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Normally, Total Car Score creates its top 10 lists by crunching the numbers on specifications like horsepower, top speed, zero-to-60 acceleration, MSRP and fuel efficiency.
Beauty, of course, is ephemeral and subjective. However, while acknowledging individual tastes, certain model names tend to come up again and again in terms of their slick and iconic looks.
"Ask 10 people to name the best-looking car of all time and you'll likely get 10 different answers," said the website’s editor, Karl Brauer. "But I'd suggest these 10 cars would be among the most popular answers given. Furthermore, all 10 of these cars have modern-day successors that clearly trace their appearance back to these timeless designs."
All of the cars on the list were produced within a 20-year period, which Brauer and his colleagues noted, suggests “a heightened sense of exterior design evolution” during this period in the history of the automobile.
One brand holds down two of the 10 slots. The others include such diverse brands as Aston Martin and Dodge, from those well-known from the movies, or from their accomplishments, to those known for being the first of their kind.
"If you haven't seen any of these cars in person, you owe it to yourself to get to a world-class car show, such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance or Woodward Dream Cruise, to fully appreciate these beautiful machines," Brauer said.
Here are those 10 all-time classics, listed chronologically, beginning with a little number that dates to the Eisenhower administration.
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
It was the fastest top-speed production car at the time. The 1954 edition was the first consumer-oriented (non-racing) car sold with fuel injection.
Modern Day Successor: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
