Forbes: "Ten Cars That Changed The World" or Not.

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

Forbes, number one on the top ten list of top ten list purveyors, has published their list of “ Ten Cars That Changed the World.” It contains vehicles “that were the first of their kind and that influenced the design and performance elements of the entire industry” and that have “staying power.” Or so they say. While some are no-brainer picks as history-changers (Ford Model T and VW Beetle), some are kind of strange (c’mon . . . the AMC Eagle?). And I know a few million Corvette fans who will dispute their statement that the Porsche 911 “has the longest production run of any sports car sold in the U.S.” Forbes‘ complete list is after the jump. Alternative suggestions welcome.



Ford Model T


VW Beetle


Jaguar XK 120


Trabant


Porsche 911


Ford Mustang


AMC Eagle


Jeep Cherokee


Dodge Caravan


Toyota Prius

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  • Mekanik Mekanik on Jun 25, 2009

    Regarding the Eagle, which I do believe deserves a spot on the list, was for all purposes JEEP CJ mechanicals, less a 2 speed transfer case and a dis-engagable front axle, mated to a rather beefed up unibody chassis shared with the Concord and Spirit models. (heavy enough to support a small snow plow, VT'ers often had this setup, but often changed out the transfer case for a 2 speed unit.) The Eagle models were basically the design Mule for the 1984 unibody Cherokee. What makes The Eagle important was the uses a a AWD system that used a vacuum system(selectrac) to engage , Disengage the AWD system (for fuel saving) simply by stopping the vehicle and moving a small lever, however could be driven in AWD full time as there was a fluid coupling in the transfer case allowing power to front and rear axle at the same time. The Cherokee is less important except for the 1989 model the "limited" which could be considered to have started the sport utility craze.

  • Golf4me Golf4me on Jun 25, 2009

    Mazda Miata is a glaring omission. Without it, you wouldn't have SLK, Z4, Boxster, etc. It is the all time best-selling sports car. The beetle of roadsters, so to speak.

  • Blue387 Blue387 on Jun 26, 2009

    Citroen DS.

  • Dcdriver Dcdriver on Jun 26, 2009

    What about the 3 series? Seems like everyone has been trying to come up with a 3-series killer for a long time now. The iconic sports sedan.

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