Nostalgia for the 2000s is at an all-time high. Low-waisted jeans, R&B trios and Frutiger Aero make up an era that is forever relegated to history, yet still feels comforting to a younger generation who were raised in it. It was also a period of incredible new ideas – the smartphone, GPS, and USB flash drives all contributed to a decade that was defined by innovation.These are themes that, to us, perfectly encapsulate the automotive industry at the turn of the century. Car designers were driven by new technology, but at the same time, a deep sense of their own nostalgia. In this article, we remember the cars that defined the 2000s and gave us some of the most beautiful and monumental designs of all time.For this article, any factory specifications are sourced from each car's respective manufacturer. Cars are listed in no particular order.We know there are many more fantastic 2000s designs that we couldn't include in this list, so let us know which ones you think deserve to be featured but weren't. Ford Mustang (S197) FordRetro-modern designs are something you'll see a lot of on this list, and the S197 Ford Mustang might be the ultimate example. Ford released the S197-generation pony car for the 2005 model year, and immediately upon its launch, folks knew exactly what was going on. Everything from the overall profile to the grille, headlights, and glass was pure first-gen Mustang nostalgia.Right down to the body lines on the door skins, this new Mustang was a blast from the past, and people either loved it or hated it for that exact reason. The S197 wasn't the most successful by any means, being the worst-selling generation in history before the S550 that replaced it sold even worse. However, it served as one of the more influential catalysts in the retro-modern styling fad in America. Nissan 350Z Nissan Unlike the S197 Mustang, Nissan's 350Z was a big departure from previous Z cars when it debuted in 2003. It had a wider, more bulldog-esque presence when compared to its dainty and elegant predecessors. But despite the new-age design, it became one of the most influential Z cars in history.The charming simplicity of this design, coupled with the addition of the iconic VQ35DE V6 engine, lodged this particular Z deep into enthusiast culture - certainly farther than the Z31/Z32 and 280ZX ever reached. There are many reasons why the 350Z is awesome, but we think its design is particularly enticing, looking nearly a decade newer than its 2003 launch suggests, while still tapping into the cartoon-ish vibe of the 2000s era. Lamborghini Murciélago Lamborghini Lamborghini turned over a new leaf in the 2000s. The new entry-level Gallardo provided more sales than they had ever seen in the company's history, and the flagship Murciélago was the 570-horsepower V12-powered cherry on top. Like many Lamborghini models before it, the Murcielago was also named after a legendary fighting bull. However, the name also translates to "bat," which makes the car's appearance in The Dark Knight (2008), driven by Bruce Wayne, that much more convenient. The Murci actually came before the Gallardo, debuting for the 2002 model year, so we had to give it priority over its little brother, but both were certainly notable.The Murciélago was something of a mix between retro-modern and new-age styling. The big overhangs, sharp angles, and Darth Vader vents were all trademarks of the iconic Lamborghini Countach. Still, each component was more refined and elegant than ever before – a philosophy that would carry over to the Gallardo when it went on sale for the 2004 model year. We'd argue that when you think "2000s supercar," the Murciélago is the poster child. Chrysler PT Cruiser Chrysler The Chrysler PT Cruiser was like the Pug of the automotive world - so ugly that you wanted to buy one. At least, that was the case for the more than 1 million people who purchased these cars from 2001-2010. Yes, this was a successful car for Chrysler, despite its image as one of the worst-looking cars ever produced.Interestingly enough, the car that directly inspired the PT Cruiser, the 1934 Chrysler Airflow, was considered much too futuristic for its time and was killed off after only four years of production. I guess sometimes you have to wait 70 years or so before the public comes around, and for Chrysler, it was worth it, as the PT Cruiser won MotorTrend's Car of the Year award in 2001. BMW X5 (E53) BMW Nobody knew it then, but for the year 2000, the new BMW X5 would change the luxury SUV segment as we know it. Never before had a sport utility vehicle captured a brand's signature design cues and made them work on a much larger platform, but the X5 did exactly that. It's no wonder that the X5's general handsome shape is still seen on SUVs in 2025.Even though it came out three years after the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV (1997), and had to compete with Porsche's new Cayenne a few years later (2003), to us, the X5 remains the king of 2000s SUV designs. Plus, high-performance variants like the 4.8si model were nearly unbeatable when they debuted in 2004 and essentially created the sporty SUV segment we see so much of today. Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005) Aston Martin Every car on this list, both before and after this entry, is iconic. But we'd argue that the Aston Martin V8 Vantage is the most gorgeous sports car of the 2000s. Debuting in 2005, the V8 Vantage draws its lineage from a 1977 Aston Martin model of the same name, and just like the original, the new Vantage had some vicious competition.It was positioned to compete directly against juggernauts like the Porsche 911, Ferrari F430 and BMW M6, as well as later additions to the segment like the Audi R8. While it wasn't quite as fast as the big-hitting German and Italian offerings, its pure sports car feel and undeniable beauty were world-class. The short deck, long hood, and raked windshield combination is common to see, but none have done it better than the V8 Vantage. Subaru Impreza WRX (GD/GG) Bring a Trailer The second-generation Subaru Impreza WRX came in three distinct styles from 2000-2007 - the pre-facelift "Bug-eye," the first facelift "Blob-eye," and the final "Hawk-eye" facelift style. All were incredibly great-looking cars, but the bug and blob-eye examples are, in our opinion, some of the most unique-looking cars from this era.The GD and GG Impeza WRX are what we would categorize as "cartoonish" – big, expressive headlights, rounded, bubbly lines, and some wild wings on the STI variants. These cars were the ultimate distillation of the fun, small sedan and inspired an entire segment of hot compacts like the Dodge Neon SRT-4 and Mazdaspeed Protégé. If this list were ranked, the GD and GG would be very close to the top. Ferrari 360 Modena Ferrari Similar to the Lamborghini Murciélago, the 360 took a reigned-in approach to the flashy styling of its brand's previous models. Of course, the 360 Modena is unmistakably a mid-engined sports car, but it is noticeably soft, relying more on pure proportion and beauty than sharp edges or dramatic styling cues to get its point across.A good portion of supercars are easily identifiable to a specific era, but the 360's design is timeless. Ask the average Joe what year they think the 360 is from, and they might guess anywhere from 1990 to 2025. We think that's the mark of a fantastic design. It looked great in the early 2000s, and decades into the future, it's still just as beautiful. Mini Cooper (R50/R53) BMW Group The Mini is a British icon of compact city cars that first appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But it wasn't until the 2000s that the entire world was enthralled by its adorable nature. Thanks to the work of designer Frank Stephenson, the R50-generation Mini was quite literally a perfect example of retro-modern art, combining the original Mini's shape and proportions with modern design cues.The R50 and R53 are the internal designations for the base model and Mini Cooper "S" variants, respectively, though there was also an R52, which was the convertible body style. The Mini Cooper is one of the only cars on this list that has used nearly the same exact body style since its 2000s-era predecessor debuted, and it'll never get old. Ford GT (2005) Ford You'll remember at the beginning of this piece how we noted the Mustang as the ultimate retro-modern design of the 2000s. We stand by that claim, but if there was a close second-place, it would be another one of Ford's own creations that stands on the podium - the second-generation Ford GT.For decades, Ford tried desperately to craft a successor to the iconic GT40 from the 1960s - a.k.a. the car from "Ford vs. Ferrari." There were more than seven concepts developed for this project over about 40 years, all with different names, until they realized they didn't need to reinvent the already beautiful GT40 design, and instead, they just modernized it.In 2005, the new Ford GT was unveiled. It was America's first modern supercar, featuring a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 pumping out 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. The design was pure poster-car material with muscular body lines and sleek curves out the wazoo. It wasn't just a pretty face, though, as it beat both the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and Porsche 911 GT3 in a 2005 Car and Driver comparison test.