Hub Pages

The Acura NSX, sold as the Honda NSX in most markets outside North America, was one of the most important performance cars of the 1990s. Introduced for the 1991 model year in the United States, it challenged the assumption that an exotic mid-engine sports car had to be temperamental, difficult to see out of, expensive…

The Volkswagen Beetle, known internally for much of its life as the Type 1, is one of the most important and recognizable automobiles ever built. Developed in Germany during the 1930s as an inexpensive car for ordinary families, it survived the destruction of World War II, became a symbol of postwar German industrial recovery, conquered…

The McLaren F1 is one of the most significant performance cars ever built. Introduced in production form in the early 1990s, it combined an extraordinarily light carbon-fiber structure, a naturally aspirated BMW Motorsport V12, a central driving position and obsessive attention to packaging and weight reduction. Unlike many later hypercars, it used no turbochargers, all-wheel…

The Ferrari Testarossa is one of the defining exotic cars of the 1980s and one of the most recognizable Ferraris ever produced. Introduced at the 1984 Paris Motor Show, it replaced the 512 BBi as Ferrari’s flagship 12-cylinder road car and retained the basic mid-engine, flat-12 concept of the Boxer while transforming virtually every aspect…

The Nissan Skyline is one of Japan’s most important performance-car lineages, but its history is much broader than the GT-R models that made the name internationally famous. The Skyline began as a Prince Motor Company luxury sedan in the 1950s, evolved into a sporting six-cylinder sedan during the 1960s and became one of Japan’s defining…

The Pontiac Firebird was introduced for 1967 as Pontiac’s entry into the rapidly expanding American pony-car market. Sharing General Motors’ F-body platform with the Chevrolet Camaro, the Firebird nevertheless developed a distinct identity through Pontiac-specific engines, styling and performance packages. Over four generations and 35 model years, the Firebird evolved from a relatively conventional 1960s…

The Duesenberg Model J stands among the most important American automobiles ever built. Introduced at the end of 1928 as a 1929 model, it was conceived without meaningful regard for cost and intended to compete with—and surpass—the finest automobiles produced by Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, Mercedes-Benz, Isotta Fraschini and other elite manufacturers. Its combination of a massive…

The Ford GT40 is one of the most important competition cars ever built and one of the defining automobiles of Ford’s performance history. Developed during the 1960s with the specific goal of defeating Ferrari in international endurance racing, the GT40 evolved from a difficult and initially unreliable prototype into a four-time consecutive winner of the…

The Porsche 928 was one of the most ambitious road cars Porsche ever developed. Introduced for 1978 and produced through 1995, it was conceived as a sophisticated front-engine grand tourer that could combine the high-speed ability of a sports car with the comfort, refinement and long-distance usability of a luxury GT. Its architecture was radically…

The Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most recognizable British grand tourers ever built, combining elegant Italian-influenced styling, a powerful twin-cam straight-six and the refinement expected of a hand-built luxury GT. Produced from 1963 through 1965, it represented an evolution of the DB4 rather than a clean-sheet design, but Aston Martin improved the engine,…