By Junior Luke Sonderman
As you may have figured out in my previous posts, I am a bit of an auto geek. I usually always discuss newer cars that are post-2000, but I want to take a little dive into my favorite cars of each decade–starting in the 1950s. Although I tend to favor muscle cars, I’m going to really try to expand my list all the way from trucks to race cars.
The 50s
My favorite car of the 50s would easily have to be the 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchetta. I discovered this car because the band Rush wrote a song about it called “Red Barchetta.” After discovering what a “red barchetta” was, I found this 50s race car. I’d never seen anything like it. Only 82 of the 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchettas were made, and recently one was auctioned off at a whopping price of 7.5 million dollars (topspeed.com). With a 2.5 liter V-12 engine and 160 horsepower, this little car was a great race car and also well equipped to be road driven (topspeed.com).
The 60s
I will try to keep the amount of Mustangs on this list to a minimum, although it will be very hard for me. But for the 60s, the 1965 Mustang GT Fastback is by far #1 on my list. Probably the coolest car ever, this was the first real year of production for the Mustang line. This body style is what set the foundation for the many Mustangs to come, including the latest models. When I think of American muscle, I think of this car.
The 70s
For the 70s I am going to slip away from the performance vehicles and throw in the 1975 Ford Bronco. The 1975 Ford Bronco is one of the most wanted vintage cars today and is one of the most beautiful cars that you’ll see cruising the coast of California. Although the Broncos are incredibly unreliable, they are very easy cars to fix and have many interchangeable parts with other Ford trucks.
The 80s
I’m going to take a little bit of a jump in price for the 80s. The 1988 Lamborghini Countach is arguably the sexiest car ever. Featured in one of my favorite movies, The Wolf Of Wall Street, the Countach is my favorite car from the 80s. The 12-cylinder engine produces 450 horsepower which may not sound like a lot, but 450 horsepower in the 80s is comparable to 750-800 horsepower today (motortrend.com).
The 90s
Although this car’s design has only had very minimal design changes over the decades, the 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe has to be one of my favorites of this list. This 911 is a fast, well-handling, and slick sports car. With a roaring 6-cylinder engine, this car has a whopping top speed of 183mph (excellence-mag.com).
The 2000s
Okay, I promise this will be the last Mustang I talk about, but I would feel wrong if I didn’t put my car on here. The 2008 Mustang is what most people think of when they think of a Mustang muscle car. It has the classic pony style body and was one of the most widely produced Mustangs. I personally have the 6 cylinder, not the 8 cylinder, but the 8-cylinder GT is a powerhouse of a car.
The 2010s
It may seem bizarre, but my favorite car of the 2010s is the 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. It is just a cool looking truck. Although I am a Ford guy, I have to go with Toyota on their trucks because they are just so good looking. The TRD Pro comes in a 6-cylinder engine and can be ordered with different off road and sport packages.
The 2020s
For the 2020s I gotta stick with Toyota with the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD. The 2022 Tundra TRD has the big classic Tundra build with a blacked-out grill. It also comes with turbo-charged V6 that has the power of a V8 but the gas mileage of a 6 cylinder.
There’s no telling what Luke will be driving in the 2030s. Perhaps he’ll go old-school Mustang. Perhaps it’ll be hovercraft. What’s been your favorite vehicle over the years?
What a fun article to read! I love that you threw in a little bit about you Luke with each car. I am smiling.