These Are the Longest-Running Car Nameplates of All Time
Most automakers would rather create fans of the brand than of a specific car. This explains the alphanumeric soup you usually get out of the luxury marques, which emphasizes the brand over the model. But a well-recognized model nameplate is still worth its weight in gold, especially if it's a name that has existed for decades and actually stands for something. It explains why Volkswagen is bringing back the Scout, after all. Here's a look at some of the longest-running badges in automotive history. Many of these have lasted a half-century or more.
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Volkswagen Golf
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Golf was Volkswagen's mass-appeal followup to the ubiquitous Beetle, and it was a global success. Fun to drive, practical, and thrifty to boot, the Golf has long been the car that brought a little Euro flair to the entry-level segment of the market. The Golf GTI hot hatchback gets enthusiasts excited, but it's only great because it's based on a thoroughly driver-focused base.
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Toyota Land Cruiser
From the original climbing Mount Fuji in 1951 to the current version leveraging proven Toyota hybrid technology, the Land Cruiser has long been the go-anywhere off-roader that never let explorers down. It's never been as inexpensive as a basic Jeep, but these days it offers most of the capability of a Wrangler in a more road-friendly package.
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Honda Accord
For decades, choosing a mid-size sedan for commuting duties was like picking out a pair of pleated khakis. Going for the Accord meant you were pairing those chinos with white socks and loafers, Ayrton Senna style. The Honda's always been the mid-sizer with a pulse, and the current one is still a great drive, practical as can be but capable of making you grin when the going gets twisty.
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BMW 3-Series
BMW didn't invent the sport sedan, but with the 3-series, it pretty much perfected it. There's much arguing to be had about which generation is the best–and which the worst–but the 3er has consistently paid dividends to those behind the wheel, even when your wallet will only stretch to the base engine. Obviously the mighty M3 is the one your heart wants, but a nicely optioned 3-Series still flies under the radar with essential goodness.
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Mercedes SL
The ultimate Teutonic grand tourer, the SL takes its name from the German for "sport light," neither of which it has ever really been. It's more a luxury cruiser, capable of dreadnought firepower in the AMG versions, but consistently more luxurious than bleeding-edge performer. Still, quantity has a quality all its own, and the AMG SL73 lent its V-12 heart to the ultra-exotic Pagani Zonda. In modern times, there are few better vehicles for cruising down the California coast.
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Honda Civic
Simultaneously your mom's commuter and also Dominic Toretto's tractor-trailer hijack weapon of choice, the Civic was born as a fuel-sipping compact but grew into a performance icon. In many ways, it's the 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe of its age: basic four-wheel transportation just waiting to be engine-swapped into a pure hot-rod scorcher. Get the Civic hybrid for the commute, or the Type R for the track, and while the performance envelope on both is widely different, they're both solid choices.
How the Civic Was a Generation's '32 Ford
Nissan Z
As one of the first inklings that Japan could do more than just build economy cars, the Datsun 240Z first established itself on the street and on the track as a properly desirable coupe in the 1970s. Since then, it's been a sports car and a luxury coupe, providing muscle and throwback speed. In its current version, it's an analog bruiser next to the better-honed Toyota Supra. But the Toyota is a badge-engineered BMW, and the Z is still pure Nissan.
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Toyota Corolla
It's not quite beloved, as the humble Corolla is arguably the most beige car ever made. Except it isn't, at least not if you know your history. It was Toyota's first World Rally Championship winner, it battled Datsun 510s on track, and it is currently one of the most exciting hot hatchbacks on sale today in GR Corolla form. The Corolla has always been solid and dependable transportation for the masses, but every so often Toyota puts a little wasabi on it.
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Porsche 911
The 911 has spent just over sixty years being the practical choice for sports-car buyers. It's special to drive but also comes with a small set of rear seats for extra practicality. You can have it as a Turbo for maximum executive express, or as a GT3 for the track, or just as a basic model that's impressive in its own right. The air-cooled models have cult status, there are many specialist restoration shops reimagining the original concept, and the variety in the modern version is nearly endless. Simply put, it's an icon.
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Ford Mustang
Basically the same age as the Porsche 911, the Mustang is the everyman sports car with a bit of a twang in its voice. The original was a fun runabout, then the V-8 showed up with a little more firepower, and once Carroll Shelby got involved it was full party mode. Since then the Mustang has offered various levels of performance from fun holiday rental to flat-plane-crank V8 howl. It's the official car of the democracy of speed, now available in the most extreme GTD model with more than 800 hp and a top speed of 190 mph. Yet at the same time, you can pick up a late 1990s Mustang GT with a V-8 and a manual for peanuts, and it'll be more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys.
Review: The Mustang Hasn't Changed Much, and That's a Good Thing
Chevrolet Corvette
In 1969, man put a footprint on the moon. Just before that, a man put his left foot down hard on the throttle pedal of a Chevrolet Corvette. America's sports car since 1953, the Corvette became a world-beater as soon as V-8 power arrived. It was famously the choice of the Apollo astronauts, and a consistent foe of the Porsche 911. In ZR1 and Z06 form it was and is a performance monster, with the current C8-generation ZR1 achieving a top speed of 233 mph.
Feature: The Corvette Will Always Be Dad's Car
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevy's younger sibling to the 'Vette, the Camaro was always a counterpunch to Ford's Mustang. Even if the Mustang landed its blows first, the Camaro hit back with small-block V-8 performance, special-order COPO drag racers, and a platform that would out-dance the Mustang in its more basic trims. It's on hiatus presently, which is a shame. The rivalry between Camaro and Mustang was always good for performance enthusiasts.
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Ford F-Series
Since 1948, the Ford F-series pickup has been an American workhorse, and since 1977, it's been the bestselling truck in the U.S. In the early days, it traded on its basic and practical nature, hauling hay bales and proving easy to work on. In more recent times, the F-150 has evolved into a variety of forms, from the dune-hopping Raptor to the all-electric Lightning. Who knows what's coming next for Ford's quintessential pickup?
More Info on the 2024 Ford F-150
Chevrolet Suburban
As the grandaddy of the nameplate game, the Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-running model name. Its bloodline stretches all the way back to 1936. It's always been the machine that can carry it all, and it's ready to load up on cargo and haul that camper or boat or whatever you might need. As the ultimate vacation machine, the Suburban gets its towing and hauling capability from its truck-based, body-on-frame platform taken from the Silverado pickup. It's the ultimate getaway machine.
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