A red Audi Quattro on an outdoor displaySometimes we wish that car manufacturers could be encased in amber, that their assembly lines could keep pumping out the models that we still love at affordable prices. If we ever run into any mechanical issues, there's an ample supply of spare parts. As incredible as that would be, it's just a fantasy. The times may change, but we can't forget the cars that captured our imagination.We asked our readers last week what the golden age was for their favorite automaker. The peak for any car company's model lineup is completely subjective. The comment section was filled with responses from the 1960s all the way up to the present, featuring manufacturers based in Asia, Europe and North America. Some automakers were mentioned multiple times for their work in different decades, another sign of how subjective the question can be. Without further ado, these are the halcyon days of your favorite car manufacturers: Mazda in the mid-to-late 1990sA red 1992 Mazda MX-5 MiataMazda in the mid- to late-1990s, their "Passion For the Road" and "Zoom-Zoom" periods. While they still had Ford money coming in, they had four sports cars (or quasi-sports cars; the RX-7, the MX-5 Miata, the MX-6 and the MX-3) in their lineup, and they and Ford were making each other better. Ford in the late 1960sA blue 1966 Ford Galaxie in a parking lot"I'm a Ford guy, and for me it has to be the late 60's. Mustangs were great, the Galaxie is a car that should get more love, Torinos were fantastic too. It was also the golden era of the Pushrod, carbureted V8 engine." Lexus from the 1990s through the 2000sA light blue 2002 Lexus LX 470"Lexus, 1991-2009. After that, increasingly lost the plot.The LS430 was better than the LS400, the LS460 was worse.The LX470 and GX470 were their peak SUVs, total Land Cruiser and Prado cred and capability, everything after was worse.And we won't even talk about the egregious change from the SC400 to the senior egg-bland SC430.The LS is gone because it went from a Japanese Bentley to a claustrophobic, hard seats, noisy, sporty but large...something with no point or audience to it." Volkswagen from the late 1990s through the early 2000sA blue 2002 Volkswagen JettaLate 90s to early 2000s for VW. The MK4 Jetta was the best Jetta. I'd love to have a W8 Passat. Can't forget the R32 either. The Phaeton was quite the gamble. And you also have to give them props for the V10 TDI Touareg. Of course, no one can afford to own most of the really cool ones, but they are still technical marvels. Tesla in the 2010sA red 2018 Tesla Model S 75D at a charging station"This will be a hot take.Prefacing this up front, this is no longer my favorite automaker, not by the longest of shots, but 10 years ago...2013-2020 Tesla, man. When you talk about "disruption," there are few examples better than Tesla's impact on the global car market. And it wasn't just that they came out swinging with a groundbreaking product, they kept at it. Iterating faster than Apple iterates a phone, building supporting infrastructure at a loss, listening to consumer feedback and actually implementing it real time, even to cars already on the road (remember those days? It's easy to forget).And they didn't just prove that electric cars can be functional in the present, but that they can actually be desirable. The Model S goes toe to toe with any major car release when it comes to universal appeal. In the modern era, I think it goes AM DB9, Ford GT (2005), and then the Model S when it comes to designs that almost everyone could agree looked, at the very least, "good". I'd say they never struck fire again with the X, 3, or Y, but those cars also earned their keep in other ways. The 3 and Y made Tesla not just an aspirational car, but one that was a realistic get for almost any middle-class family, putting affordable driving in the hands of the masses, just as gas prices skyrocketed during COVID.Then came the downfall. But there is enough there for another post entirely." Acura in the early 1990sA red 1990 Acura NSX"Early 90s Acura. Integra, Legend, NSX. Just three cars and each were arguably the best in their class." Alfa Romeo from the 1950s through the 1970sA red 1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale Prototipo"1950-70 Golden age of Alfa Romeo (or sooner or later ;-): Alfa Montreal, 2000 GT, Spyder, Disco Volate, Giulia TZ2, and Tipo Stradale 33, the most beautiful car." Volkswagen in the early 1980sA gray 1982 Volkswagen Golf GTi"Volkswagen in the early '80s, when car lightness was in vogue in Europe. My '83 1800 cc, 110 hp GTi had a power-to-weight ratio of @ 125 bhp/ton. It was a fast & agile hoot to drive.No one then thought vehicles weighing less than a ton were unsafe. Now the new(ish) Renault 5 EV, at @ 3300 lbs, is being praised for its lightness.Progress?" Saab from the mid 1980s through the 1990sA dark red 1993 Saab 9000 CD"1984-1998 for Saab. The 9000 and the 900 SPG were introduced in 1984, and 9000 production ended in 1998. You could argue up into 2002 when the 1st-gen 9-3 ended production, but the 900/9000 was an elite pairing." Ford in the mid-to-late 1980sA red 1983 Ford ThunderbirdFord's aero period in the mid to late 1980s was underrated. They really pushed styling across the board in their passenger cars (and Aerostar, but minus Crown Vic). The movement started in Winter of '82 with the '83 Thunderbird (loved the later '84 Fila Edition!) and ended with the 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII. Even the mild Tempo looked sort of sleek in its debut in spring of '83 compared to all the boxy sedans of the day. We all know what the Taurus/Sable did. The best of this era, the Thunderbird SuperCoupe! Essentially, the boxy baroque Thurderbird/Cougar with its brief run from 1980-1982 was likely the failure that birthed Ford's aero movement. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.
