We pick our 10 most important vehicles of all time

By Jim Prueter
Abandoned Cars and Trucks.com

(September 16, 2015) The automobile industry has produced millions and millions of cars and hundreds of different models in its more than 100-year history. But we’ve singled out a few as having been revolutionary vehicles, those that, in our opinion, have changed what we drive and how we drive.

Ford Model T
No car in the history of the automobile changed the way Americans lived, worked and traveled than Henry Ford’s Model T. A car for the masses, more than 15 million Model Ts were built between 1908 and 1927. (Mid '1920s coupe pictured at top)

Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen (literally translated, “the people’s car”) was the result of an order from Adolf Hitler to Ferdinand Porsche to develop a car for the people. Affectionately dubbed “Beetle” because of its insect-like shape, production began in 1934. It outstripped Henry’s Model-T in 1972 when number 15,007,034 rolled off the assembly line. So far, more than 21.5 million Beetles have been sold. (1950 Beetle pictured at right)

Toyota Prius
The pioneer of hybrid electric/gas run vehicles is here to stay. Introduced in 1997, the Prius was the world’s first mass-produced battery-electric hybrid vehicle. More than five million units were sold worldwide by 2013, with more than two million in the U.S. alone.

Dodge Caravan – Plymouth Voyager
On Nov. 2, 1983, with Chrysler Corporation on the brink of bankruptcy, the world’s first minivan rolled off the assembly line. The brain child of Lee Iacocca, the man behind the Ford Mustang, Caravan saved Chrysler from financial doom. It also forever shaped the automotive landscape as the ideal vehicle for families to shuttle the kids.   

Ford F-Series Pickup
In 1948, Ford introduced the first F-Series, the F-1. Since then, the F-Series has become the best-selling Ford product of all time and the number two bestseller across manufacturers, with over 35 million sold. Now, for the first time, the 2015 F-150 is being built entirely out of aluminum (except for the chassis) and is certain to revolutionize how all vehicles will be made in the future. (1948 F-Series pictured at left)

Chevrolet Corvette
For more than 60-odd years the Corvette has been America’s sports car. It was first shown in New York at the GM Motorama in 1953. Thousands of potential buyers wanted to know when they could buy one and just six months later the first of 300 units rolled off the assembly line. As they say, the rest is history.

Willy’s Jeep
Originally built as a World War II general-purpose four-wheel drive vehicle, it became the symbol of American GI toughness and spirit that won the war.  Today we call its descendent the Jeep Wrangler.

Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is perhaps the most iconic American car ever. Introduced at the New York World’s Fair on April 17, 1964, it went on sale that same day. The exuberance was so intense almost 22,000 Mustangs, with a starting price tag of around $2,300, were snapped up by buyers. Mustang was the first of what came to be known as “pony cars.”

Toyota Corolla
The first Japanese car to prove that the country was going to be a serious player in the U.S. car market. It became popular during the oil crisis of the 1970 because of its exceptional fuel economy. With over 40 million Corollas sold, it’s the best selling car of all time. (1970 Corolla pictured at right)

Ford Explorer
In 1991, the Ford Explorer started the SUV craze. These vehicles roared onto the automotive scene throughout the 1990s and became the luxurious status symbol of middle-class baby boomer success and a bane to global warming alarmists everywhere.

Jim Prueter is a freelance auto and travel writer living in Arizona. He is retired from AAA (American Automobile Association) Arizona where he served as senior vice president from 1998 through 2012. He currently writes for numerous magazines, blogs, newspapers and periodicals.