Greatest Car Archive
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Immediately after its 1907 debut, the car embarked on a 2,000 mile endurance run proving the car's unparalleled quality and reliability.
more >Porsche 911
When first introduced this model, purists where aghast. Little did they know how the car would virtually redefine the term "timeless."
more >1959 Chevrolet El Camino
It was more an artistic success than a commercial triumph, but that does not diminish the importance of this highly stylized vehicle.
more >Ford GT40
This car (the number designated its height in inches) was conceived by Henry Ford II to teach Enzo Ferrari a lesson: Don't mess with "The Deuce."
more >Aston Martin DB4
As functional as it was beautiful, it was considered by many to be the best all-around GT car of its time.
more >American Motors AMX
AMC was known for doing a lot with a little. And that approach was in use during with the development of this sports car.
more >Chevrolet 1955-57
In 1955, Chevy decided to change its sedate image, just as rock-and-roll was gaining traction with America's youth.
more >Buick Roadmaster
Dunbar Buick worked in the plumbing biz, patenting a process for bonding porcelain to iron that helped create the modern bathtub. He also dabbled in the auto industry.
more >Tatra 77
Up until World War II, this Czechoslovakian company built advanced and imaginative automobiles inspired by the genius of Hans Ledwinka.
more >Oldsmobile Rocket '88
Introduced for the 1949 model year, it was a revelation, setting the standard for every American V-8 engine that would follow it for at least three decades.
more >BMW 507 Roadster
Born in the glory days of the sports car, raised with a distinguished pedigree and built to the highest standards, it failed to achieve commercial success.
more >Oldsmobile Toronado
The sad truth is most people didn't understand that audacious automobile then, and they still don't understand it now.
more >Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1
A top speed of 200 mph? A 10-second quarter mile? Over the years, this 'Vette has truly taken on mythic proportions.
more >Chevrolet Nomad
It turned the stereotype of the station wagon on its ear because this hauler was simply too cool for school.
more >Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
It had a sweet, powerful V-12 engine and a killer body, a shape that was staunchly traditional in its layout, yet modern and timeless in its execution.
more >Datsun 240Z
Its greatness derived from the combination of competent engineering, evocative if derivative styling, better-than-average performance and low price.
more >Porsche 550 Spyder
It played a significant role in the story of James Dean while helping to create the mystique of the Porsche Brand.
more >Duesenberg J/SJ
During the 1930s, the rich and famous (such as Clark Gable) appreciated the Dusie's combination of luxury, speed and style.
more >Hudson Hornet
It was sleek, innovative, fast and even helped make NASCAR a viable series in its early years. But unfortunately, all that still wasn't enough.
more >Sunbeam Tiger
With the help of Carroll Shelby, this pint-size roadster became special -- and pretty quick -- after a V-8 was shoehorned into it.
more >Mazda RX-7
This sports car was the result of a remarkable confluence of disparate antecedents that somehow fell together to create something great.
more >Ford Model A
With the Model T showing its age, and competition from Chevrolet coming on strong, Ford decided to take some drastic measures.
more >Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout
In the early 1900s, Ransom E. Olds bucked the trend and believed that a light, small and inexpensive car was the best way to go.
more >Willys-Overland Jeep
No one may know exactly where its name came from. But this vehicle's importance and influence is certain.
more >Packard Twin Six
There was a time when Packard could be mentioned in the same breath as Rolls-Royce. This V-12 model was a big reason why.
more >Morris Mini Minor/Austin
For a car that had so many reasons not to work, it worked pretty darned well. Brilliantly, in fact.
more >Ford V8
Reaching back to some of its founding principles, Ford produced its engine inexpensively, while delivering smoothness and performance
more >Ford Mustang
OK, so it was a Ford Falcon under its skin. Few cars captured the youthful imagination and spirit of the Sixties like the 'stang.
more >1964 Mercury Marauder
Although it wasn't the greatest muscle car of its time, it was a stout performer that put some steel in the Mercury brand image.
more >Plymouth Barracuda
This sported-up Valiant was introduced two weeks before the Mustang, making it the first American "ponycar."
more >Lamborghini Countach
After the troubled, yet beautiful, Miura ran its course, Lambo production head Paolo Stanzani got his chance to reinvent the sports GT car.
more >Triumph TR-2
Somehow, the British car company Standard got all the planets to align in this model, if only for a little while.
more >Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
Introduced in 1963, this version of the 'Vette found itself in a class with the world's best sports cars.
more >Jaguar XK120
Fast, stylish and beautiful, this sports car helped pave the road for the British auto industry's thrilling post-WW II ride.
more >Chevrolet Corvette C5
It was decreed that this 'Vette would be the supercar for Everyguy -- staggering performance accompanied by space and comfort as well.
more >Rover Land Rover
In the aftermath of World War II, a British car company looked ahead and set out to build a "better" Jeep.
more >Ford Model T
Considered the most influential auto of all time, the "T" received the respect it deserved only after its long production run ended.
more >Oldsmobile 442
Officially known as option number B-09 Apprehender Pursuit, Olds tosses its hat (more accurately, its wheels) into the muscle car ring.
more >Pontiac GTO
Immortalized in song and on drag strips from coast to coast, the Grand Turismo Omologato was a straight-from-the-factory, all-American hot rod.
more >Jaguar E Type
Considered by many to be the most beautiful car ever created, this Jag combined speed, handling and style in one very sexy package.
more >Chevrolet Corvette (1953-62)
Conceived during the sedate, Eisenhower-era, the 'Vette took a brash, bold approach to redefining motoring, American-style.
more >Ford Thunderbird
Maybe it was a reaction to the Corvette. But by the time it entered production, the T-Bird was much more, and the "personal luxury" car was born.
more >Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Out of the rubble of post-WWII Germany, M-B created a car that restored its reputation for engineering excellence and prowess on the racetrack.
more >Bentley 3-Litre
In the 1920s, Walter O. Bentley and Henry Royce vied for the title of best English car maker.
more >Citroen 2CV
Instructions to the car's engineers included the requirement that a farmer wearing his hat should be able to do so unimpeded in the new car.
more >Ferrari 360 Spider
Stunningly attractive and seriously fast (top speed: 180+), it's the most technologically advanced convertible of all time.
more >American Motors Javelin
In the wake of the Mustang, it was conceived as AMC's entry into the "ponycar" race. The company got it right -- against considerable odds.
more >Austin 7
This Model T competitor (later a Model A competitor) helped turn Britain into a car-making nation worthy of the world stage.
more >Chevrolet Camaro
The wild success of the Mustang combined with Ralph Nader's attacks on the Corvair helped launch Chevy's entry into the "pony" car race.
more >Nash Metropolitan
Compared to the American behemoths of its day, it was undersized and underpowered. But this cute compact would be a harbinger of cars to come.
more >Ferrari GTB/4 Berlinetta Boxer
Its big flat-12 engine had a lot to say about the body that wrapped around it. And what a body it was.
more >Benz Patent Motor Wagen
Despite what in some ways was a primitive contraption, the first automobile was a far cry from a carriage with a motor on it.
more >Austin-Healey Sprite
The "bug-eye" wasn't the greatest car that Donald Healey built, but because of its low price and high cuteness quotient, it had the most universal appeal.
more >Dodge Charger
Based on the Coronet, it wasn't much of a looker. But who could forget its menacing full-width grille with those hidden headlights.
more >Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
This sub-series replaced the Chevelle Malibu SS models, and their low-cost/high-performance equation and wide availability quickly made them extremely popular.
more >Continental Mark II
It was hand-built to such a high quality standard that Ford claimed it lost a thousand dollars or so on every one it sold.
more >Cadillac V-16
The tragedy of the V-16 is that it was a car tailor-made for the exuberance of the Twenties that was launched after the stock market crashed in October 1929.
more >Lamborghini Miura
Quite simply, it changed everything about the way people thought about passenger cars. Oh, and it out-Ferraried Ferrari, too.
more >Stanley Steamer
There was a time when many people believed the best way to propel a vehicle on road or rails was the same -- with steam.
more >Chevrolet 409
The story of the Chevrolet 409 actually goes back to the mid-Fifties, when Chevrolet was preparing the follow-ups to its landmark 1955-57 series.
more >Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K
They were among the best-engineered cars of the 1930's, a decade when car designers around the world seemed ready to try anything.
more >Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
When fantasy collides head-on with reality something's got to give, and, sadly, reality usually wins out.
more >Ferrari 550 Maranello
An exoticar with truly stupefying performance potential doesn't have to subject its driver and passenger to extravagant amounts of physical travail.
more >Stutz Bearcat
In 1914, after a stirring list of racing victories, Henry C. Stutz added this model to his line.
more >Porsche 356
Given the crippling combination of war, prison, and exile which surrounded its genesis, the creation of the company's first vehicle was well-nigh a miracle.
more >Dodge Power Wagon
There was a time when the people who drove four-wheel-drive vehicles didn't drink cappuccino every morning on their way to shuttle their kids to soccer practice.
more >Cord L-29
It was a technical and styling tour de force that immediately took its place as one of the most attractive cars on the road.
more >Facel Vega
Why did Facel Vega become the noted French luxury marque of the Fifties and Sixties instead of Bugatti, Delahaye, Hotchkiss or Talbot-Lago? Find the answer here.
more >Lotus Elan
Its strong was not straight-line acceleration but its handling prowess. One tester claimed the car felt "like an extension of your own body."
more >Mercer Raceabout
The car that did so well in competition was virtually the same car the off-the-street customer could buy from a Mercer "agency."
more >Ferrari Testarossa
It was a car designed and built to cash in on an image. The saving grace was it was also a damn good automobile.
more >Tucker Torpedo Model 48
Preston Tucker wanted nothing less than to turn the American auto industry on its ear. And he believed that he had the stuff to do it.
more >Lamborghini Diablo
It revels in being outrageous and uses that as its key marketing tool. Consider it a kind of Madonna for the road.
more >Ferrari 250 GTO
Despite its racing heritage, it has also proven one of the most enduring street cars of all time, as its price at auction will attest.
more >Cord 810/812 -- Phaeton
With hinged at the rear "suicide" doors, a steeply raked windshield and a close-fitting top, one is hard-pressed to imagine a better-looking automobile.
more >Shelby Cobra
One of Shelby's first thoughts was how well a compact American V-8 might work in a light, but sophisticated European sports car chassis.
more >Lotus Seven
Its incredible lightness gave it many virtues including nearly go-kart-like steering and effortless handling. Horsepower increases over the years only added to the fun.
more >Citroen Traction Avant Berline
Contrary to legend, the company did not introduce the first front-wheel-drive production automobile. But it did make front-wheel-drive a success.
more >Bugatti Type 51
It was introduced at the 1930 Paris Salon. The next year the car notched victories at the Monaco Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix.
more >Audi quattro Sport
The brainchild of Dr. Ferdinand Piech, it offered supercar performance in a package that could be mistaken at first glance for a mid-level hatchback.
more >Ford Skyliner
Back in 1957, just watching that gigantic steel roof disappear into its enormous trunk was cooler than any Sputnik those Godless communists could build.
more >Marmon V-16
So what if it cost him his family fortune. The good news is Howard Marmon got to build great cars.
more >Jensen Interceptor
The British car industry was once filled with quirky but industrious little enterprises like this one founded by Allan and Richard Jensen.
more >McLaren F1
In the mid-to-late '90s, if you found Ferraris too common, and were bored by Bugattis, there was always this car. It's price: $1 million.
more >Bentley Speed Six
Just before the stock market crash of '29, W.O. Bentley decided to transform his staid 6-Litre "Standard Six" into the performance-oriented "Speed Six," creating yet another legendary model.
more >American Motors Rebel Machine
So it only sold 2,000 models. In its idiosyncratic way, this "Rebel Without a Cause" deserves a place on the list.
more >Chevrolet Corvette Gen-6
The company focused on the three "P's" for its upgrade: power, passion and precision. It didn't disappoint, creating the best 'Vette ever.
more >Pontiac Firebird
Even though it was late to the ponycar party, this Mustang fighter was an immediate sales success.
more >Cadillac Series 62
"Less is more"? How about "more can always use more"? This was the space-age automobile that took styling to the illogical extreme.
more >BMW 2002
It defined what a German sport sedan should be. All that have come since are simply copies of the car that almost never was.
more >BMW M1
Its raison d'etre was simple: Build a car capable of competing in the prestigious arena of World Sportscar racing.
more >Volkswagen Beetle
One of the word's most popular automobiles suffered many false starts and survived much hardship along its road to extraordinary success.
more >Aston Martin DB7
"Reasonably" priced at $80K, it was a success that sent the company down a new road, one more appropriate for a modern automobile manufacturer.
more >Hummer H1
Maybe not that surprising, it shares the same roots with the Jeep, which are planted deeply in the soil of solidly Midwest Indiana.
more >Mazda MX-5 Miata
Cute, fun to drive and affordable, the "Lotus Elan that starts" became the best selling convertible sports car of all time.
more >Bugatti Royale
Only six or seven (no one knows the exact number) of these beauties were built. They were meticulously crafted and fantastic examples of automotive art.
more >Chrysler Airflow
The innovative engineering work done by Carl Breer and his staff is a silent but important part of every car we drive today.
more >Cadillac Model 30
Equipped with a generator, storage battery, electric lights and battery ignition, this 1912 model was the precursor of the modern automobile.
more >1949 Ford
Born of necessity, it was a step forward for Ford, starting a new era of clean, modern and progressive design.
more >Chrysler C-300
Considered to be the first American "muscle car," it was a handsome devil, suave, debonair and substantial car, perfect for the button-downed Fifties.
more >Citroen SM
In 1972, this French-designed and built automobile, was widely regarded as the best car in the world.
more >Auburn 851/852 Speedster
Capable of topping 100 mph, it became nothing but a wistful memory of what could have been -- maybe should have been -- but wasn't.
more >Volvo P1800
It wasn't fast. And it wasn't the greatest handling car of its day. But there was one thing it was: it was cool. cars
more >Jaguar D-Type
This swoopy race car established the great British marque as a performance car maker, bare none.
more >Edsel
In this department, the Edsel checks in as The Greatest Failure, a car line that didn't live up to its over-optimistic expectations on a colossal scale.
more >Dodge Viper RT/10
Like the Shelby Cobra that inspired it, this car was rough, crude and unsophisticated but, at the same time, brutally powerful.
more >Maserati Tipo 60/61 "Birdcage"
With its intricate tubular chassis, which gave it its nickname, it was far too expensive to build for more than a few wealthy car-crazies.
more >Crosley Hotshot
Innovator Crosley Powel made a lot of left turns as a producer of automobiles. This sports car, his last venture, was his most memorable.
more >Nash Twin-Ignition Eights
The company did a superior job of creating cars for the vast American middle class that were as solid, honest and hard-working as the citizens who bought them.
more >Chevrolet "Stovebolt" Six
This car's story is a tale of American competition that pitted the prot
more >Ripley Light Six
The remarkable story of Thomas B.Ripley and his amazing automobile -- and why you've never heard it.
more >Mercedes-Benz 280 SL
It was a solidly built, comfortable open car with great touring credentials that set a new standard for sports cars from the venerable automaker.
more >1939 LaSalle
Very few cars have gone out of production because they sold too well -- but this one did. LaSalle's demise was caused by its success.
more >Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK
By 1905, Gottlieb Daimler's automobile company had become pretty dull. The arrival of a certain Ferdinand Anton Porsche would soon change that.
more >MG-TC
If it weren't for this British automobile pioneering the way for the modern sports car in the U.S., we probably would never have seen any American sports cars at all.
more >Duryea Motor Wagon
It was the first American company to build a successful automobile. Yet sadly, it's just an obscure footnote in the history of the industry it created.
more >Stutz Model AA Vertical 8
This car, that the company's founder had nothing to do with, still bore Henry C. Stutz's unmistakable stamp.
more >Morgan 4/4
It went from contemporary to venerable to outdated to rejuvenated to out-moded to timeless over the course of its seven decades.
more >Driving Today Channel Sponsor
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