1950: Volkswagen Bus — A car that transcends decades, the VW Bus was the world's first minivan.
Source: Auto.How Stuff Works
1951: Land Rover Defender Series I — The original Land Rover Defender was born in Britain as a response to the popularity of Jeeps in the United Kingdom
Source: Car and Driver
1952: Ford F-Series OG —This first edition Ford F-Series is the ancestor of the best-selling vehicle in modern American history, the Ford F-150.
Source: Ford
1953: Chevrolet Corvette — A car dripping with class, the original Corvette almost died early after posting poor initial sales numbers.
1954: Willys CJ-5 — The CJ-5 was influenced by the Jeep MC8A1, which was used in the Korean War from 1950-1953.
Source: Kaiser Willys
1955: Ford Thunderbird — An all-time cool-looking car, the T-bird created a new class of vehicle for American consumers: the "personal luxury car."
Source: Automotive Mileposts
1955: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (tie) — The Gullwing was a beloved luxury car, and only 1,400 were produced.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1956: Citroën DS — A sleek and stunning vehicle, the Citroën DS marked France's automotive comeback after World War II.
Source: Business Insider
1957: Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder (tie) — Custom made, the 250 GT was built to be a race car first and a road car second.
Source: Top Speed
1957: Chevy Bel-Air (Tie) — Quite possibly the coolest car on this list, the '57 Bel Air is an iconic American vehicle.
1958: Fiat 500 — An important car in Fiat's history, the Fiat 500 Nuova had a sunroof that opened the entire length of the car.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1959: Cadillac El Dorado — A stunning car, even to this day, the El Dorado helped make Cadillac a household name. Just look at those tailfins.
1960: BMC Mini — A small, UK-made economy car, the Mini symbolized 1960s British pop culture and was recently voted Britain's "Best-Ever Car."
Source: Mirror.co.uk
1961: Lincoln Continental — There are few cars as "American" as the Lincoln Continental, with the fourth-generation '61 version showcasing a four-door convertible.
1962: Studebaker Avanti - A personal luxury coupe built between June 1962 and December 1963, the Studebaker Avanti saw fewer than 6,000 produced.
Source: How Stuff Works Auto
1963: Porsche 911 — The sports car that inspired generations, Porsche 911's design was actually influenced by the VW Beetle.
Source: Top Speed
1964: Aston Martin DB5 — A classic car from the British luxury carmaker, the Aston Martin DB5 was featured in the 2012 James Bond film "Skyfall" — but Bond first drove it in 1964's "Goldfinger."
Source: CNN
1966: Lamborghini Miura — A car that changed the sports-car design game with its mid-engined, two-seat layout, the Miura was originally supposed to be limited to just 30 units.
Source: Top Speed
1967: Chevy Camaro — An old fashioned American muscle car, the Camaro had a powerful V8 engine under its hood.
Source: Business Insider
1968: Dodge Charger — Notice the large front-end hood, which captures the use of Chrysler's B-body platform, an innovation that Chrysler used on its models from 1966-1978.
1969: Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II — A muscle-era sports car, the Cyclone Spoiler was developed by Mercury, with two NASCAR drivers providing input.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1970: Ferrari Daytona GTB/4 — Svelte, sleek, and super-fast, the Daytona was Enzo Ferrari's response to the Lamborghini Miura.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1971: Jaguar E-Type Series 3 — Introduced in 1971, the E-Type was ranked first in a 2004 "Most Beautiful Cars of All Time" list by the Daily Telegraph, with four times as many votes as any other car.
Source: Daily Telegraph
1972: BMW 02 Series — As a compact executive car, the 02 Series supported BMW's tagline as "The Ultimate Driving Machine."
Source: BMWBlog
1973: Mercedes-Benz 280 — Check out the unique three-headlight configuration on this gorgeous executive sedan.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
1974: Triumph TR7 — A unique blend of European styling and that American power under the hood, the Triumph TR7 was praised for its spacious two-seat interior when it was released.
Source: Motor 1
1975: Ferrari 308 — The 308 made its debut at the 1975 Paris and London Auto Shows and was the first Ferrari to feature fiberglass as body material.
Source: Ferrari
1976: AMC Pacer — American Motor Corporation may have folded 30 years ago, but the '74 Pacer still captures attention, with its large glass windowpane and round front-end shape.
1977: Pontiac Trans Am — A true American original, the Trans Am "Firebird" became famous for its role in Burt Reynold's classic film "Smokey and the Bandit."
Source: Fox News
1979: Buick Riviera — This classic sixth edition of the Riviera featured front-wheel drive, which was still rather novel in those days.
1980: Audi Quattro — A car that truly changed the game in both design, as it differed sharply from the previous models on this list, and function—the Quattro pioneered four-wheel drive.
Source: Audi
1981: DeLorean DMC-12 — Made famous by the "Back to the Future" movie series, the DeLorean DMC-12 had no paint, as the body was made from stainless steel.
1982: Lotus Espirit Turbo — With its aerodynamic angles, it's not surprising the Lotus Espirit Turbo was featured in the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only."
1983: Lamborghini Countach LP500S — Countach models are all impressive, but probably the coolest thing about them was the upward-opening "scissor doors" that defined certain 1980s sports cars.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1984: Corvette C4 — Notice the change of style here as we enter the '80s. The C4 exemplified this with its sleek, angular look. It was the first Corvette convertible seen in a decade.
Source: Eckler's Corvette
1985: BMW M3 E30 — A car that helped usher BMW into new prominence, the M3 E30 has affectionately been called "the legend," by the German automaker.
Source: BMW
1986: Buick Grand National Turbo — Nicknamed the "Darth Vader Car" because of the popularity of the "Star Wars" films, the all-black Grand National is still really cool looking.
1987: Ferrari F40 (tie) — Similar in design to the Countach, the F40 is truly legendary. It set a record by shattering the 200-mph mark, becoming the world’s fastest production car at that time.
Source: RMSotheby's
1987: Porsche 959 (tie) — With adjustable suspension and intelligent four-wheel-drive, the 959 was considered "the most technologically advanced car of its era."
Source: RM Sotheby's
1989: Lancia Delta Integrale — A car specifically designed for rally-cross racing, the '89 Delta Integrale won the San Remo Rally in Italy that same year.
1990: Honda/Acura NSX — This Japanese-produced sports car stunned audiences when it first came out with an all-aluminum monocoque body, forged pistons, and titanium connecting rods.
Source: Bloomberg
1991: Dodge Viper SR1 — No car said "Welcome to the '90s" quite like the Dodge Viper, especially with its powerful V10 engine and five-speed manual transmission.
Source: American Super Cars
1992: Jaguar XJ220 — The world's fastest production car at the time, only 281 XJ220s were built between 1992 and 1994.
Source: RM Sotheby's
1993: McLaren F1 — This is the car that set a world speed record of 231 mph in 1993 and held it for 11 years.
Source:Top Speed and Road and Track
1994: Toyota Supra —A cool and sleek sports car out of Japan, the mid-90s Supra rose to prominence when it was driven by Paul Walker in 2002's "The Fast and the Furious."
Source: Top Speed
1995: Mazda RX-7 — A pure sports car, the RX-7 boasted a 1.3-liter twin-turbocharged rotary engine with 255 horsepower and 217 pound-feet of torque.
Source: Edmunds
1996: Porsche Boxster — A car that captures the '90s, the Porsche Boxster premiered in 1997 as a two-seater roadster convertible.
1997: Acura Integra — Front-wheel drive, high-compression pistons, 195 horsepower, and excellent handing ... yeah, the '97 Integra had it all.
Source: Yahoo
1998: BMW M5 E39 — Called "the sports sedan by which all others are judged by" the M5 is a favorite of BMW enthusiasts.
Source: Road and Track
1999: Nissan Skyline GT4 R34 — Similar in design and shape to the Supra, the Skyline has been called "one of Japan's most iconic cars."
Source: Motor1
2000: BMW Z8 — This flashy roadster arrived in 2000 and was featured in the James Bond film "The World is Not Enough."
Source: Men's Journal
2001: Honda S2000 — Featuring an F20C inline 4 engine specifically produced for the S2000, this sports car's release was targeted to match Honda's 50th birthday.
2002: Enzo Ferrari — Named after the company's eponymous founder, the 2002 Enzo Ferrari was a true luxury sports car, with the 400th Enzo selling for $1.1 million at an auction.
Source: Autoblog
2003: Aston Martin DB9 — Made for both comfort and speed, the DB9 boasted a 450-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-12 engine.
Source: RM Sotheby's
2004: Porsche Carrera GT — Originally priced at $440,000, Porsche claimed this supercar could go from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
Source: Car and Driver
2005: Bugatti Veyron — Not just a supercar that doubled as a luxury vehicle, the Veyron also set a world speed record of 267 mph in 2010.
Source: Autoblog
2006: Chrysler 300 SRT-8 — The 300C SRT8's monster V-8 engine boasted 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. It was an old fashioned muscle car in a family sedan era.
2007: Audi R8 — Fast and beautiful, the R8 had an aluminum skin and channeled 420-horsepower through a V-8 engine.
Source: Car and Driver
2008: Nissan GT-R — First produced in 2007, the GT-R was the successor to the Skyline and won EVO's 2008 "Car of the Year" award.
Source: EVO
2009: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione — Originally priced at $250,000, the 8C Competizione featured a retro-styling and could top 180 mph.
Source: Car and Driver
2010: Lexus LFA — Lexus entered the sports car market with the LFA in 2010 and the results were a hit. A Lexus executive recently said, "The LFA is an icon now and possibly always...It is a car we can reference for another 25 years if we choose."
2011: Chevy Volt — Bringing us into the electric vehicle era, the Volt is a top-selling plug-in hybrid and was named 2011 Green Car of the Year, 2011 Car of the Year, and 2011 World Green Car.
Source: Chevrolet, NY Daily News, and Hybrid Cars
2012: Tesla Model S — A car that truly broke the mold, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk created an all electric car that drove like a luxury sedan and also gained 270 miles per charge.
Source: Business Insider
2013: McLaren P1 — This plug-in, hybrid sports car considered a successor to 1993's McLaren F1, packed 903 horsepower and could go from 0-60 mpg in 2.8 seconds.
Source: Top Speed
2014: BMW i8 — With its carbon-fiber chassis, BMW's plug-in hybrid was surely different, as an electric motor powered the front wheels and a gasoline engine drove the rear ones.
Source: Automobile Mag and AutoTrader
2015: Dodge Challenger Hellcat — With 707 horsepower, the Challenger Hellcat was more powerful than all but 10 cars in the entire United States.
Source: Car and Driver
2016: Tesla Model X — Tesla's second major all-electric car, the Model X was an eye-catching crossover SUV that could be had with a 100 kilowatt-hour battery pack and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.
Source: Business Insider
2017: Chevy Bolt — An all-electric subcompact hatchback, the Bolt won 2017 North American Car of the Year award and 2017 Best Car to Buy Award.
Source: Green Car Reports and
2018: Tesla Model 3 — The car that may make or break Tesla, the Model 3 has been called "completely brilliant" and features "high-caliber semi-self driving."
Source: Business Insider