The 60 coolest cars of the past 60 years!!

The 60 Coolest Cars
Six Decades of the Rides Everyone Wanted

They weren't always the fastest or the most expensive. The sexiest or best designed or engineered. The most radical, iconic, famous, desired, or most outrageous. But they're the coolest. It's hard to define cool, but you know it when you see (or drive) it. As we kick off Motor Trend's 60th Anniversary celebration, here's a look-in random order-at 60 of the coolest, illist, chillist machines to roll earth's highway during our watch, 1949-2009.

01. 1962-1969 AC SHELBY COBRA
If you could grab the $100 bill taped to the windshield of one owner's when he floored his 427, you could keep the money. The owner never lost his Benjamin.



 

03. 1955-1963 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING
Before Jim Morrison, these were the Doors. The direct-injection Gullwing was the fastest, most advanced production automobile of its time.



04. 2002-2004 FERRARI ENZO
For the very rich, simply the V-12 supercar to crash. Of just 400 built, at least 14 have been destroyed and many more mangled spectacularly (see also YouTube: Eddie Griffin).



05. 1963-1965 ASTON MARTIN DB5
Famous for its ejector seat. And for helping 007 find Pussy Galore.



06. 1955-1975 CITROEN DS
A paragon of innovation, including a hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension. The styling isn't weird. It's French.



07. 1955-1957 CHEVROLET BEL AIR
Look up the word "Fifties" in the dictionary, and you'll see picture of a Bel Air. (The scary, bloated thing in the other picture is the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Or Joe McCarthy.)




08. 1955-1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD
The first-ever "personal luxury car." When a white one drove past in "American Graffiti," Richard Dreyfuss began dreaming of endless Somers.



09. 2009 NISSAN GT-R
The original Godzilla breathed fire and stomped on almost every vehicle in sight. Come to think of it, so does this one.



10. 1974-1989 LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH
After Farah Fawcett, sparked more fantasies than any other poster model of the 1970s.



11. 1968 FORD MUSTANG GT FASTBACK
Mix McQueen, a rumbling, Highland Green Mustang, and 10 minutes of chase-scene mayhem through the streets of San Francisco. Result: Indelible movie magic.



12. 1964 PONTIAC GTO
The first true musclecar. Promoted and nurtured by John DeLorean in the years before he began appearing on "The FBI's Funniest Videos."



13. 1961-1969 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL
It had suicide doors, carried JFK past the grassy knoll, and appeared on the TV series "Pushing Daisies." Just a big ol' funmobile. (Still one of the best-looking sedans ever, though.)



14. 1949 CADILLAC SERIES 62
Sporting a sensational new overhead-valve V-8, this was Motor Trend's first-ever Car of the Year. Many subsequent COTY winners, ahem, are not on this list.



15. 1992-1995 DODGE VIPER
When this V-10 monster first hit the streets, sales of Depend underwear skyrocketed. Probably.

16. 1963-1967 CORVETTE STING RAY
Larry Shinoda's second-generation car remains the coolest-looking Vette ever. All the people who criticized the 1963 "split-window" version now wish they owned one.



17. 1985 AUDI SPORT QUATTRO
Built for the hellacious Group B rally class and available in limited quantities for the road. Looked its best when raced by Michele Mouton.



18. 2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1
The. Best. Vette. Ever. So fast, we had to borrow a fighter jet to outrun it.


19. 1968-1977 BMW 2002
The most famous Bimmer ever, predating the 3 Series and yuppie infidels. At its fastest and best in fuel-injected 2002tii trim.



20. 1990-2005 ACURA NSX
None other than Ayrton Senna helped tune the revolutionary exotic that forced Ferrari to build cars with pieces that didn't fall off.



21. 1967-1970 TOYOTA 2000GT
So outcooled everything else from Japan, it earned a cameo in "You Only Live Twice."



22. 1966-1973 LAMBORGHINI MIURA
If Sophia Loren were a car, she'd be this one.



23. 1963-1969 FORD GT/GT40
You don't have to be gorgeous to win Le Mans four times in a row, but this racing icon was. Also inspired the limited-edition Ford GT supercar of 2004.



24. 1963-1965 BUICK RIVIERA
One of the best from the master, Bill Mitchell. Drove as great as it looked, too.



25. 1958 CADILLAC ELDORADO BROUGHAM
For a mere $13,074-more than a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud or most contemporary houses-you could drive a luxury sedan complete with glovebox drink tumblers and a one-ounce atomizer of Arpege Extrait de Lanvin perfume. Elvis, Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Aristotle Onassis all owned one.



26. 1989- MAZDA MX-5 MIATA
Unlike the jaunty roadsters that inspired it, this best-selling two-seat convertible uses oil to lubricate its engine, not your garage floor.




27. 1966-1970 OLDSMOBILE TORONADO
The first American front-drive automobile in three decades, with a Rocket V-8 motivating its missile-like bod.



28. 1953-1954 BUICK SKYLARK
To show the world who's Big Cheese in design, GM released this limited-edition, largely handmade, ultra-pricey ($5000-plus) cabriolet. And the world did grin.



29. 1955-1965 CHRYSLER 300
At its debut, the most powerful production car in America (300 hp). The '55 hit a record 127.580 mph on Daytona Beach; later 300 "letter cars" were even faster.



30. 1970 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER SUPERBIRD/DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA
The wackiest thing with wings since "The Flying Nun." Lured Richard Petty back to Plymouth, then earned the King a starring role in Pixar's "Cars."

31. 1948 TUCKER TORPEDO
If it wasn't good, the Big Three wouldn't have, uh, "torpedoed" it. Years later, Preston Tucker reappeared briefly, looking very much like Jeff Bridges.



32. 1963 CHRYSLER TURBINE CAR
So advanced, it could run on tequila. Alas, Chrysler decided buyers had better uses for agave extract and built just 50 test vehicles.



33. 1966-1969 ALFA-ROMEO SPIDER DUETTO
Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs Robinson. And gesundheit.



34. 1944-1985 JEEP
The creators of America's military-inspired off-roading icon deserve a hearty Patton the back.



35. 1986-1992 BMW M3
Bavaria's first M3 rocked road and track alike, campaigning in race trim in Group A Touring Cars. Street-tuned versions handled almost as well. Discerning motoring aficionados have been pinching themselves ever since.



36. 1968-1974 FERRARI DINO
Though some do prefer the AMC Pacer, we consider Maranello's 206/246 one of the prettiest cars of all time.



37. 1961-1975 JAGUAR E-TYPE
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes it's a Jag E-Type. Perhaps the single most iconic sporting car ever made.



38. 1953-1964 AUSTIN HEALEY 100/3000
Why tweed caps, stringback gloves, and mistresses were invented.



39. 1963-1974 ISO GRIFO
Giugiaro designed it, Bizzarrini engineered it, and Renzo Rivolta built it. Never mind the Chevy or Ford V-8s underneath; we're talking Italian, capisce?


40. 1961-1982 CHECKER MARATHON
Ask a New Yorker to draw a picture of an automobile, and he'll draw a Marathon. (Also, it'll be yellow and have an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.) Without it, Travis Bickle would still be in his room shouting, "You talkin' to me?"



41. 1973-1974 LANCIA STRATOS HF
A wedge of cheesecake with a Ferrari V-6. We love cheesecake.



42. 1956-1959 BMW 507
Munich's beautiful but poor-selling rival to the Gullwing almost drove the company into bankruptcy. Elvis gave away one of his to Ursula Andress.



43. 1953-1956 PORSCHE 550 SPYDER
After beating bigger, more powerful cars in road races, became known as "The Giant Killer." Then "Giant" star James Dean died in one in 1955. We smell a conspiracy.



44. 1975-1981 MERCEDES-BENZ 6.9
Benz's classic flagship sedan, with a hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension and more power than a Krispy Kreme salesman at a policemen's ball.



45. 1951-1954 HUDSON HORNET
Fabulous? Won 27 of 34 NASCAR races in 1952 and 22 of 37 a year later. A half-century later returned as scene-stealer Doc Hudson in "Cars."




46. 1964- PORSCHE 911
Any sports car with a production run of 45 years and counting must be doing something right. Not even "Romper Room" survived for so long.



47. 1969-1973 DATSUN 240Z
The most classic of all Japanese sports cars. For a while, "Z" even became a more popular letter than "X."



48. 1949-1951 MERCURY
Foundation for countless "lead sleds," the '49 Merc has appeared in everything from "Rebel Without A Cause" to "Cobra." Contrary to popular belief, however, it did not appear in "Sense and Sensibility."



49. 1959-1967 JAGUAR MK II
Call it a "sedan" instead of a "saloon" and you'll get warm beer thrown in your face.




50. 1976-2004 LOTUS ESPRIT
Giugiaro's "folded paper" design was cool enough to land the Esprit in a couple James Bond flicks. The scene where the car converts into a submarine was proven to be every bit as authentic as Roger Moore's ass-kicking skills.



51. 1983- LAND ROVER 90 (DEFENDER)
For many, simply the quintessential off-road rig. For others, well, there's always the Pontiac Vibe.


52. 1961 FERRARI 250 GT SPYDER CALIFORNIA SWB
If you had access to a car like this, would you take it back right away? Neither would I. -Ferris Bueller



53. 1999- PAGANI ZONDA
If Han Solo couldn't fly the Millennium Falcon, he'd drive one of these.



54. 1970-1974 DODGE CHALLENGER R/T
Star of 1971's "Vanishing Point." With the exception of Marlon Brando, only the Challenger could make someone named Kowalski cool.



55. 1965-1966 SHELBY GT350
From the days when men were men and rental cars were, uh, souped-up Mustangs you could race on Sunday and return (probably with a fried clutch) on Monday.



56. 1968-1974 FERRARI 365 GTB/4 & GTS/4 DAYTONA
This V-12 Gran Turismo may very well be the reason God created the right foot.



57. 1992-1998 MCLAREN F1
The fastest naturally aspirated production auto ever made (240-plus mph). There. Outbrag that one.



58. 1960-1962 GHIA L6.4
Only 26 were built, but they got into the right hands-including those of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.



59. 1962-1964 FERRARI 250 GTO
Ranked #1 on Motor Trend Classic's list of the Greatest Ferraris of All Time. "Using the engine to the fullest is like shooting down a steep waterslide."



60. 1983-1984 VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT GTI
Those Euro-peeen drivers got the GTI several years earlier, but when the GTI hit the States in '83, it virtually created the hot-hatch niche overnight. Best accessorized with a pair of Vuarnets.