The Best Cars in History
The success of a car is usually measured by sales, yet sales is not the only measure of success. Cars are very much like politicians, as they need to build up a reputation of reliability of service. But some cars are much more than just pure transportation; some have actually become icons in American history.
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The Volkswagen Beetle "Bug"
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For almost sixty years the Volkswagen Beetle was the world's best-selling car. Volkswagen never changed the body style because people loved it. The last Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico in 2003. The German-made Beetle is a big part of American history. The sixties would not have been the same without the psychedelic paintings on the Volkswagen Bug done by the flower children of that era. It was a car way ahead of its time. It was economical before we needed that. Gas cost nothing in retrospect during the first few decades that this Beetle crawled on the earth. It was a cheaper car to buy than others and many baby boomers remember receiving the "bug" as their first car from their parents. It never went too fast so it was not as popular with the risk-takers, but for the peace-and-love group it was a staple of transportation. The baby boomers grew up with the "Love Bug" and Disney made a group of movies about one of these cars, naming it "Herbie". With all that it has meant to the American way of life, the Beetle is surely the top best car in history.
The Model T Ford
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The Model T Ford was the second best-selling car in the world, making this one of the best cars in history. This car was built by utilizing the assembly line for the first time. This made the manufacturing of cars simple, resulting in lower costs, which in turn made this car available to the masses. The Model T Ford Inventor, Henry Ford, declared that "any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black". This first massed-produced car came in black, black and black. The reason for this color shortage was because the black paint used in those days dried faster than any other color and moved production even faster. The Model T Ford is American history. It was American-made by American workers and it was the first horseless carriage that was affordable to the average American.
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Cadillac
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When first rolled off the assembly line with its V-8 engine in 1914, many sneered and said the Cadillac would never last with such a complicated engine. Well it did last and that car grew into a status symbol for the American people. It became a household word and still is today. The word "Cadillac" has become the symbolic word when referring to anything top-of-the-line. The Cadillac was first built as a luxury car and is still sold as one today. You had arrived when you could afford to buy a Cadillac. It is a favorite first purchase of a new retiree. Jerry Seinfeld got his father one on the "Seinfeld" show because it had always been his father's dream.
The Chevy Corvette
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The best cars in history could not be complete without mentioning the American-made Chevrolet Corvette. It is the sports cars of all sports cars. In 1953 the first Chevrolet Corvette went into production on the assembly lines in Flint, Michigan. Its body was made out of the fiberglass, which was a substance very new to the public. It sold for $3,498, which was a hefty price tag in those days. It was faster than any of the other cars on the road during that time. It was a status symbol for the rich playboy and appeared in many movies in the sixties depicting the James Bond types of that era. The Corvette is still a symbol of the free-spirited playboys and playgirls of today.
Honorable Mentions
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The Edsel is the best car failure in history. Yet it still managed to become a household name. As often as the name of Cadillac is used to denote success, the Edsel connotes the opposite. This manufacturing blunder became a lesson for many industries.
The Mercedes Benz is one of history's best cars. This is a German touring car and the name became one of the most famous songs ever sung by a rock star that was unaccompanied by music. Janis Joplin's, "Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes Benz" was first made famous in the sixties. If a rock icon can sing about this car, it certainly can be thought of one of the best cars in history.
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