While I’m sure the musclecar fans amongst us would go wild for all manner of classics from my storied birth year of 1968, I’ll confess that muscle machines have never really been my thing. I suppose if I had to choose something from the category, I would be quite happy with a Shelby “King of the Road” GT350 or GT500. I’ve always appreciated the Mustang as being the smaller, more sports-car-like machine of the muscle era, whether or not that was always true.
What I’d really like from 1968 is a Volkswagen Beetle. As much as I loved my 1974 Super, I always wished it were the slimmer, flat-windshield “regular” Beetle. And for non-Super Beetles, 1968 is considered a great one. Totch knows infinitely more about best years for Beetles, but I don’t think you can go wrong with a ’68.
Now let’s check in with Antti Kautonen and Mark Tucker:
Antti
As a former Peugeot 205 driver and enjoyer, I’ll nominate the 205 GTI. While the full-force 1.9 GTI was only introduced later, the 105-hp 1.6 GTI was new for 1984. It also brought the iconic three-door side window shape to the 205 model palette, as the 205 was initially launched with five doors.
The 205 GTI was a great hot hatch and one of the best of the genre. It was light, willing, versatile and perfectly fine to be used as the only car, and importantly, it also looked immensely cool. The 1.6 GTI only came with the 14-inch pepperpot wheels, so you can differentiate those from the 1.9 cars with the 15-inch wheels with a different design. My ideal 205 would be the carbed 1.3 Rallye, but those were also sold from the first light facelift on. My 205 was a warmly sporty 205 XS, so it was spiritually closer to the Rallye as it had a TU engine instead of the bigger, backwards-slanted XU of the 205 GTI.
Mark
1973 … lots of good choices, actually. Big American cars: boat-tail Riviera, fuselage Chryslers, first-year GM Colonnade coupes. Smaller sportier numbers: Datsun Z, Opel GT, Triumph TR6, Fiat 128 Rally. If I’m dreaming big: Pantera.
Top graphic image: Bonhams
I have my birth year C10 my grandfather bought new. So I guess that.
I have not seen my birth year or my choice yet. I’d be happy with either a Jeep Gladiator or a Jeep Wagoneer.
I seem to be the oldest so far. Born in 1952. For a domestic, I would pick a 1953 Buick Skylark. For an import, I would pick a 1952 BMW 502, Mercedes 300 coupe, or Porsche 356.
I’m not far off…1955.
A little older here: 1946. Choices were basically reheated 1942s. So I’d like a 1946 Lincoln Continental or a 1946 Mercury. I’d like to wait until 1948 for an XK120.
Monteverdi High Speed 375 S
Hmm. A Ferrari 250 GT coupe or a Jag XK-150 would be nice. A Checker A-8 would be much more in line with reality, though. (And can you guess the year?)
1980 Jeep Cherokee, which I literally did drive today 🙂
1981, not a great year. If it has to be USDM, trucks or SUVs are the only thing worth considering, so Bullnose F-Series or Bronco, Rounded Line C/K, or Scrambler.
If I can pick a European car, then either an Escort RS1600i or Renault 5 Turbo.
Hmm… 2004?
Matrix XRS, Avalon, IS Sportcross, Civic Hybrid manual, Civic SiR, Camry SE manual…
Family car as I was growing up was a 2004 Sienna XLE with a single power door. My parents still tlak about that van.
Did we just become best friends?
From a fellow Evan, this is an incredible list
08 baby here. R35 GTR all day, but the ZB II Viper is a close contender too.
Some more left field choices would be the KTM X-Bow and Mitsuoka Himiko.
oh yeah, can’t forget the Tata Nano! I was born 3 days before its debut and my dad also owned a 2012 model in a lovely yellow for 3 years until a flood totaled it. would love to drive (and hoon the hell out of) one.
I don’t like that you made me face the fact that there are adults born after the Bee Movie came out.
Citroën DS…. Instead my folks bought a Morris Minor estate….
The easy answer would be an ’88 Ferrari F40 but because this is the Autopian, lets go for a Subaru GL sedan, Turbo with the digi-dash.
My birth year of 1976 is generally considered to be a dark one for cars in general. The two models I find most attractive are probably the Celica, Z, and Datsun 620 pickup. The Corolla offerings are kind of cool too.
Or I’d go the other way and cruise around in a Slant Six Dart
A person of taste, I see.
Ditto on the Dart; as a bonus, my birth year lets me get the pushbutton transmission!
You could still get a 455 (with mandatory 4 speed) in the Trans Am in 1976. It wasn’t all gloom.
A lot of good cars were made in 1991. Lamborghini Diablo (although I’d really prefer the 1993+ VT AWD version), Ferrari 512TR, Porsche 911 964, MKIII Toyota Supra Turbo, Nissan 300ZX and R32 Skyline GTR, Mazda RX-7 FC and NA Miata, Honda NSX and Civic CRX, Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, E30 BMW M3…the list can go on. That was a great time for sports cars and compact sport coupes, since it was the tail end of the bubble era in Japan. There’s not really anything domestic from ’91 that really catches my eye though. Maybe a Fox body 5.0 Mustang GT, although I’d take all the cars previously mentioned before that.
Assuming money no object, Jaguar E-Type or Porsche 356.
1978 Porsche 911 SC
Born smack dab in the middle of the Malaise (1976), but there were some bright spots. Nissan 280z would probably be my choice, but that was also a great year for the Ford Bronco. I’d drive either today, but the Nissan is a bucket list car for me to own and work on some day.
1986? How about a Corolla GTS? Or GT? Or Trueno/Levin. ‘M not picky.
A 1988 FJ62 with the block and rotating assembly from a late 2F engine and the top end and EFI from a 3FE and an H55F 5-speed transmission.
Spring-over axles, 4.88 R&P, lockers, and a Marlin Crawler Toybox.
1978: The first two that immediately came to mind were a K5 Blazer and a Trans Am.
1971 for me.
Now of course a 911 would be nice, but for my 50th I bought myself a Cadillac Coupe deVille, in tremendous Duchess Gold with a white top. It was fantastic, and the most fun I’ve had with a car.
see it here; *language warning and booty shakin’
https://youtu.be/_PjUBxwJVQI?si=c2q35TWNy0U62mMf
What did I just click on??? “I’m gonna eat her out right in the car” LMAO
Also 1971 here. Corvette LT-1. Monte Carlo SS.
I was Mr. Affirmitave Action on that location.
1977 – ‘Twas a bad time for cars. I would’ve said a Land Cruiser but I sat in a 77 once and even with the seat all the way back, my knees were touching the steering wheel. I guess engineers in Japan weren’t accounting for 6’6″ Americans.
I guess a Beetle then. My dad is almost as tall as me and had a ’72 when I was a young lad, so I’ll probably fit.
Hmm, if I was 58 back in ’68, I’d probably drive something relatively humble with a little bit of rumble. I’m thinking a 2-door Falcon, Valiant, or Nova with a V-8.
Me now, in 2026, looking for a classic? I think a ’68 Beetle would be great to tool around in.
1965:
Mercedes-Benz 300SE Cabriolet
Aston Martin DB5 Volante
Bentley S3 Continental Mulliner/Park Ward Drophead Coupe
Oh, yes – I’d drive any of them today.
Either the Loggin Continental or the Flintmobile. The Flintmobile has a lot more room, the Loggin doesn’t have much legroom with no roof, but it’s very sporty. I just don’t know man.
Going to have to go with a red 1992 Saab 900S Aero Turbo <3