I don't think any single continent vehicle can be considered iconic
I don't think any single continent vehicle can be considered iconic
Keith Tanner wrote: The problem is that Joe's using a US-centric point of view
Gee, that's not like an American 
Plymouth Fire Arrow is an easy one that was available in the US about 5 years before the GTi, and faster too, I believe.
Jeep CJs depends on where you want to start and end.
mad_machine wrote: if we are going to get away from cars.. in the world of boats. I give you the Sunfish, now under the stewardship of it's seventh manufacturer since 1952.
Hey, I own an icon! Ours is mid 70's orange hull with yellow deck. Sail is matching
I thought I had one, but the Ford GT-40 was designed from the outset to eat Ferrari's lunch in international competition, it didn't exceed expectations.
Did anybody mention the 911 yet?
Since we've included airplanes, can't forget the Beech Bonanza. 1947 (?) to present day.
Brett_Murphy wrote: I thought I had one, but the Ford GT-40 was designed from the outset to eat Ferrari's lunch in international competition, it didn't exceed expectations. Did anybody mention the 911 yet?
Good point on the 911.
The GT-40 did exceed expectations, actually. After the high profile wins with big block engines, a large number of entered cars (the ACO actually had to limit the number of Shelby's entries in 66 and 67, IIRC) and Shelby at the helm, the JWA (Gulf) team kept racing with two or three old Mk1 cars fitted with 5 liter small-blocks. They managed to pull off two back-to-back wins at Le Mans with the same obsolete and overweight GT-40 and won another FIA championship. The car outperformed its replacements and definitely performed better than expected. It's thanks to those cars that the Gulf oil livery is associated with the GT-40, victories that happened after the car was finished and had been replaced.
Porsche 356. Ferry Porsche thought he'd build 500 for family and friends; total production was like 56K, plus lots of competition class wins.
Also, Porsche 956/962. It just kept winning and winning; counting the Joest 962 its' Le Mans wins spanned, I think, ten years. Obsolescence be damned!
But my favorite most awesome-est car exceeding all expectations is the Volkswagen Beetle. The design is from 1939 but you can still find people commuting in it today. It only received minor mechanical upgrades over a four-decade production run, and is the most-manufactured car of all time.
[Don't tell me so stupid Corolla or Civic has had more built when the various generations don't even have a nameplate in common.]
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