100 Cars That Matter

The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was a strikingly beautiful and powerful car, but it earned its place in history with a starring role in several James Bond films.

The 1992 Acura Integra GS-R fulfilled the fledgling automaker's performance mission and introduced buyers to accessible power at high revs.

The original Acura NSX proved supercars could be livable and reliable.

The Bugatti Type 35C put the brand on the map as a powerhouse in racing.

The 2005 Bugatti Veyron set the course for a revived Bugatti, a course that included big power and world speed records.

They called it “King of the Hill”—and when it emerged in 1990, the Chevy Corvette ZR-1 would forever reformat what drivers thought about GM’s ever-evolving sports car. In the 1950s, the Chevy Corvette staked out a new performance frontier for General Motors. In the 1960s...

The second-generation Honda CRX Si dialed things up and paved the automaker's future.

The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair was developed for consumers who wanted affordable, fun cars. While it was killed by Ralph Nader's activism, that lead to much-needed safety regulations.

It took a couple of years for Chevrolet to respond to the success of the Ford Mustang, but when it did with the 1967 Camaro, it kicked off a great automotive rivalry.

Inspired by its NASCAR racer, Buick turned the pedestrian Regal into a modern muscle car for the 1980s complete with a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6.

A 220-horsepower Yamaha-tuned V-6 and sporty suspension tuning made the 1989 Ford Taurus a real American sport sedan.

The Ford Explorer changed the face of the auto industry and defined what a Sport Utility Vehicle is.

Also-rans and wannabes would come and go, and some remain today, including the Chevrolet Camaro. But the Ford Mustang is the original pony car—a car that would define an entire segment in the years to come. The story began with Lee Iacocca, who championed a new kind of personal-luxury car...

Small roadsters were a dying breed in the 1980s. A decade earlier, tiny British and Italian sports cars darted across Europe and America, but by 1989, most were history. It was up to the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata to rekindle their spirit. Mazda took a decades-old concept and smartly updated it with the...

Carroll Shelby raised a family and chickens, and nursed a leaky heart valve in Texas in the 1950s. He also raced cars and his body bore all the signs, scarred skin and busted bones. From those humble beginnings 36-year-old Shelby was already well on his way to becoming a globally known automotive...