Car Articles

Cars have touched and influenced our lives in all spheres, be it social, economic, political or cultural. As one of man's most aspired objects and most powerful fantasy symbols, the car has always been much more than a machine and mere means of transport. It is easy to see that the cars around the world have changed in appearance and structure by just glancing at an ad on television. Whether it is for the better part or the worse part, it is still changing our world. Looking at the better side of cars, it has drastically changed our economy, social lives, freedom, and courtship manner. Then again cars also along with its positive approach also tend to carry negativism that is associated with it. Cars have been always a concern when pollution and availability of fossil fuel in future are questioned. Here we will mention ten of the cars which revolutionized the world. These cars have also changed the car manufacturers' long-term strategies and have gone beyond by changing governments.

1. The Ford Model T certainly was the first of the cars to transform the automobile industry in the 20th century. The Ford Model T was a trendsetter in its own way. Not because of its mechanical layout or design flair but because this car revolutionized the concept of affordable wheels for ordinary folk. Ford sold more than fifteen million Model T cars. This car had two speeds, a reverse gear and a rear-wheel-drive engine. It set the standard for affordable transport for a couple of decades and earned more nicknames than any car since. One of the most popular nicknames of this car was “Tin Lizzie”. The Ford Model T debuted in 1908.
2. The humble Volkswagen Beetle also called affectionately as the “Bug”, changed the way we thought about cars. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche on an order from Adolf Hitler in 1938, the original Beetle had the longest production run of any vehicle ever. It was launched in the US a few years after the World War II. The US car market at that time was dominated by immense cars with enormous engines. People regarded the launched of this small car in the US was a bad idea. But the Americans turned the Beetle into a global hit. This car had a similar effect in Australia. Volkswagen Beetle production stretched around the globe in its heyday, and it was only a couple of years ago that the last air-cooled Beetle factory shut its doors in Mexico.
3. The Jaguar XK 120 is also one of the cars that changed the world. This was Jaguar's first car to be produced after WWII, and it's one for the ages. It was unveiled at the London Motor Show in 1948 as a test-bed for the XK engine and, as the fastest production car at the time, was a smash hit right from the start. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
4. Historians credit the Trabant as the key to the downfall of communism. This car was produced by the East German automaker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwicka. It was made by the communist regime as an inexpensive car for the people. But its poor performance, smoky engine, bad interior and longer time for availability highlighted the unsuccessful manners of former East Germany and of the fall of communism. Despite all this, it had a thirty year production history from 1958 to1989 with more than 3 million models.