10 Most Iconic Car Designs of all Time

1966 Lamborghini Miura

The Miura became the first Lamborghini to carry the famous 'fighting bull' badge and even derived its name from a famous fighting bull. And a fighting bull it was-with a 3.9-litre V12 engine producing 350 hp and was capable of hitting speeds of over 275 km/hr, making it the fastest production car in the world when it was launched.

1928 Duesenberg Model J

The Duesenberg had such a grand design, and such massive presence, that the ultra-expensive car, which was sold in excess of USD 15,000 in those days, managed to find buyers even during the Great Depression. The list of American Duesy users went from mobster Al Capone, to Hollywood starlet Greta Garbo, to the manic visionary Howard Hughes.

1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

Unveiled in New York in 1954, the 300 SL took the automotive world by storm and sparked off the imagination of both, the classes who were in a position to buy it, and the masses who appreciated the car's stately, yet sporty appeal. The car went on to become the first Mercedes-Benz model to be sold in large numbers outside the European subcontinent-almost 80 per cent of the 1,400 cars made were sold in America.

1960 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider LWB

While the lines, the overall design and the appeal of the car were largely based on master Italian design house Pininfarina's vision of the Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet, the Spider California had its own set of unique attributes that made it a design classic. In true Ferrari fashion, this was a car where the go matched the show.

1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

Treading the massive line between an automobile and an aircraft, the Coupe de Ville was an ode to aircraft design-but while modern cars such as the Lamborghini Aventador went about it in a sleek manner, Detroit's way of treating the matter in the 60s was to add generous dollops of chrome all over the car.

1967 Ford Mustang

The American muscle car has been a design mainstay in the industry for many years, typifying the continent's take on performance, style and fun. The Ford Mustang started the tradition with its first generation in 1964. The swooping, full-fastback roofline of the '67 Mustang became the mainstay of the Mustang design school, which continues today and makes it one of the bestselling muscle cars of all time.

1961 Jaguar E-Type

Ask any serious car enthusiast which the most beautiful car of all time is and you'll usually hear the name of the Jaguar E-Type. Even Enzo Ferrari, the man behind the Prancing Horse stable, promptly declared it to be "the most beautiful car ever made". But its success came not just because of the way it looked, but also because it brought with it high performance at a fairly competitive price for its time.

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2007 Fiat 500

When one says iconic, one must refer to a design being pathbreaking, and points the way forward for its contemporaries. The 500 has done just that-with a design that not only harks back to one of the most loved people's cars from the 60s and 70s, but also holds all the right cues to make it a classic retro-modern design.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The Stingray was perhaps the most outrageous of all Corvettes, and sent sales soaring to record levels. While the shape was distinctive, it took a lot of cues from the Jaguar E-type. But most of the bits came from the Stingray special racer, the XP-720. Performance coupled with outrageous looks made this, without a doubt, one of the best Corvettes ever.

1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic

The Bugatti Atlantic was made out of a super light alloy of magnesium and aluminium called Electron. But since the material was highly flammable, the body was externally riveted together, instead of being welded. Later, the production versions of the car were made from only aluminium to avoid the dangers of working with Electron, but the car still retained its signature spine.