What is the Most Influential Car of All Time?
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2024
- A classic car connaisseur decides what is the most influential car of all time? But in order to make that final decision, he first looks at all the most important cars made in the previous decades.
This is the list:
pre 1910s: Benz Patent Motorwagen
1910s: Ford Model T
1920s: Austin 7
1930s: Tatra 77
1940s: Willys MB Jeep
1950s: Citroën DS
1960s: Volkswagen Beetle
1970s: Toyota Corolla
1980s: Dodge Caravan
1990s: Ford Explorer
2000s: Toyota Prius
2010s: Tesla Model S
This video is more about the comments than the video, let me know your thoughts on what is the most important car of each decade or all time!
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TELL ME! What is your list of most influential cars? If you like you can use this form down below, so that we can compare notes! Just copy the text and you are good to go!
pre 1910s:
1910s:
1920s:
1930s:
1940s:
1950s:
1960s:
1970s:
1980s:
1990s:
2000s:
2010s:
2020s:
ALL TIME:
Ford taurus for the 80s
And the beetle for the 30s
how do you not like beetles the dunebuggys people turned them into started the offroading culture.
1920s. DUESENBERG 😉
Austin 7! It established what became the standard layout of pedals & other controls, making it where people could easily switch from driving one brand of car to another.
Even the Jeep was the brainchild of the Bantam Motor Company. Their main product had been licensed Austin 7's. Undoubtedly, the Austin 7 influenced the Jeep.
Yes, the Austin 7's pedal & control layout was influenced by Cadillac, but Cadillac wasn't mass market.
Here in Brazil, there's no doubt: it's the VW Beetle.
No , its The Fiat uno
Yeah i agree
@@luizeduardomattaottoeher8885nah.
Funny you should say that...
Or should we say the VW Fusca?
My grandparents were all born in the 1890s. In their final days, I asked each of them what their favorite car was. They all had the same answer - the Model T. It was a hoot to drive, and you could buy kits through Sears and Roebuck to transform it into just about anything: a tractor, a truck, even a snow mobile. Their favorite kit was the electric start converter. And you had to drive backwards up the mountain passes (Idaho) because reverse gear had the most torque.
I second that. My grandmother who just passed after new years was born in 1921 and she said her first and most memorable car was her fathers model T for similar reasons.
You didn't drive a model t uphill in reverse for torque it was because it had no fuel pump long uphill drives starved it for fuel
My Grandfather, (1905) was a Model A guy. Living in Toledo Ohio, the fully enclosed passenger compartment was a must during the winter. All the advances of the T were included. He spoke extremely highly of that car throughout his life. I miss him.
Try to drive a Model T and you will change your opinion.
The gas tank was just ahead of the dashboard and fuel was gravity fed to the carb. Driving up steep hills made the tank lower than the carb, thus starving it for fuel. Backing up a hill kept the tank higher than the carb.
You're missing the BMC Mini.
The Mini was the prototype of all modern small front wheel drive cars with transverse engines. It doesn't quite fit into your classification by decades, because that layout didn't become ubiquitous until years later. But it's still important.
Renault 4 with it's hatchback anyone ?
You beat me to it.
You nailed.
The two most important cars of history are the Model T and the BMC Mini.
Model T is not important because of the Assembly line. Rather, it’s the opposite. Model T introduced, and at the same time established, something called standardization. That’s the importance of Model T and Henry Ford and that’s what allowed Assembly line.
As for the BMC Mini, it created modern car design, by making use of the transversal front wheel drive transmission, among other things of modern car design. It is impressive, though that wouldn’t be enough reason to make it influential, that it’s perhaps the last car to be entirely projected and designed single handedly by one man only, Sir Alec Issigonis. The suspension design also is impressive and worked really well, but did not make the cut going into the future (same with the Citroen).
@@fernandocamargo6590 Standardization is quite a bit older than the Model T.
Standardized weights and measures are thousands of years old. Standardization of products dates to the first half of the 19th Century, and started with standard screw-threads. After that, military rifles were one of the first standardized products - this allowed the assembly or repair of ANY rifle with parts from stores, no hand fitting required. But you're right in that the Model T was the first successful standardized auto.
Yeah it was a glaring omission. Personally I'd have put it in the 50s or 60s, giving the Beetle an unfortunate and undeserving pass for this list
Don't forget about Saab. They've been making front wheel drive forever.
Great picks! My pick for the 1960s is BMC Mini...from an engineering perspective, it was a revelation that dominates small car design to this day.
The first transversely mounted engine with front wheel drive has to be the most influential car of all time. Influence counted as the # of cars that copied the architecture. And Ed didn't even mention it?
Actually, the Mini launched in 1959.
@@PoulStaugaard Although the Model T launched before 1910 as he acknowledged in the video. The Mini was the first car that came to mind for me too.
@@PoulStaugaardThe Mini wasn’t the first car with a transversely mounted engine and front wheel drive, though. DKW F1 is the first, I believe, but there were many others before the Mini, including the Goliath GP700/900, Saab 92 and Trabant.
@@siwynjones This is true but the Mini was the first car with a transverse inline 4, and arguably made the format mainstream. The others were regarded more as curios.
Matchbox car. The first one I could afford.
Hot wheels car that was the first I could afford!
good answer.
Don't lie - parents bought it to you ...
The French will insist it's Majorette.
Always the best!
The Austin 7 was one of the first mass produced cars to use the 3 pedal controls that are found in almost all cars since
And the underpinnings are still being used in a kit car called the Caterham. Check the spelling on that lol. Basically the Lotus 7.
No it wasn't. Cadillac got there before them .
@shaunw9270 True, in that the Austin 7's pedal layout & other controls were inspired by Cadillac, but as a rich person's car, there weren't enough Cadillacs around during that key era, to be an influence on the public at large, where the cheap & cheerful Austin 7 was prolific Worldwide either directly or via licensing.
@@shaunw9270 - possibly, but the Seven was the one that the masses first saw it.
@@shaunw9270He did say 'one of the first', not 'the first'. The Austin definitely popularized the layout in a way the Cadillac didn't.
The most influential car of the 70s was the Mercedes W123. Many of the innovations introduced with the W123 were adopted in many automobile series worldwide over the next three decades. Padded dashboards, the logic of the light switch, the safety cell, the tank above the rear axle outside the crash zone, the safety lock on the doors, etc. etc. etc. With a few visual and technical updates, a W123 would still be competitive on the new car market today, which is why, for me, it is clearly the most influential car since the beginning of the automobile age.
As an ex W123 owner, I wholeheartedly agree. The W123 is the car done the most “correct” in every perceivable way relevant to the act of motoring.
You forgot to add what trend Mercedes actually started that has now been adopted by all surviving brands: A business model that favors increasing levels of complex and proprietary tech that interlocks in a special way that ensures you will one day be left on the side of the road watching your car get flat-bedded to the dealer (because nobody has the proprietary tool to fix it). Thanks for nothing doctors too rich to add up their true cost per mile. And thank you Mercedes for finding new and improved ways to ensure you will never have to compete with your old products. Starting with the W123 rust heaps full of rotting vacuum lines and ignition switches that just stop working one day. Such humble beginnings to why there are now no new cars safe to own outside of warranty. Just like that good ole Mercedes you no longer own.
@@moesizlac2596 LOL. Ridiculous bullshit. What are you? A russian troll?
I own a 1964 w110 200d and all the things you mention are present on that vehicle.
Plus heavy duty steel bumpers.
Ever since then Mercedes cars have been made down to a price not up to a standard, I sold my w123 as it wasn't as good.
@@moesizlac2596 : Haha! 100% fair.
The DS really was a wild leap forward for Citroën. Their styling went from 30 years behind its time to 40 years ahead of it. The change was so sudden, even styling heavyweights like Jaguar would take the better part of a decade to catch up
Overall I think your list is spot-on. That being said, the only choice I might possibly disagree with you on is the 1970s/Corolla. The 70s is a tough choice for sure, but I think one could argue that the Honda CVCC with its unique emissions cutting engine tech or the MkI VW Golf had more of an impact than the Corolla
🥲 thank you so much for bringing this up
I came here to say something similar. 1970s - Japan. Car - Honda Civic and Accord. Their innovative engine technology, with significant improvement in emission and economy, combined with overall quality make them winners. I'm a VW fan having owned six. The Golf Mk1 was a great car, but it simply did somethings that were already in the air better.
Excellent points.
I also remember Honda as paving the way with an ergonomic roadmap which almost every automaker follows today.
Yes! Exactly my thoughts, the 70s should be represented by a hatchback
I owned a 1963 Citroen DS for a short while in the early 90s and LOVED driving it! Clever designs and the handling was amazing with the hydrolics!
8:41 in Latin America there is no doubt the Vw beetle was the most important car ever made, from 1950's all the way to 2001. It is an understatment to say it build the continent, everything from civilian, commercial, police, ambulances, the army, fire fighters was covered by the beetle and its derivatives, i can't imagine the history of my country without them.
Also the Austin 7 popularised the modern control layout of ignition key, 3 pedals and gear-stick in the middle. Admittedly Cadillac invented the layout, but Austin made it famous.
My only real dispute is with the first one: I'd have chosen the curved-dash Oldsmobile. It was the first car truly mass produced, in the thousands instead of dozens. It inspired a popular song still known today. It was the first truly practical car mass produced; stable, easy to learn, easy to repair, low compression engine that would operate on the often questionable fuels being sold. And something I believe, though cannot prove, it's styling made it easier for the public to accept. It was essentially a carriage in appearance, and made of the traditional wood. New, but an old friend at the same time.
That'd be a good one for the 1900s decade, if you split it off from pre-1900. I'd been thinking the first Rolls-Royce model for that decade -- as an example of reliability in a sea of cars that broke down all the time -- but yah, the curved-dash Oldsmobile might well beat it.
Citroen DS and Tatra T77 were my favourites from the list. For the 1980s I would gone for the Porsche 928. Introduced in 1977 but sold throughout the 1980s. They are just cool cars and very well engineered too.
The 80s also birth the best S class Mercedes of all time, the w126 series. Aerodynamic design, first production car to have airbags fitted as standard, advanced safety features and crumple zone technologies, all aluminum v8s and amazing i6 and diesels, independent suspension, fixed disk brakes with torque dampening rear watts links, trip computer, full hydraulic suspension, and a ton of well designed features. They drive very well and had significant performance vs anything the USA had to offer at the time
Yeah but this list isn't about what cars you like, it's about what cars influenced people and the car industry the most. While the 928 was innovative in many ways, I don't think it holds a candle to the influence of the Caravan or the Espace.
The Cyber truck isn't influenced by anything but a 5 year old's idea of a UFO. I would have put the Ford Maverick as the influential vehicle of the 2020's.
The DS still looks futuristic today! That's not a car, that's a masterpiece, that's a piece of art and engineering at the same time.
No other car has ever come close to the greatness of it.
Ed: The 1950s - the Citroen DS
Me: Well, I can keep watching this channel.
He does have more European tastes than I as an American care for.
I think you handled this difficult and complex question very well. This examination of the car history by decades made me aware (again), that many good things in the world kind of peaked in the 60's.
Which is when you were born, right?
@@themoviedealers 67, so my awareness and memory started in the 70's. No, my stepmother, born in the 40's said the 60's were the most easy time to enjoy live, easy to find a job, good salary and sex was uncomplicated too. In Switzerland, anybody could have a family, car and holydays, and one salary paid the whole shebang. And when I look at the kind of qualities, some American cars had, I have my doubt that they could reproduce it today. The problem would start already with the sheet metal.
The real problem is, that over the decades, people gave up their freedom for security.
Well done! ...but what's missing is an early FWD transverse engine compact. Could have been the Mini for the 60s or the Fiat 128 for the 70s (Corollas were stil RWD till 1979 - edit: 1983!!) but this setup was revolutionary, and once established has dominated all mass market car designs until this very day.
I was thinking Mini as well. It was literally very influential as it created the whole FWD compact car thing as we know it, and Golfs and others are just successors.
yes, I agreed that the Model T was the most influential car of all time, mass produced for the masses, but I was surprised there was no mention of the Mini for the 1950's, as mentioned it pioneered transverse mounted engine for FWD to maximise passenger space and has since influenced economy car design.
No one copied the BMC idea of putting the gearbox in the engine sump.
It took Fiat to develop the now widely used format of the gearbox separate with the Autobianchi A112 and the Fiat 128 and not making the extreme compromises of the Mini.
Not even the first transverse front engine front wheel drive. The 1931 DKW F1 car likely the first with Issigonis likely knew of that car.
Corollas were RWD until 1983...
(RWD wagons were actually produced until 1987)
Ha! Somehow I knew the 128 was the trailblazer in that sense, thx for the clarification! @@johnd8892
The most influential car in my mind is the french Citroen 2CV. Car manufacturers haven't found it promotable most likely due to low cost. But European public liked it very much. It was even charming in its own ways.
Here in the States the Model T is without a doubt the vehicle that changed this nation, and the fact so many are still around and running pretty much says it all.
All in all I agree completely with list Ed.
For the 70s, I would go with the Honda Accord. When it was introduced in 1976, it’s so stunned the Ford engineers that they begged Henry Ford II to come down and see it broken down. He refused. In less than 10 years, Honda went from putting motorcycle engines in golf carts to making the finest engine in the most reliable and comfortable package.
My 1977 Honda accord was a great car !!! After driving Chevy impala for years the difference is gas mileage was staggering 😊😊😊
The Ford Model T was twenty years ahead the German VW Beetle as a true low cost, quality, simple vehicle for the common person.
Yes; and when the Car of the Century venture happened in 1999, the T finished first by miles, with the Bug a distant second...correctly.
The T was not ’twenty years ahead’ of the Volkswagen. It was just built decades earlier in an earlier era. Oh, and it was American, I suppose.
@@drstrangelove4998 that's usually how it ends...the car of the century venture was an american thing anyway, so the T was obvious.
@@TheChill001 It was the first successful mass produced car on earth. No other car really compares in the scope of importance.
@@drstrangelove4998Model Ts were made all over the world. It was the first World Car.
So glad the Citroen DS is on this list. What an incredible car!
In terms of setting standards that were adopted by the rest of the auto industry, you can't overlook FIAT'S input. Starting with the Autobianchi Primula which was the first FWD car with a transversely mounted engine with end on transmission, but that was made by FIAT as an experiment. The same layout was used in the FIAT 128, along with a belt driven OHC engine. Then a little later was the 127, this basically set the template for small hatchbacks from there on out. Volkswagen and Ford were obviously copying FIAT's homework when they were designing the Golf and Fiesta. So I think the 127 especially is a contender for most influential car of the 1970's.
About VW copying FIAT, I believe the Golf Mk1 designer himself stated that he saw a stripped down Fiat 128 at a VW facility he was working in at the time
totally agreed
I feel like the quiet but influential car that is somewhat largely forgotten from the 1980s would be the AMC Eagle. It had created the future concept of a small SUV or sedan with its comfort but with the capabilites of an all terrain. It's basically was the Crossover Vehicles that we have now and Is still selling massively.
Absolutely a good one! I didn't even think of the Eagle...
I was going to say the Jeep but the AMC Eagle is more accurate.
Subaru was hugely influential in that regard.
@dcanmore they got successful with the idea and ran with awd wags and things, but AMCs got the jump on the overall design and had it well figured out as other automakers followed
Great list! One that comes to mind for the 1970s is the VW Rabit. The actual design influence, front wheel drive, cross engine placement over the front wheels and the Sail body design that handles so well and is economical to build. Though not a obvious choice, it's influence is felt around the world.
Volkswagen tried multiple times to create a true replacement for the Beetle using a rear-mounted engine but the technology just didn't work. So Volkswagen Group used the research used to build the original Audi 50 (aka. technology from NSU) to build what became the Golf in 1974.
VW lost market share in many countries due to the Golf/Rabbit being so much more expensive than the Beetle and being a lower quality more disposable product.
@jeffkuss5512 The Mini was first with all these ideas, ten years earlier.
@@raywest3834 too small. Keep pulling up to lights & seeing that all the manufacturers have settled on the dimensions of an '87 Golf gl. (as a minimum) Mine has 540k or 600k miles on it, judging from the last O2 sensor triggering weeks ago. lol.
Guess 30mpg & peanuts to fix. + non-interference T belt=success. Let'er break! woohoo! BULLETPROOF. now I know why these were all over eastern europe.
@@timewa851 We're talking influential here, not what is best. Every small car designer has copied the Mini's pioneering design for front-wheel-drive, and transverse engine. Q.E.D.
I always enjoy watching your videos, Ed. I guessed three of the decades correctly - the Ford Model T, The Dodge Caravan and the Ford Explorer. I knew each of those cars had a major influence on other car manufacturers.
To me, the 1916 Caddilac type 53 as it was the first 3 pedal layout that has been used on every car since...even modern EVs.
For the 20s, any of the cars from Cole. Cole introduced the V8, chrome, disc brakes, and the balloon tire that we still use today, but that isnt enough for me to bring cole to light. Coles biggest influence for cars was the concept of making every part exactly the same using drawings, and repairs could be easily accomplished by a simple parts replacement. Something that again, every single car made since uses this technique that Cole developed. In fact, Ford copied coles drawing concept and it allowed Ford to bring the assembly line to fruition. To me that is pretty darn influential.
Didn't know EVs had 3 pedals .. where's the 3rd one hiding ?
@@JohnDoe-vx3z Okay so one is missing, just like on automatics... but he's not wrong because the LAYOUT is still the same and it's usually referred to as the "three pedal layout" so Cadillac was indeed the company that introduced the pedal layout as we've known it on all cars since.
@paulnoble5627 Cadillac Type 53 was also first with a key ignition.
Corolla, maybe but I think the Honda Civic is probably tied with it.
Also have to totally disagree with the Ford Exploder. The Jeep Cherokee was around long before it and was really what defined the genre.
Cybertruck? Really? I don't see that as being any more relevant than the Isuzu Vehicross, Pontiac Aztek or any other oddball market failure. I don't forsee many construction workers driving to jobsites or pulling up to Home Depot in Cybertrucks, nor could I envision someone towing their boat to the lake on a Summer weekend with one.
As far as most influential of all time, the Volkswagen has to be it. It was sold worldwide and in production for almost 7 decades.
It is clearly the Renault 16. Huge success and pioneer for the front wheel drive, hatchback, 5 door family car pattern. Template for the smaller VW Golf and Fiat 127.
Dodge Dart (Plymouth Valiant) was the Corolla of the 60s. When I was young and poor, those 2 cars enabled me to save a decent nest egg for retirement. Corolla also changed the repair landscape by being much more maintenance free, but the parts became more expensive, making Corolla cost more to own overall. But not by much.
Those cars saw almost no sales at all outside of the US though, so only 5% of the world got to experience them, however it's the same with some other cars on the list, but there he makes an argument how they changed the way other car manufacturers thought about cars, how they affected the industry, etc.
Can add a third manufacturuer name to this. It was the known as the Chrysler Valiant in Australia.
If we are going to talk about that class of cars, I think it really started with the Ford Falcon or something with the Mercury name on it. Basically was the 1960 Edsel. I think that was the most influential car in the 60s that was introduced in the 60s. Although overall I suppose the Beetle deserves that spot. Even when I was a kid in the early 90s I remember probably a quarter of the cars on the road were still VW Beetles.
Your list is almost spot on, but... For the 1940's I suggest the- introduced in 1948- 1949 Olds 88 or Cadillac. They had modern (at one time at least) high compression OHV V8's combined with fully automatic transmissions. Dominant in the US for a few decades this combo of power would be adopted by makers world wide. Indeed the V8 is still with us- just starting to fade. For the 1970's the original 1976 Honda Accord. It combined x-verse FWD with spaciousness, numerous standard features not tight like a Civic), great fuel economy, peppy performance. great VFM, and solid build. Many tried to copy it, it took them a few decades to catch up (sort of). Perfect for its time and still practical today.
Well-thought out, well-researched, and well-presented, as usual. Thanks, Ed! You’re one of the best car channels on YT.
1901 oldsmobile curved dashed as it was the first mass produced car, it was the first to have a dedicated supplychain, and it was during this cars production it got songs written about.
In the 1900 / 1910 there was Oldsmobile Curved Dash (R - 6C etc) like "mass model" car, but there was also the 1903 Rambler model C, the Maxwell, Buick C, 1903 Ford A etc.
In my opinion there are : Oldsmobile Curved Dash, Ford model T, Citroen A 1919, Citroen Traction Avant 1934, the VW Beetle, Fiat 600 and Citroen 2CV, MINI, Mustang, Alfasud (for the features not for the sales numbers), VW Golf, the minivans and the Tesla Cybertruck
Most of the time I have significant differences with online lists. But not this time. Great job.
I think the mini first built in England in 1959.The reason being the engine layout .It was not only front wheel drive but the engine was transverse not north to south.This set the benchmark for most manufacturers from then on.This saved space and all the mechanics were under the bonnet.
You could have chosen the Mini over the Beetle. But really, there's no way past the Beetle. Just as in music there's no way past the Beatles.
Just so massive and all pervasive that it's presence and influence cannot be ignored.
Not anymore. VW is dead in the USA due to the Dieselgate scandal.
@@milfordcivic6755 every diesel car maker was doing it. Cummins were just ordered to pay a record-setting fine of $1.675 billion due to cheat devices in their RAM trucks.
In terms of new technologies introduced, I would include the Citroën Traction Avant, the DS (as mentioned), and maybe the 2CV...
The original Mini and the VW Käfer should also be mentioned. The VW Käfer, the Mini, the Fiat Cinquecento and 600 and the 2CV were responsible for the popularization of cars and made them accessible for everybody in a post-war Europe.
On the TractionAvant I can say it paved the way for the DS and since it has been mentioned with the DS I'd say for this movie this will do. The influence the TA had was the frond-wheel-drive the DS also had. The leveling air/liquid suspension has been started/tested on the TA but was a true DS influence.
On the mini, 2cv, Kever (Käfer/origionalBeatle), 500 and such: They are all peoples-cars from their brands at the right time. I'd say they where all reasonably good cars for their money but had no huge influence in their followup.
For the 1920s, Lancia invented the monocoque structural chassis, so I think it deserves to be in the list!
@@cbeerse The Mini was the fundamental model for all the car industry since the 60's. Transverse mounted front engine, independent suspensions and front wheels drive. It was a revolutionary concept that became the standard, for city cars, sedans, MPVs... from the small FIAT Panda to the massive Toyota Camry, or VW Passat.
It's funny how the car silhouette you always use looks like a Lada Zhiguli. Maybe a future video on the most reliable car series ever conceived?
Wow😅 Looks like not I'm the only one who see a Lada shadow in the picture 😅
Your final choice is arguably the right one all things considered. But I'm more than a little surprised that I had to scroll down through 28 previous comments to find a mention of the brilliant Alec Issigonis designed BMC Mini; surely one of the two or three most important and influencial automotive designs in the history of the industry.
For the 1940’s: The 1948 Cadillac Series 61 because it was the first car to have tailfins.
What was the use of those tailfins? I've only seen them on huge US-based ships-on-the-road. I cannot think of any non-US car featuring tailfins.
@@cbeerse they were purely style
@@cbeerse style, style, and bashing your hip on them
@@cbeersethen you don't know many cars like the peugeot 404, ford taunus 17m, opel kapitan and many others.
I'd go for the austin 7 as it was the first mast produced car with it's controls as we know them today, cluth,brake and accelerator on the floor in that order, gear shift in the center and in a H pattern
See Cadillac Type 53 of 1916. Unsuccessful as a car but was the first with the "conventional" layout that we still use.
that's actually very easy, the 1916 Cadilac type 53
This was the first car that had the foot control pedals in the order that we now know as standard
my runner up would be the curved dash Oldsmobile. This was THE first car to be massed produced in factories and there were a lot of them made
For the 70’s you’re forgetting the most iconic supercar the Lamborghini Countach, this car still influences exotic car designs to this day, when it came out it was revolutionary and the competition scrambled to produce their own wedge design sports cars. For the 80’s I think the Honda Civic was more influential than the minivan because it proved that economy cars can be fun, reliable, and capable with the likes of the Civic SI and CRX introducing VTEC to the masses, and the Civic wagons with 4WD were arguably the first modern compact crossovers.
Excellent list!
I was with you for almost all of them, but had the 32 Ford (first affordable V8, and "modern" body lines/styling), the 1960s could easily be the Mini, with its front-wheel drive setup with the transversely mounted engine become the blueprint for small cars in the following decades, and the 1970s Honda Civic (instead of the Corolla).
I couldn't think of anything for the 2020s... but the CyberTruck seems like a fair choice.
The 2020s are the decade of a kind of war on cars, so yeah, the Cybertruck fits...it isn't a car, at all, and everybody who likes actual cars hates it! 😁
The Honda Civic was not around until 1980 the car that should be nominated along with the Corolla would have been the Honda Accord it's build quality as an economy car at the time was second to nine before of course it became a midsize car starting in the 80's.
International...had the TravelAll in the early '60s, a precursor to the Expedition, etc...and the Scout, which really was the first SUV on the market, also in the early '60s.
For the most part, I agree with your choices
Love the channel and I always look forward to your next video!
I missed the original Mini from the 1960s which popularised the transversely mounted engine layout for compact cars to come.
Great video once again Ed. The Beatle and model T are as important to the whole overall story of the automobile as the Corolla and Model S. But one important vehicle looked over ( at least from an American perspective) is the pickup truck. It can do almost anything. The pickup’s versatility is often overlooked. It can be (ordered) bare bones, luxurious, or in between. Built for speed or towing or just for getting around town. And having said that I think I would have included the Ford F Series pickup on the list. Keep up the great videos.
I would have pic for the 80s the Mercedes 190e, seeing the fact that every other sedan after got the same basic design, but the minivan was quite revolutionary
The Jeep Cherokee was the vehicle that started the SUV craze in America. Chrysler, with the second generation made a lighter and smaller SUV with improved fuel economy. With the 1992 introduction of the Grand Cherokee greatly improved the interior . Consumer Reports had listed the Jeep Cherokee as best vehicle for the money for several years. The Grand Cherokee was also listed as best vehicle value. The more luxurious interior helped set the new standard in SUV's. In my opinion it was the start of the standard SUV . It was the first to use a unibody design, to lessen the weight and improve the mileage, while keeping a standard and reliable engine. First to really max out the interior and luxury options.
Was thinking same things - from what I have read, Cherokee also outsold Explorer in the 90s
I don't have the knowledge to do it per decade. I will mention the Cadillac that came up with the "Clutch on the left, brakes in the middle, throttle on the right" pedal layout as a very influential car, though, as that's the layout that stuck with us.
Mustang came right to mind based on how it influenced generations. Still today
In America only!
Mustang... Lol.
The model T also represents an epoch when component repair ability was the standard.
Maybe make a video of the first car that was designed around planned obsolescence.
Any list without even a passing mention of GM gets my instant support! Well done, Ed!
I like the way you think! Altho, before 1971, GM was a company that encouraged innovation. Two of the greatest inventions ever were developed by GM. They are the electric starter in 1912, and the modern automatic transmission in 1939. Granted, I'm off topic here, but those two inventions changed the auto industry more than any others.
PS- I'm not a GM guy at all, but I give credit where it is due.
@@61rampy65 they also did a lot to make OHV engines mainstream. Still, Ford (and the F150 and Taurus weren't even mentioned) and Chrysler ( and the forward look or the K cars weren't even mentioned) did way more to innovate and influence, let alone Citroen and many others around the world.
@kmyre he did mention the Taurus. F150 is merely the most popular of a very ordinary genre, and not actually- Chevy and GMC are essentially the same truck, and their combined sales actually exceed F150 every year.
On influence on the cars, I can say GM might be the founding father of badge-engineering. The Opel-Record from 1967 as I know it has been solde around the world in roughtly all (local) GM brands and on some marktes on different brands. Same for the Opel Kadett from the '70-s and the one from the '80-s.
The General seemed to me to be the king of American autombile styling. From the 50s to the 80s they had far better looking cars than Ford, Chrysler, AMC or anyone else. Too bad they weren't ground breaking in technological ways.
What I think is funny is your #1 pick for the '60s was also the manufacturer of the first mass produced pick of the '80s. The VW Bus was the first mass produced and available Minivan. I loved mine, also I owned it in the '80s. Strange thing is I was a 17-18 year old single bachelor. The only reason I bought it was, I was also the main mode of travel for my 2 sisters and their kids. With the vinyl seats and rubber floor cover. To clean it all I needed was a water hose. lol😂
I believe the 1916 Cadillac Type 53 is the most influencial car of all time because it was the first car to introduce the modern control layout that all cars still follow to this day. Namely: accelerator pedal on the right, clutch pedal on the left, and brake pedal in between.
Sunday Afternoon just got a whole lot better.
Thanks Edward!!
1916 Cadillac Type 53. My reason for this choice is that I believe it to be the first car with the pedals layed out in the order we all know. Also had the gear lever and handbrake between the front seats.
Nice list Ed, I could argue with one or two over a beer, but your reasoning in the video swayed me. Thanks for all the entertainment and information through this channel.
Panhard. The Panhard type axle was first used in Panhard Lavassor automobile in 1887. And the design was used most passenger cars for over one hundred years.
You know, I don't wanna sound too lame for what I'm about to say but, I've got to say the VW Beetle Ed...
Just the sheer numbers it was produced in, the cultural impact it had, for how much time it has been around (1938-2003) and how many times it has been the star of the silver screen and TV series (not to mention Herbie's movies) make it the most important car ever to be built.
It might not be the fastest, it might not be the best looking (I don't personnaly agree though), it might even be too simple mechanically even, but man, did it leave a mark.
Fun Fact : Here in the Philippines, MB Jeeps is a gift from Americans when they have surplus of MB Jeeps from World War II left here, fast-forward today, resulting to Philippines public transportation, the Public Utility Jeep (PUJ) and also it's private counter part the Owner Type Jeep (OTJ), a custom built jeeps that can be modified depending on buyer's/user's desired specs, mainly with Toyota Gasoline (K Series) and Isuzu Diesel Engine (C Series), Soft or Hard Top, and also known for i'ts STAINLESS STEEL Body (sometimes even Frame)!
May the Jeepney always maintain its style, and never be replaced by those horrendous Chinese mini-buses. A cultural icon should be maintained. What is good is that there are Pinoy manufacturers who want to do just that, and offer vehicles at about half the cost of foreign alternatives. Viva ang Jyip Pilipino!
Great video! I ALWAYS look forward to your videos. And I agree with your choices 100%
Great video! You picked a crazy hard challenge but for the most part I agree with your choices. Well done!
That was provocative and you started this… You got it right with the “T” it gave the car to the world 🌎. Kudos for sharing the info on the Bantam You taught me something with that. How can you hate a homely “bug”? It created its own revolution ( who first had a “fronk “?) thanks for this challenge to our minds !
We had a Beetle when I was a child. Then a 2CV. The 2CV was miles, miles better. Let that sink in.
Edward this was very well thought out and done. You made the very complex topic look easy.
Excellent ! ! !
Also of note. Ford model A which like the Austin 7 normalized the T's quirky power train, the 2CV for introducing FWD, Willys Jeep Station Wagon as both an early station wagon and an SUV progenitor.
Nicely done, and very well-reasoned. Can't say I have any disagreements. Thanks for this!
Ed, although I might quibble with some of your choices, I can't say any of them are wrong. There were a couple of surprises, for example the Citroen DS. But when you showed the preceding model, the Traction Avant, the change was startling. It reminded me of a quote from US President Lyndon Johnson: "There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen." Great video!
Love that quote!
Great video.
The Mini may need to push the beetle aside.
I owned an old beetle for 20yrs. I loved it! It is a car you feel is special despite it not being remarkable. 🤷♂️
The original mini is just so much more of a car even though it is smaller! One day i may want one!
I have to disagree, as Fiat 500 did what Mini did, just 3 years before Mini
@@crisistian_ No, it didn't. The 500 was rear engined for a start which meant that it was nowhere near as practical as the Mini. And the 500 wasn't produced for as long or sold as many units as the Mini.
Shane is right tho... I love the 500 (owned 126s myself) but for being influential... the FWD transverse engine concept has been way more successful. Sad, but true. @@crisistian_
@@Retroelectronic The Mini was the most important original car design, of all time in my opinion.
@@crisistian_ Nope, Mini small water-cooled transverse front engine design was revolutionary and set the blueprint for small cars going forward. The fact it influenced the VW car after the Beetle (Golf Mk1) and the subsequent modern Fiat 500 is a testament on how much more influential it was than either the original Fiat 500 or Beetles rear-engined air-cooled designs.
Another great video! I agree with your final conclusion.
11:01 thanks for that!! Hehehe great video man :)
I really love your videos, thanks!
I can’t really disagree with you Ed, great job. Have you ever had a Beetle? They were, simply, incredible.
Great presentation. Agree about the Tatra. I look forward to your update for the Tatra.
Good to see Ed again! Interesting.....
I think the truly inexpensive cars of the 50s and 60s should be on the list, i.e., Citroën 2CV, Fiat 500/600, Mini, and, of course, the Beetle which you have mentioned. Rear engine cars, in particular, were popular at the time, the two Fiats, but also Renault 8/10, Škoda 1000MB, Tatra (also mentioned), and Chevy Corvair. Today we see the reemergence of this architecture in some EVs, e.g., Ionic and Kia EV6, Tesla as well.
I'm not quite sure in which year this came, but Cadillac with the electric starter and the H gearshift and the clutch on the left in the footwell, has established a design that was adopted internationally. Otherwise, I absolutely agree with you.
Honestly, Ed, I think the fact that there's nothing special about the VW Beetle is PRECISELY what made them special in the 60's. Its practical utilitarian design, easy repair and maintenance, its affordablilty, the marketing boasting about its practicality, all of these things were found endearing by the public in the 60s. Its influence can arguably be boiled down to the fact that it came in at the right time.
Good list Ed. I agree with your picks given influential cars was the criteria.
Cheers 🇨🇦
I'd give the 70's to the VW Golf. Not just for being up to the task of replacing the Beetle, but also because it set the front wheel drive, transveral 4-cylinder hatchback family car as the standard, also by it's hot hatchback, pretty radical and influential design by Guigiaro too. Yes, it doesn't look that radical in hindsight, because it was influential.
The 20's are for Duesenberg, because it was incredibly fast for it's day, technologically very advanced but it also showed there was no limit in both cost and progress. It the was the roaring twenties, the Austin 7 didn't roar.
The 90's I have to give to a car I don't like from a manufacturer I do like. The Mercedes W140, the S-class. Very heavy, full of safety features and comfort features and gadgets that have been copied by everybody. Also upped the norm for a top model car to a V12, a 6 to 7 litre. A 5 litre V8 was about the max for European cars outside the extreme luxury brands with small production.
I agree with the reasoning about the 80's, but I go for the Espace because it was futuristic and was much less of a van than the ford. Vans with a sliding door had been around in Europe for ages, what made the new type of car was it's likeness to regular cars in every way except it's proportions and space.
Agree about the Golf. It was also the first car to popularize the hatchback, as well as the complete absence of romanticism, elegance and fun. Man, how I hate that sh1tbox.
@@terabeatnik2000 If it's any consolation, the first series Golfs were problematic and unreliable too.
I would say the Renault 16 did it 20 years before.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg Less than 10 years before, I like it better but I think it was more of a quirky French car than influential like the Golf.
yes 10 years, sorry. But the 16 was more than just a quirky french car. It was very highly regarded at the time and for Renault, was a big seller. The Golf didn't move the game forward. It was just another front wheel drive hatch. What it dd do, was define a market segment. @@DenUitvreter
Cadillac invented the modern automatic transmission and for better or worse definitely influenced the car industry in a major way.
You did a very good job, well researched and well thought out. I agree.
Ed! As a complete car nut from when I was 2 (1972) I must say your list is very well thought out…👍👍👍👍👍
Saying that the Model T is an unimaginative pick just shows why it is by far the right pick. It truly changed the world! I just stinks that Henry Ford still thought it was the best thing out there for wayyyyyy too long. But then we finally got the Model A, my great uncle collected those so I've been around quite a few, and it was a quantum leap, but most likely nothing will ever change society like the Model T did.
American society, yes, and to some extent European. But the Model T role was taken by other cars in other parts of the world and for them, "their" Model T takes that credit. I'm talking about the Peugeot 504 for parts of Africa, the VAZ in Russia, Pakyan in Iran, and so forth. There's just no universal answer to this question.
What about the 1901 Oldsmobile curve dash Runabout ....The world's first mass-produced car on an actual assembly line.... several years ahead of the Model T?
@rodferguson3515 yes the Olds was an amazing accomplishment but they made about 12,000 vs 15,000,000 model Ts. No Henry Ford didn't invent the assembly line or several other things but he put everything together from manufacturing techniques to labor relations, yes there's a lot of crazy things he did but overall he paid lots of different types of people fair and equally wage, to sales which put America and quite a few of countries on wheels.
Mostly I even agree.
The one and only addition would be the Mini. Setting up the standard-drivetrain-layout (transverse front engine) in 1959 for the following decades until now (to Tesla's "skateboard-chassis").
I very hope, that this ridiculous Cybertruck won't influence the current decade...
(When Franz v. Holzhausen threw the steel balls into its bursting side windows, I thought, this entire introduction meant to be a joke...)
The Model T seems so obvious an answer that I think a more interesting question is breaking it down into most important/influential cars by era.
UK's Nissan Qashqai was the first cty SUV that have reached extreme success across the world. The car pretty much started the unstoppable rise of crossover SUV's on the market that still continues to grow, coming as far as plenty of manufacturers, like Nissan of Europe itself, leaving the passenger car market in favour of SUVs. Some heavier SUV's like Honda CR-V were existing, and cars like Hyundai Tucson and Vauxhall Antara were at the scene, but Qashqai made a perfect balance - it was practical, economical, simple to understand and had Japanese seal of quality. The car is still leading its market segment, challenged only by Ford Puma.
As a swede I must say most important car of the 1970's is the Volvo 240. Safety, recyclability, emission control (first car with a lambda sond) all these things were industry leading or first. If not the 240 my vote goes to VW Golf I. The car that made the world front wheel driven with engine transersly mounted.
The VW Golf didn't appear until 1974. By that time the production of FWD transverse engined cars were already well established in several countries. VW did it better, but they were not the pioneers. The first car of what became the dominant layout of compact cars (transverse, 4 cylinder, water-cooled FWD) actually dates from 1959.
Jeep Cherokee of 1982ish small SUV and 4wd.
This was pretty well thought out.. with one exception- the 1990’s. I would say the Jeep Cherokee XJ.. for the same reason you outlined the Model T in the 1910’s. Already dated by the 1990's, the XJ was sold in the US in it's original incarnation for 18 years and continued on in some international markets up to 31 years. By comparison, the Explorer doesn't even come to close to this legacy- nothing more than a sterile soccer mom truck, the Explorer is just embarrassing- bloated utility and a death trap on Firestone tires ( the second time in history where people were killed by Firestone tires). To this day the legacy machines in this market that still command respect are the XJ Cherokee and the Isuzu Trooper.
For the 1960's I would have picked the original Mini. Why? Sir Alec Issigonis designed a compact TRANSVERSE FWD drivetrain that really set the standard for the world. While the car itself left more than a bit to be desired, this drivetrain is what sets it apart.
For the 1970's I would say the Mk1 VW Golf. VW took Issigonis design and mass produced it in a reasonably sized car.
1980's: Chevrolet Citation. The first FWD American car with a transverse engine, this was the ancestor of the vast majority of GM and American cars in general to this day.
Great video!
The Austin 7 established the conventional control layout-- clutch on the left, then brake and accelerator pedals, with a manual gearshift--- a great improvement over the Ford Model T. The Model T was built to work on extremely poor roads.
Jeep Cherokee XJ? we still know it today as a capable 4x4, but it really started the whole crossover craze we have now - unibody chassis, smaller fuel efficient engines (at a time when most SUVs had v8s), coiled front suspension, much smaller in dimensions compared to the outgoing SJ cherokee, but still retained most of its interior room, etc. not only did it sell alongside what was supposed to be its replacement (the ZJ grand cherokee), but it also outlasted it for 3 entire model years due to popularity, only to be shut down by the daimler/chrysler exec's who didn't understand why it was still so popular (zj lasted until 98, xj lasted until 01)
if you can't tell, it's my favorite car of all time!
Yeah… when he said the Ford Explorer, I was thinking the Jeep Cherokee. It was the thing everybody looked at that made the Explorer exist. The Grand Cherokee was amazing when it came out.
The key thing to me as to why the Explorer became more ubiquitous was, well, the poor quality of the engines in the Jeeps. I’ve witnessed many choking and shaking and catching fire back in the day and it put me off Jeep ownership despite the nice styling and thoughtful design. (Not that Ford engines were that much better. My old Escort with its Mazda-designed motor croaked suddenly in a grocery store parking lot, and the purchase and installation of a rebuild from Jaspers was going to cost a large part of what the car was worth. And don’t get me on the Dodge Shadow that preceded it; the only car I’ve owned that caught fire while driving it.)
Agreed. Like the model T and the Beetle, the XJ was an aged design and purity in its class for over 16 years. The Explorer was nothing more than a bloated copy on substandard tires.
I'm pretty sure AMCs Eagle Wagon started the crossover thing a few years before the XJ came out.
@@jakethreesixty it may have, but it didnt have the impact of the XJ with a 20 year production run.
From Europe I cannot agree with you. The models you mention where definitly not on my (European) view. Yes, Jeep is a brand selling 4x4 cars. Their grand/luxe model is called Cherokee. But after that I'm totally lost. ON starting the 4x4 or crossover craze, Here in Europe that was geared up by landrover, rangerover and mercedes G-series. True, the Jeep was there, maybe some cherokee somewhere. Other European brands did their 4x4 in their running models which points me to Subaru as the true 4x4 company.
And for the real fun: Peek at the Citroen 2cv safari: A real light weight 4x4 with 2 engines.
1990 is Wolfsburg era: Passat and Golf.
In the 90s VW only was a follower. But the 70s Golf and Passat really influenced the further cars to come.
@@Romiman1 passat b3 (the 2000 project) has no grill like Tesla, but 20 years ahead. Golf and Passat B3 and Transporter B4 were only updated in next 30 years until ID era was introduced.
Just NO
@@120M "No grille" isn't anything special for B3 Passat, it even had a grille, it just was in the bumper).
Think about all the rear engine cars (Beetle(!), Karmann Ghia, BMW 700, Renault Dauphine) or Studebaker Avanti...
Decades before B3 Passat.
Technically the 90s VWs simply were the same front-drive transverse engine cars like almost every Ford, Fiat Peugeot, Toyota, Nissan... or GM car of that era.
But the huge success of the Mk1 Golf and Passat turned the other automakers like Ford, GM and the Japanese to convert generally to FWD...
So the classic Mini, as the 'inventor" of that drivetrain-layout, has had to be mentioned as a car, which influenced the automobil world until today.
I really liked how you went in depth with your answers instead of just saying the car and giving no reason. I also agree with the points you made on the 2010s and 2020s, despite the fact that I’m personally not a fan of them the impact they have had is truly unmatched. Who knows what we’ll think when the 2030s start?
Totally objectively I'd have to say the Citroen DS is the most influential car in the list because it's decades old but still a technological marvel, and I want one WAYYYYYY more than any other car on this list. It's cool as expressed in the form of a car.
Solid choices. Oldsmobile Curved Dash walked so the Ford Model T could run. While very basic and more a cycle car, it introduced the Production line which 'enry Ford took and improved upon.
NSU Ro 80? other than the engine set the template for featured of cars into the 2010s (when SUVs side-lined actual cars).
Yes, the Mustang, without it, no Opel Manta, No Capri or other sports coupe's, They existed before but were kind of dying out in favour of sporty executive saloons like the Rover p6/nearly the entire Mercedes/BMW stable. But the idea of the affordable sporty coupe for the working man/younger driver was for a while, a huge hit.
Well thought out and put together and great footage. I liked the fact you mentioned the cars that the honor even if you did not like them. I admit I was hoping for Oldsmobile Toronado to get the 1960's honor. It did not. Neither did the Mustang either. I understand. The minivan in the 80's was significant as you said. I liked that you explained why not Ford Taurus and Audi 100. Jeep was selling suv's in the 70's and 80's with the Cherokee before Ford started selling the Explorer in the 1990's. We live in an suv and crossover world in 2023. You are correct about the 70's and the rise of the Japanese auto industry. Corella is still with us in 2023. The Koreans are now doing what Japan was doing in the 1970's. Thank you Ed.
Nissan 120Y, also the volvo 200 series for the 70s. They were a safe car, reliable, and fuel efficient. And they sold in big numbers