The best cars for a changing world
40 years ago, the editors of the American magazine Road & Track determined the ten best cars for a changing world.
The Volkswagen Rabbit (VW Golf) was named the best sedan up to USD 3500, just ahead of the Honda Civic. The Audi 100 LS won the family sedan category (USD 3500 to 6500).
The Mazda RX-4 with Wankel engine emerged as the best sports sedan (USD 3500 to 6500), while BMW's 530i established itself as the best sports sedan in the higher price category (USD 6500 to 10,000).
Finally, the Mercedes-Benz 450 SE/SEL came out on top in the luxury sports saloon category above USD 10,000.
The Fiat X 1/9 won the sports car category under USD 5500, the Volkswagen Scirocco took the title of best GT up to USD 8500, while the Datsun 280 Z was crowned best GT in the next price category up (USD 5500 to 8000).
Finally, the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT (pictured above) was voted best sports GT in the USD 8000 to 12000 price category, while the Porsche 911 Carrera took the same title in the USD 12000+ price category.
The aforementioned Honda Civic CVCC for its advanced design and the Rolls-Royce Camargue, which was mentioned as an exceptionally good car that nobody could afford, did not achieve a top position, but nevertheless received special mentions.
It may come as a surprise to some readers that the American magazine only nominated Europeans and two Japanese cars, but no locally produced cars. Obviously the editors simply couldn't think of a suitable product from GM, Chrysler or Ford, but perhaps they could have looked at the AMC. However, the concentrated focus on Europe and Japan is not all that surprising, as Road & Track has always paid more attention to those vehicles.
What is interesting 40 years later is that around half of the cars, or their successors, still play a significant role today. The VW Golf, the Audi 100 (now the A6), the Mercedes S-Class, the Porsche 911 and the BMW 5-series are still important players today when it comes to establishing progressive or successful vehicle concepts. The others had a less glorious future ...
