DECADE-DEFINING CARS are those automobiles the capture the mood of an era so well. They are a snapshot of how the world once was.
There are many models that deserve to be remembered for the impact they made.
The war-torn 40s gave us the Citroen 2CV, the rock n’ roll 50s produced the Corvette, Mini epitomised the swinging sixties, the frugal 70s gave rise to the Honda Civic, the yuppie 80s was defined by the Ford Sierra, the pioneering 90s launched the McLaren F1, the complex 2000s gave us the Ford Focus and the 2010s gave us the Bugatti Veyron.
These are just some of the cars that could have made this list. But I could only pick one for each decade – so below are my picks for the cars that played an indisputable part in the evolution of the automotive landscape.
1940s – Willys-Overland Jeep
With World War II raging, the Americans needed a four-wheel drive light reconnaissance vehicle that could give frontline troops mobility across a variety of terrains as well as plow runways and cut trenches for telephone wire. Willys-Overland Motors won the contract and the Willys Jeep was born. The go-anywhere, do-anything vehicle won the hearts of those that drove them during war times and more peaceful times.
The Willys-Overland Jeep was the first vehicle to popularise off-roading and its capabilities are the stuff of legend. World War II Army Chief of Staff General George C Marshall called it “America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare”.
1950s – Citroën DS
The Citroën DS marked France’s automotive comeback after World War II. When it debuted in 1955 it wowed audiences with its sleek styling, pivoting headlights and hydraulic suspension.
Citroën chairman Pierre-Jules Boulanger knew that France was going to be in bad shape after the war so when he was designing the DS he needed it to be fuel efficient and to be comfortable and able to drive over the rough roads. He also wanted the DS to be the most sophisticated car in the world, reflecting the sophistication of the French and what the French were capable of creating.
1960s – Jaguar E-Type
The sexy, curvy, expressive E-Type is the car that captures the freedom and fun of the swinging sixties. It combed Malcolm Sayers’ cool aerodynamic design with Sir William Lyon’s intuitive styling and was one of the most beautiful sports cars of the 1960s. Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made.”
The British sports car was built by Jaguar Cars Ltd. from 1961 to 1974 and it became an icon of 1960s motoring thanks to its blend of good looks, low price and high performance – it was faster than any contemporary road-going Ferrari at half the price.
1970s – Volkswagen Golf
The 70s were a turbulent time not just for the motor industry but for society in general and the world economy. With oil prices subject to wild fluctuations, people needed economical and cheap to run cars. Enter the Volkswagen Golf which proved a watershed in versatile, economical family motoring.
It had a light, stiff bodyshell, a lively engine and great handing and seemed to impress everyone who drove one. But more importantly, the Golf was affordable to buy and cheap to run, making it popular with the masses.
1980s – Ferrari F40
The 1980s was the decade of excess – hot hatches, flash yuppies, big hair and sports cars. For me, the car the defined the decade was the extremely styled and extremely flash Ferrari F40. No other car – either before or since – has looked quite like it.
It was the first road-legal production car to break the 200mph barrier, and the final car to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before he died. It’s also the car that adorned the walls of most of my male cousins. When I see the F40 it takes me right back to the eighties.
1990s – Toyota RAV4
Toyota can rightfully claim to have created the compact SUV market with the RAV4’s introduction in 1994. That year it sold 53,000 worldwide; the following year saw double that number reach the road, and by 1996 the total had tripled. In the 1990s the RAV4 was everywhere.
This new type of vehicle appealed to those who wanted the prestige that came with owning an SUV but not the hefty price tag or running costs. The excess of the eighties was gone and consumers needed something a bit more realistic and frugal as well as new and fresh to take them into the new millennium.
2000s – Toyota Prius
Another Toyota making the list is the Prius hybrid, a forward-thinking car for the new millennium. The Prius was the first hybrid car to be mass-produced, and became a global sensation.
The Toyota Prius symbolises the way people started making environmental gestures, the growing concern about our carbon footprint and how we were embracing new technology (seeing as how the millennium bug hadn’t plunged the world into chaos).
2010s – Tesla Model S
The most hyped-up and talked about car of the decade – and the decade isn’t even over yet – is the one and only Tesla Model S. Elon Musk proved with the Tesla that electric cars could be sexy, luxurious, practical and desirable and not just weird, golf-cart looking machines.
But the Model S also has groundbreaking technology and performance figures to go with its good looks and green credentials making this car the ultimate driving machine. A car that appeals not just to the petrolhead but the environmentalist as well.
In this decade of the Internet of Things, connectivity and being glued to our screens the Tesla Model S ticks all the right boxes to appeal to the ‘always-on’ society that we have become. The car even updates and gains more power and range via a cloud-based download.
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