I don't agree with this at all. Afterall it was written by Businessweek magazine. The only thing those guys care about as far as cars is how much they cost vs. how much prestige they get for driving them. While I do agree that some of those cars belong on that list they are either in the wrong place or on the list for completly wrong reasons. I mean come on, who gives a shit about how their car was welded? Anyone? Show of hands?
So being the kind of guy that I am I have decided to look back on the last 25 years myself and compose a list of iconic cars. This of course means that I have to define "icon" as how it relates to the automotive world. I will take the route that icon in this case means a car that everyone has either heard about or owned. A car that has lasting effects in hearts and minds and is well known not only in, but outside of popular car culture. For the purposes of this list I'll focus on cars that are owned by most of the population because afterall, it's the drivers and not the designers and marketers that make cars icons. Anyone remember the Aztek or the Edsel? Probably not. They were revolutionary designs that not only took automotive design to a whole new level but they also went absolutely nowhere. Those of you who raised your hands about the welding question can put them down now. Oh, I'm also going to stick exclusivly to cars so you Ford-150 fans can stop screaming at your monitors and please for the love of god put the shotgun back in your gunrack.
*EDIT*
Since my list seems to have created some controversy I'll address that here.
This list comprises cars that were most popular during the last 25 years. The Mustang and Camero while certainly icons have not been as popular as the cars listed here. If I had expanded this list to the top 30 or even the top 20 both of those cars would certainly be there. Because of the poor economy and high gas prices musclecars just aren't the icons they once were. Also a big factor in my list was the car's practicality which is why the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry ranked on this list right behind the EVO and STI. The main reason the Miata is here even though it's not very practical is because of it's ease of maintenance and good gas mileage two things that can not be said about the Mustang and Camero.
10. Volkswagon Golf GTI:
A low cost spunky little hatchback the Golf GTI appeals to just about everyone. You can't drive more than two or three city blocks without seeing one and you can drive through four or five cities without seeing the same one twice. Everyone from car tuners to soccor moms loves this reliable and gas saving little car. What's not to love? It has plenty of room for people and stuff and looks great. Good handling and power are the real source of this appeal but being family friendly certainly helps.
9. Mini Cooper:
Although slighly higher on the cost range than the Golf this little British car is made in Germany and loved by Americans and everyone else. The secret to this monster is it's speed. Sure its can't hold as much cargo as a Golf but it's faster out of the box and has it's own racing series. Bolt in a roll cage Friday and you can take the car as-is to a race track Saturday, pull the cage out Sunday and drive to work Monday. Even the venerable GTI would be hard-pressed to do that.
8. Toyota Camry.
Usually you groan when you find out you're about to get Grabdma's old car. You cheer up instantly when you find out you're getting a Camry. Let's face it we love these cars no matter who we are. Everyone loves affordable cars that look good, can do a whole lot and don't break. Camrys are powered by bulletproof V-6 engines that were dropped as-is into the Lexus line which should tell you how good an engine it really is. Not only that but no one in this country needs to see the nameplate to know its a Camry. It's a good fucking car, not great, just good.
7. Honda Accord
Only edging out the Camry because of it's strong presence among tuners the Honda Accord is still a family car. Number seven on our list has as much to do with economics as it does with ergonomics as it does with track times and decibal levels. The real reason people buy the Accord though is because it's low cost and it runs forever. What they do with it after that can be just about anything. Another car that everyone loves because its just a good fucking car.
6. Dodge Neon.
Our only American entry on this list is the Dodge Neon. With about ten different versions available the Dodge Neon could and did appeal to just about everyone including yours truely. The cars were cheap, easy to drive and easy to work on something that gives it the edge on our list. Not only that but with little money and just as little effort you could embarass just about anything in it's class if you wanted to go racing. Unfortunately the Neon's image drove the big-wigs at Chrysler crazy and in 2005 the last Neon rolled off the assembly line giving this car the distinction of being the only one on my list not still in production.
5. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, IX, X
Holy four doors batman how in the flying fuck does a roomy, versatile sedan make as much horsepower as a Mustang? You could drive this car to the track with the whole family in it and their lunches then race it and drive it home. Faster, more powerful and larger than the Mini the lancer Evolution has blown away car enthusists the world over and stolen a good portion of BMW's marketshare. Not bad for a car that runs $10K-$20K less.
4. Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Where the Lancer falls short the WRX STI comes away clean. The infamous rival of the Lancer Evolution is actually more powerful and yet friendlier to drive. It can do just about anything the EVO does but it won't rattle the kid's teeth loose. It is slightly more expensive but despite that is one of the most sought after sedans in the country. Even used versions fetch a premium. Men suffering a mid life crisis the world over are jubulent.
3. Mazda Miata
Ever want a toy car? One that you have an absolute blast driving but won't break your bank or piss off your wife? Buy one of these. The Mazda Miata has crossed just about every age, gender and culture barrier you can imagine. Another car on our list that has it's own racing series the Miata is made for one thing and one thing only, having fun. Despite it's tiny and unassuming appearance the Miata is a serious roadster that has it where it counts. Great handling has always been hampered by poor power production, however, car tuners the world over have not let that stand in their way. Even if you don't drop anything under the hood you'll love driving this thing.
2. Volkswagon New Beatle.
When Volkswagen brought the Beatle back in 1998 I don't think they planned on re-defining car culture as we know it. This car can literally do anything and it's overall shape is the most identifiable in the world. Roomy, cofortable, economical and some versions have all wheel drive. Drop in a turbo and it'll give even a Mini or a Miata a run for it's money. No matter where you live (even if its under a rock) you'll know this car when you see it. This car not only has it's own racing series but it's own nationwide car club. Love it or hate it you can't deny that it has made it's own indellable mark on the car world.
1. Honda Civic
Come on you had know this was coming. No other car is as well known or as long lived as this one and I'm not just talking about car life. For more than 30 years the Civic has captured our minds and our hearts. Cheap, clean, gas saving and extremly family friendly the Civic appeals to everyone and anyone can buy one. Tuners love them, soccor moms love them, car stereo kings and queens love them and they're EVERYWHERE. Buy one and you'll have a car that will last you nearly forever, the engines are extremly reliable and just as bulletproof as the Camry's engine. Not only that but the car is as much fun as a Miata and handles just as good as a Golf or a Mini. Better styling than the New Beatle secures the Civic it's top spot on my list of top ten most iconic cars of the last 25 years.
So being the kind of guy that I am I have decided to look back on the last 25 years myself and compose a list of iconic cars. This of course means that I have to define "icon" as how it relates to the automotive world. I will take the route that icon in this case means a car that everyone has either heard about or owned. A car that has lasting effects in hearts and minds and is well known not only in, but outside of popular car culture. For the purposes of this list I'll focus on cars that are owned by most of the population because afterall, it's the drivers and not the designers and marketers that make cars icons. Anyone remember the Aztek or the Edsel? Probably not. They were revolutionary designs that not only took automotive design to a whole new level but they also went absolutely nowhere. Those of you who raised your hands about the welding question can put them down now. Oh, I'm also going to stick exclusivly to cars so you Ford-150 fans can stop screaming at your monitors and please for the love of god put the shotgun back in your gunrack.
*EDIT*
Since my list seems to have created some controversy I'll address that here.
This list comprises cars that were most popular during the last 25 years. The Mustang and Camero while certainly icons have not been as popular as the cars listed here. If I had expanded this list to the top 30 or even the top 20 both of those cars would certainly be there. Because of the poor economy and high gas prices musclecars just aren't the icons they once were. Also a big factor in my list was the car's practicality which is why the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry ranked on this list right behind the EVO and STI. The main reason the Miata is here even though it's not very practical is because of it's ease of maintenance and good gas mileage two things that can not be said about the Mustang and Camero.
10. Volkswagon Golf GTI:
A low cost spunky little hatchback the Golf GTI appeals to just about everyone. You can't drive more than two or three city blocks without seeing one and you can drive through four or five cities without seeing the same one twice. Everyone from car tuners to soccor moms loves this reliable and gas saving little car. What's not to love? It has plenty of room for people and stuff and looks great. Good handling and power are the real source of this appeal but being family friendly certainly helps.
9. Mini Cooper:
Although slighly higher on the cost range than the Golf this little British car is made in Germany and loved by Americans and everyone else. The secret to this monster is it's speed. Sure its can't hold as much cargo as a Golf but it's faster out of the box and has it's own racing series. Bolt in a roll cage Friday and you can take the car as-is to a race track Saturday, pull the cage out Sunday and drive to work Monday. Even the venerable GTI would be hard-pressed to do that.
8. Toyota Camry.
Usually you groan when you find out you're about to get Grabdma's old car. You cheer up instantly when you find out you're getting a Camry. Let's face it we love these cars no matter who we are. Everyone loves affordable cars that look good, can do a whole lot and don't break. Camrys are powered by bulletproof V-6 engines that were dropped as-is into the Lexus line which should tell you how good an engine it really is. Not only that but no one in this country needs to see the nameplate to know its a Camry. It's a good fucking car, not great, just good.
7. Honda Accord
Only edging out the Camry because of it's strong presence among tuners the Honda Accord is still a family car. Number seven on our list has as much to do with economics as it does with ergonomics as it does with track times and decibal levels. The real reason people buy the Accord though is because it's low cost and it runs forever. What they do with it after that can be just about anything. Another car that everyone loves because its just a good fucking car.
6. Dodge Neon.
Our only American entry on this list is the Dodge Neon. With about ten different versions available the Dodge Neon could and did appeal to just about everyone including yours truely. The cars were cheap, easy to drive and easy to work on something that gives it the edge on our list. Not only that but with little money and just as little effort you could embarass just about anything in it's class if you wanted to go racing. Unfortunately the Neon's image drove the big-wigs at Chrysler crazy and in 2005 the last Neon rolled off the assembly line giving this car the distinction of being the only one on my list not still in production.
5. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, IX, X
Holy four doors batman how in the flying fuck does a roomy, versatile sedan make as much horsepower as a Mustang? You could drive this car to the track with the whole family in it and their lunches then race it and drive it home. Faster, more powerful and larger than the Mini the lancer Evolution has blown away car enthusists the world over and stolen a good portion of BMW's marketshare. Not bad for a car that runs $10K-$20K less.
4. Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Where the Lancer falls short the WRX STI comes away clean. The infamous rival of the Lancer Evolution is actually more powerful and yet friendlier to drive. It can do just about anything the EVO does but it won't rattle the kid's teeth loose. It is slightly more expensive but despite that is one of the most sought after sedans in the country. Even used versions fetch a premium. Men suffering a mid life crisis the world over are jubulent.
3. Mazda Miata
Ever want a toy car? One that you have an absolute blast driving but won't break your bank or piss off your wife? Buy one of these. The Mazda Miata has crossed just about every age, gender and culture barrier you can imagine. Another car on our list that has it's own racing series the Miata is made for one thing and one thing only, having fun. Despite it's tiny and unassuming appearance the Miata is a serious roadster that has it where it counts. Great handling has always been hampered by poor power production, however, car tuners the world over have not let that stand in their way. Even if you don't drop anything under the hood you'll love driving this thing.
2. Volkswagon New Beatle.
When Volkswagen brought the Beatle back in 1998 I don't think they planned on re-defining car culture as we know it. This car can literally do anything and it's overall shape is the most identifiable in the world. Roomy, cofortable, economical and some versions have all wheel drive. Drop in a turbo and it'll give even a Mini or a Miata a run for it's money. No matter where you live (even if its under a rock) you'll know this car when you see it. This car not only has it's own racing series but it's own nationwide car club. Love it or hate it you can't deny that it has made it's own indellable mark on the car world.
1. Honda Civic
Come on you had know this was coming. No other car is as well known or as long lived as this one and I'm not just talking about car life. For more than 30 years the Civic has captured our minds and our hearts. Cheap, clean, gas saving and extremly family friendly the Civic appeals to everyone and anyone can buy one. Tuners love them, soccor moms love them, car stereo kings and queens love them and they're EVERYWHERE. Buy one and you'll have a car that will last you nearly forever, the engines are extremly reliable and just as bulletproof as the Camry's engine. Not only that but the car is as much fun as a Miata and handles just as good as a Golf or a Mini. Better styling than the New Beatle secures the Civic it's top spot on my list of top ten most iconic cars of the last 25 years.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
wyldesage:
Yes he is! 
drusylla:
Its not that hot out here. Then again, I rarely go outside 
Really though, its not too bad. Still tolerable for the most part.
Really though, its not too bad. Still tolerable for the most part.