult to pick just one Ferrari for this list, as the Italian company has constantly been changing the game over its entire lifespan, but the very special Ferrari F40 seems to perfectly merge every machine into one.
The F40, named in honor of Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, featured a lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar body, advanced aerodynamics, and a powerful twin-turbocharged V8 engine. With 478 hp and a top speed of over 200 mph, the F40 became the fastest production car of the ’80s. Its cutting-edge technology and record-breaking performance set new benchmarks for supercars, and its beautiful Pininfarina design means that it’s likely never to be forgotten.
7 Ford – The Model T
Without knowing the history of the Model T, it might sound strange that without it, how cars are today might not have been the same. The Model T was the first automobile to be produced on a large scale using assembly line manufacturing techniques, meaning that for the first time, the car was an accessible mode of transport for the masses.
One of the main revolutionary things about the Model T was the introduction of the concept of interchangeable parts and standardized components. Ford implemented uniformity in manufacturing, enabling easy assembly and repair and making the whole car cost much less too. The car’s price dropped from $850 in 1908 to around $290 by 1924, and, from that point on, the automotive industry was changed forever.
6 BMW – The M3
In 1986, BMW decided that they wanted to enter the DTM and Group A Touring Car championships, which meant that they needed to design a new car for homologation, which they did. The outcome was the first-ever BMW M3, which, little did BMW know, sparked the start of a German automotive revolution.
The E30 M3 won the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring five times (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994) and the Spa 24 Hours four times (1987, 1988, 1990, and 1992), often competing against cars with significantly larger or turbocharged engines. But away from the track, the first M3 was an incredible success as well and started a chain of brilliant German sports cars that still goes on to this day. Without the first M3, many of the best BMWs may never have existed, mainly because the first M3 probably was the greatest BMW model to ever exist.
5 Porsche – The 911
There’s not really much of an introduction needed for Porsche or the 911, even just from one’s silhouette the car is instantly recognizable. The 911 is the quintessential sports car, and no matter which one you drive old or new, air-cooled or turbocharged, you’ll find it impossible not to love.
The 911’s enduring design has made it instantly recognizable and has influenced generations of sports cars, and many commonplace pieces of sports car technology first sat in the body of a 911. The car is no longer really just a model, but an entire identity of a company, as every car Porsche makes takes design inspiration from the 911, and without it, none of them would ever exist. If asked to picture a supercar, the first name in your head may be Ferrari, but the image that comes to mind probably looks more like a 911.
4 Lamborghini – The Miura
It’s sometimes forgotten that Lamborghini pretty much defined the supercar as we know it today, as the Miura was the first supercar with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout. The team wanted to design something that not only felt great on the open Italian road, but that could also compete well on the track.
The original iconic ’60s Miura featured a 365-hp V12, which, when combined with the lightweight nature of the car, made it perfect for road and track. The Miura was not only incredibly popular upon release but also inspired an entire rebrand of the Lamborghini company, bringing it closer to how it’s recognized today.
3 Renault – The 5
Nowadays, Renault is known for mainly producing some pretty boring and generic-looking and driving cars that aren’t always very reliable. But back in the day, Renault was one of the founding fathers of the compact car, and with the Renault 5, alongside the likes of the Fiat 127, changed the roads of Europe and the rest of the world forever.
Made as a compact car for running in urban environments, the Renault 5’s design was ahead of its time. The 5 featured a distinctive, compact body with clean lines, rounded edges, and large windows, and was practical and versatile, offering a spacious interior despite its small size, setting a new standard for compact cars and influencing future designs in the industry. The car’s influence can be seen in subsequent models such as the Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, and many more throughout the years.
2 Nissan – The Skyline
Nissan as a brand has always been at the forefront of automotive innovation, and there’s no model they’ve made that shows this better than the Nissan Skyline, a household name for any JDM enthusiast, and a pioneer of many of Nissan’s greatest advancements.
The Skyline has been around for longer than you think, as the first model was created as early as 1957. The model was one of the first Japanese cars to incorporate turbocharging, advanced electronic systems, and all-wheel drive in some models. The Skyline also showcased innovations such as active rear-wheel steering and advanced computer-controlled traction and stability systems. Of course, the Skyline also allowed for the birth of the GT-R line, some of the greatest Japanese sports cars ever built.
1 Chevrolet – The Corvette
Finally, we come to one of the sports cars that started it all. The Chevrolet Corvette is an iconic American sports car that has had a profound influence on the automotive industry. Introduced in 1953, the Corvette has become synonymous with performance, style, and its incredible history, making it one of the most famous American cars ever built.
The Corvette holds a special place in American automotive history as one of the longest-running car nameplates, from small-block V8s to powerful supercharged engines. The model’s acceleration, top speed, and overall performance capabilities have made it a formidable presence on both road and track over its 70-year lifespan. The Corvette’s status as an American icon and its impact on the automotive performance industry has solidified its position as one of the most influential sports cars in history.
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