These are best cars from every decade

• We selected two cars from each decade that lived up to our criteria.
• The best cars ranged from pickups to supercars.
• Yes, Tesla made the cut.

We're always trying to figure out what the Golden Age of cars was, but the truth is that ever since World War II, we've lived in something of an endless Golden Age.

For eight decades, cars have been incredible: gorgeous, innovative, powerful, and even reliable and affordable. As we spend more time talking about not owning cars and enjoying them drive themselves, we thought it would be appropriate to look back on the glories witnessed and pick a few big winners.

Our criteria was simple: Was the car a smash hit at the time, historically important, and did it change the game or exert a huge influence? Bonus points if a model is still in production in 2017.

Here's what we came up with, the two best cars from each decade from 1940 to the present.