The Most Popular Car the Year You Were Born

1950: Crosley Station Wagon

With the U.S. auto industry blooming, the upwardly mobile culture of America was in full swing by the time the 1950s arrived. Crosley—a small firm from Cincinnati, but so much more than a forgotten footnote in U.S. automotive history—introduced several firsts, such as the popular term “sport utility” way back in 1947. Signs of the future of American cars are still visible today in the 1950 Crosley Station Wagon; squint and you can maybe see an early Subaru Forester in there.

1951: Studebaker Starlight Coupe

Despite not surviving long enough to see out the decade, Studebaker, in name alone, screams “1950s!” The 1951 Starlight Coupe featured an innovative wraparound greenhouse rear window that, all these years later, still looks sharp, futuristic and just plain cool.

1952: Buick Roadmaster

The Korean War effort and a steelworker strike conspired to stunt the American auto industry, but 1952 saw many iconic vehicles being produced and devoured by a public eager for shiny new wheels. The Buick Roadmaster was a popular car model that, looking back on it now, seems perfectly indicative of the glitz and Hollywood glamour of the early 1950s.

1953: Hudson Hornet

Hudson was the first automobile manufacturer to get involved in stock car racing, with the Hornet taking home 22 checkered flags in the 37 NASCAR races in 1953. Sadly, the Hudson brand and the Hornet model would not last the decade, but in the early 1950s, this long, surprisingly modern car was quite the looker!

1954–1955: Chevrolet Bel-Air

Come 1954, cars in the United States were more affordable and being made safer and easier to drive. Power steering and automatic transmission were in more than 50% of new models. GM also introduced a new feature called the “Autotronic-Eye,” which would automatically dim the high beams when an oncoming car approached and then turn them back up when the car passed (something that’s not even standard in all new cars today!).

By 1954 and 1955, one of the most iconic rides of this era was being offered with power brakes, power two-way front seat adjustment and power front windows. It was also available in a stunning seafoam green. Interior carpet, a Ferrari-inspired grille, V8 engine and two-speed automatic transmission also helped to make Chevy’s “Hot One” a popular car in the mid-1950s.

1956: Chevy Corvette

First unveiled at the 1953 New York Auto Show, the Chevy Corvette grew up quickly in the early 1950s. By 1956, a hydraulically operated power convertible top, power windows and a Delco “hybrid” radio with both vacuum tubes and transistors in its circuitry were available options. The rest, as they say, is history for one of the most iconic cars in American history.

1957: Ford Skyline

Originally produced in 1954 with glass covering three-quarters of the roof, the stunning Skyliner was quickly converted by Ford into something more practical but no less jaw-dropping for its 1957 model. Its dominant and most striking feature was a high-tech, hardtop convertible roof that, as Motor Biscuit describes, “gracefully opened and arced back into a rear-hinged trunk in a matter of seconds.”

“To accomplish this balletic feat,” the outlet continues, “took no less than six motors, four lift jacks, a host of electrical relays, ten solenoids, four power lock mechanisms and over 600 feet of wiring.”

1958: Ford Thunderbird

The legendary V8 ride was born the year prior, but in 1958, Ford’s striking new sports car would outsell Chevy’s Corvette. This model of Thunderbird was the first Ford vehicle designed with a unibody construction, and it took home Motor Trend’s prestigious Car of the Year award in 1958, the first-ever debut car to do so.

1959: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

One of the most iconic car designs in American history, the Cadillac Coupe de Ville debuted in 1959 with a 325 horsepower V8 engine and those big, beautiful tail fins, along with brake light missiles protruding from the distinctive rear of the vehicle.

1960: Rambler Ambassador

During the 1958 recession, American Motors Corporation was the only domestic car manufacturer to show a profit, and its Ramblers proved quite popular. In 1960, more than 450,000 Ramblers rolled off the line and became No. 3 in sales among domestic brands. Ramblers were the first cars to use Unibody construction throughout their model lineup and the first to provide seat belts standard (at the end of the 1950s) for car safety.

1961: Jaguar E-Type

More of a style icon than a practical consumer car, this Jaguar would foreshadow the culture change afoot in America in the early 1960s. The E-Type remains a sexy, sporty car that wouldn’t look out of place in South Beach or Hollywood Hills today.

1962: Lincoln Continental

A giant on the road and in U.S. history, the Lincoln Continental was a cushy ride and sold well despite a hefty price for the time. Sadly, most will see the Lincoln Continental and remember one of the nation’s darkest moments, as this is the vehicle President Kennedy was in when he was assassinated the following year.

1963: Buick Riviera

Elegant design, featuring real wood and bucket seats, blended with a 325 horsepower V8 engine to produce one of the most revered rides of the early 1960s.

1964: Ford Mustang

Car blog “Zero to 60 Times” says it best when it comes to the Mustang: “Probably the single most iconic ’60s car in America, the 1964 Mustang started a revolution. Good looking and cheap, the original Mustang wasn’t fast, but offered a V8 option that showed the capability of the design.”

1965: Chevrolet Impala

The dominant vehicle in America in both 1965 and 1966, the Impala broke the million-unit mark in both years, making it the highest annual sales achiever of all time for a single model in the United States.

1966: Volkswagen Type 2 Camper Bus

Aside from the muscle cars of the 1950s and early 1960s, no vehicle is as synonymous with an era as the VW microbus. The Volkswagen Type 2 Camper Bus would have been the primo choice of the tie-dyed counterculture generation come the second half of the 1960s.

1967: Chevy Camaro

According to MSN, Chevy launched the Camaro with a “secret menu.” The Z28 package, most notably, was “strictly for those in the know, as it wasn’t mentioned in any of the sales brochures.” With it came a “4.9-liter engine, front disc brakes, power steering and four-speed manual transmission … The Z28 motor had been developed for racing and offered up to 400bhp.” The best thing about the announcement of a new rival sports car might be this quote from a Chevrolet sales executive claiming a Camaro was “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.”

1968: Chevy El Camino

1968 marked the introduction of the third-generation El Camino, a longer model than ever before, with all-vinyl bench or cloth bucket seats as options. That same year, an automatic transmission was also available for this car that would, for many, come to define the gritty and groovy look of the early 1970s.

1969: Plymouth Roadrunner

As the popular muscle cars of the 1960s piled on new features and increased in price, Plymouth sought to retain the affordable, “every man'” market with their Roadrunner. This model was designed as a basic, low-priced option for those wanting to muscle their way into the next decade.

1970: Dodge Challenger

Another car made popular again by The Fast and the Furious movie franchise, the Dodge Challenger made its sexy, muscular debut in 1970 and was first on-screen as General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard TV series. Arguably, no car from the 1970s has remained as beloved or as badass.

1971: Chrysler New Yorker

Long, slender and handsome, Chrysler’s New Yorker is the perfect vintage car to cast if you have plans to make a movie set in the gritty inner cities of the 1970s. New for 1971 were ventless front-door windows on the four-door sedan and a hardtop roof.

1972: VW Beetle

Sadly gone today, the Beetle was unlike any other vehicle for much of its 65 years. No car (aside from the Model T) is more instantly recognizable. It was the 1972 model that overtook Ford’s famous Model T as the world’s all-time most-produced automobile.

1973: Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The 1973 Monte Carlo was crowned Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year,” thanks in large part to its “Euro-style ride and handling and a number of large American car innovations like standard radial-ply tires, Pliacell shock absorbers and high-caster steering.” With nearly a quarter million Monte Carlos sold in 1973, the model set a new sales record for Chevrolet.

1974: Chevrolet Impala

Along with being the roomiest domestic car on the market, its reliably high resale values helped to make the Impala top of the class among the mid-1970s auto scene in America. The 1974 model featured new front disc brake wear sensors, an improved number system and carpeting.

1975: Cadillac Sedan de Ville

No vehicle screams the 1970s more than the mid-decade Caddy de Ville. This plush ride became a living room on wheels, a long, deluxe V8-powered sofa. The only thing missing was the shag carpet and a mirror ball, although an Astroroof with sliding sunshade was an option.

1976–1981 and 1983: Oldsmobile Cutlass

With sales growing from 300,000 to more than 500,000, this car model was the most popular car in America in the mid- to late-1970s. The Cutlass, both in name and style, is retro in an outdated way, but the best-looking features—the slim window and the alternate color cap over the backseat on the 1975 Supreme coupe, and the rounded triangle backseat window on the standard editions—still hold up. In 1983, the Cutlass Supreme outsold every other U.S. vehicle. It’s the last time any Oldsmobile accomplished this feat—the company would fold in the early 2000s.

1982: Ford Escort

The best-selling passenger car during the American recession was this Ford model with the slightly scandalous name that replaced the famous hump-shaped Pinto. If that’s not serendipity, we don’t know what is. More than 337,000 Americans took an Escort home in 1982.

1984–1985: Chevrolet Cavalier

Over these two years, Chevy moved more than 800,000 Cavaliers, thanks in large part to the genius idea of offering five different body types of the most popular car in America in the mid-1980s: coupe, sedan, hatchback, wagon and convertible.

1986: Chevrolet Celebrity

The Celebrity is the big brother to the Cavalier and used its heft to bump Chevrolet’s popular smaller sedan from the top of the U.S. sales pile in 1986. Very boxy and utilitarian in design (and very mid-1980s in its dated style), the Celebrity would disappear from new car dealers’ lots only four years later.

1987: Ford Escort

The Escort makes a two-year return to the top position of the U.S. automobile sales table after a half-decade away. By 1987, Ford’s bestselling small sedan had fully shed its 1970s veneer in favor of that rectangular 1980s design that ages about as well as the fanny packs many Escort drivers and passengers were surely sporting.

1988: Pontiac Firebird

From a star turn in Smokey and the Bandit to the Hoff’s famous talking car KITT, the Pontiac Firebird was a staple on both screens and streets across America. In 1988, Pontiac offered their Firebird with the option of removable roof “T-Tops,” as well as a fiberglass rear deck lid called a “Notchback” that cost $800 and made the car look more like a Ferrari.

1989: Honda Accord

The first time an import bumped off domestic small car leaders Chevy (Cavalier) and Ford (Escort) was 1989, with the third generation of the Accord, from Japan. It was offered in three body types (sedan, hatchback and coupe) and landed on the prestigious Car and Driver 10Best list, something other domestic bestsellers never managed. Honda’s flagship vehicle would spend the following two years as the top-selling car in America, moving nearly 1.2 million Accords in those three years.

1990: Nissan 300ZX

A fixture on Car and Driver‘s 10Best list for each of its seven years in the United States, and Motor Trend’s Import of the Year in 1990, this second-generation 300ZX was one of the first cars to have computer-controlled features. Fun fact: In Japan, the Nissan 300ZX was sold under the name Fairlady Z.

1991: Ford Taurus

The second-generation Taurus, released in 1991, would usher in an unprecedented reign for Ford as the bestselling car in America for a whopping six straight years, before forever ceding that mantle to Toyota.

1992: Hummer H1

Within a decade of this military-grade machine hitting the scene, it was already unconscionable that these consumer tanks were spotted all over America, from highway fast lanes to grocery store parking lots. Now, more than 30 years later, it seems even more ridiculous that anyone would want a gas-guzzling mobile fortress that needed 20 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. Thankfully, the consumer Humvee craze came and went quickly.

1993: Jeep Grand Cherokee

It would grow in popularity with suburban families making more trips to the YMCA than to off-road tracks, but we recognize the birth year of the iconic late 20th-century car, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Plus, for SUV owners, it was certainly more acceptable to be driving a Grand Cherokee than a white Ford Bronco into the mid-1990s.

1994: Toyota Supra

A sports car for the everyman, the Supra was indeed popular in the mid-1990s, but thanks to a star turn in The Fast and the Furious franchise, as well as being featured in countless video games, TV shows and music videos, this small yet mighty ride has seen its fame grow exponentially in the years since production originally ceased in 2002. Thanks to the pop culture love, the Supra is back and better than ever.

1995: Saturn S-Series

Thanks to famous no-haggle pricing and a refreshing, low-key dealer experience, Saturn made a lot of fans when it emerged onto the U.S. car scene in 1990. By 1995, Saturn had 1 million cars on the market in America, led by its first and flagship model, the S-Series.

1996: Honda Civic

Redesigned in 1996, “the base engines were the first to meet California’s LEV emissions standards,” according to Car and Driver. The magazine goes on to add, “Another innovation was the new continuously variable transmission that combines the convenience of an automatic with the performance and efficiency of a manual.” The Honda Civic began its life as a reliable, attractive car for everyone, from teens looking for an affordable first car to moms who wanted a low-maintenance ride, and the model truly hit its stride in 1996.

1997: Chrysler Town & Country

As Car and Driver said back then, “Chrysler designers have transformed the minivan from a steamer trunk into a piece of Vuitton luggage.” And thus was born a new generation of suburban family cars, leading up to Toyota’s Swagger Wagon. Today, it is almost hip to emerge from the sliding doors of a minivan with your kids, but in the 1990s, this was far from the case. Chrysler started to change the perception of minivans in 1997 with the Town & Country, and parents everywhere are thankful.

1998–2000: Toyota Camry

It arrived in the United States in 1983, but by the end of the last century, the age of the Camry was in full swing. This reliable Toyota still holds its value, still holds the top spot in American driveways, and back in the late 1990s/early aughts, it was holding Accord and Taurus at bay as the most popular car in the United States.

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Sources:

The Henry Ford: “1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe”
RetroWaste: “Cars in the 1950s”
Mac’s Motor City Garage: “The Year in Cars: 1952”
Hagerty: “Photonic technology of tomorrow for automatic driving today”
MotorBiscuit: “Sedans & Coupes”
Supercars.net: “1960s Cars – Swinging ’60s Cars”
Zero to 60 Times: “Most Quintessential Cars of the 1960s”
Best Selling Cars Blog: “USA 1960-1970: Chevrolet Impala breaks records”
MSN: “Top 10: Muscle cars”
Streetside Classics: “Classic Cars for Sale”
Fan Bolt: “The 2020 Toyota Supra Makes a Geek-Out Worthy Southeast Debut”