It appears that the guy in the 5, finding himself behind the CX, takes a "short cut" across the countryside in order to reappear… still behind the CX. Some pretty good Franco-hoonage here, and that's what counts!

Yes, Carlos Platz and Samanta Arenaza are crazy, but it's the kind of crazy that gives us a serious case of Road Trip Envy. Their blog is in Spanish, but even if you can't remember palabra numero uno from your high-school Spanish classes you'll still get the gist from the many great photographs and maps.

Since they began their trip eight months ago, they've spent time in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and now Mexico. We're not sure how roundabout a route they'll take once they leave Mexico, but we're hoping they try to set tire to 49 states, 10 provinces, and three territories before they reach the Arctic Circle. Hey, if a Chrysler Newport can work the India-to-Belgium hash-smuggling route, a Renault 12 should be able to handle another 10,000 or so miles! Thanks to Maxichamp for the tip.

[Con Un 12 Por America]

[DailyMail]

Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Photo Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

It turns out $18,500 for a Mini ragtop doesn't let the sunshine in, as 73% of you pointed out with your Crack Pipe votes yesterday. If that British icon didn't crown your jewels, let's hop over the channel and take a look at a frog that got turned into a prince which just might warm your brie.

The R5 Turbo was planned as a WRC racer, intended to dominate the tarmac events across Europe. To that end, it did win at Monte Carlo, and took the chequered twice at the Tour De Corse. Up against the mighty all-wheel drive competitors from Audi, Peugeot and Lancia, the rear-driven R5 never captured the ultimate goal of a WRC title.

The basis for the R5 Turbo was, of course, the R5, or Le Car here in the States. Tiny, slow, and of dubious reliability, the 5 seemed an odd choice upon which to mount a serious factory racing effort. But while popping out R5s to pay the bills, Louis Renault's namesake was using some of those profits to invest in hyper-horsepower turbo engines for Formula One. In a you got your peanut butter turbo in my chocolate R5 rear end moment, their engineers realized that WRC cars needed horsepower, but not back seats and the R5 Turbo was born from that F1 technology and Le Car body.

The result of that mating arrived wearing only the roof and window glass of the plebeian R5, but looked enough like its dad that paternity testing wouldn't be required. Homologation requirements meant producing road-going versions of the rally car, however none of those was deemed appropriate for U.S. shores, where we got the Alliance and Encore instead.

A few, including today's 1985 Turbo II have been brought in by private owners, as well as about 200 that were imported and federalized by Sun International Racing, of Manhattan Beach, Calif. They show up from time to time in the classifieds, and in fact this one has come up on more than one occasion - appearing on the market for $35,000 a little more than a year ago. Like many near-exotics it's current price reflects a diminished demand for such investments.

Powering the R5 T2 is Renault's 1.4-liter pushrod four, fitted with a big-valve Alpine hemi head, and intercooled AirResearch T03 turbocharger. That was good for 160-bhp in standard trim, and the 5-speed close-ratio gearbox from the R30 was stout enough to handle those ponies.

While the first version rocked a county lockup jumpsuit-orange interior, unique seats and blue- or red-only paint. The Turbo II, as exemplified here, changed that out for a wider color palette and standard R5 GT interior trim. That makes it a pretty nice place to be while using the car for its intended purpose- switchback sailing - and, if you keep it in the revs, it's good for 6 ticks to sixty. Maintaining boost is critical to keeping the car from getting bogged down as there is some lag and torque is mostly just a theory below 3K rpm.

Another thing that'll need to be rev'd up is your bank account because this R5 is asking $27,000 for driving privileges. As I noted, it was on the market last year for nearly a 30% premium, and If it's not selling now, maybe it'll come down even further. So what do you think, is it time to jump on this little frog at $27,000? Or, is that price still le creuset de crack?

You decide!

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Mounting a 180 HP 3.5-liter Range Rover V8 in a custom subframe in the rear of a Renault Twingo, French customizer Lazareth has turned the most utilitarian of superminis-headlights were optional when the car first went on sale in 1992-into a supercar eater. Virtually everything underneath the Patrick le Quement-designed skin has been changed, with suspension brought inboard formula style, while the exterior has gained wild DTM-style arches to support the massively widened track. [Lazareth via CarScoop]

Poor Nelsinho! Not only did he have to drive under the shadow of a famous father and suffer the intrigues of an unhinged Flavio Briatore, someone has now assembled an unflattering compilation of his short career in Formula One:

While making a crash-laden video of any racing driver is a walk in the park these days, it is a particularly easy job in the case of Piquet Jr., who never distinguished himself with particular car control or outright speed during his year and a half in Formula One.

Apart from a lucky second place at last year’s German grand prix, he failed to finish on any podium, going so far as not scoring a single point in the current season. After 28 races with the team, Renault dropped him after the Hungarian grand prix—in turn, Piquet set in motion the chain of events which led to the uncovering of a sordid episode of race-fixing and the end of Renault’s team principal Flavio Briatore and team engineer Pat Symonds.

So what’s next for the young Brazilian? Perhaps NASCAR: he is set to test a Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing next Monday at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. A close reading of his Twitter feed will perchance also reveal how to say YEEHAW! in Brazilian Portuguese.

Photo Credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images for NASCAR, Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The tall, aggressive Pole has had a bummer of a 2009 season, culminating with BMW’s announcement that they were leaving Formula One at the end of the year.

Driving the unimpressive BMW Sauber F1.09, Kubica’s closest chance for victory was at the season’s first race in Melbourne, where he was gaining hard on Jenson Button, only to get tangled up with Sebastian Vettel and crash out of the race with three laps to go:

Compare this with his seven podium finishes last year, including his sole win thus far at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Renault is remaking itself after the race fixing scandal which has cost team principal Flavio Briatore his career in F1. They have yet to announce Kubica’s driving mate for 2010: Romain Grosjean, who replaced Nelsinho Piquet in the middle of the season, has not yet been confirmed to stay on.

According to sources, Kubica is already training for his new job by consuming vast quantities of omelette du fromage.

Source: BBC, Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Massa lost last year’s title fight in perhaps the most frustrating way imaginable, when on the very last lap of the season’s last race, Lewis Hamilton passed a struggling Timo Glock to finish fifth, gaining the single point he beat Massa with.

Three races earlier, Massa had been in the lead when his fellow Brazilian Nelsinho Piquet’s now-infamous staged accident bunched up the field behind the safety car, resulting in a dramatically reshuffled race from which Fernando Alonso emerged victorious while Massa came in at 13th, out of the points. Realizing that these were his only points lost due to conscious scheming, he’s lashed out at the lenient treatment Renault has received:

All of what happened was robbery. Regarding the race nothing has happened, the result stays the same. That’s not right. It changed the championship. I lost by one point…they just sent Briatore home. I don’t understand it and I don’t think it was right.

Historical revisionism, perhaps, as a Formula One season is by default laden with what-ifs. Still, it’s easy to understand his frustration. A year ago, Massa was driving a highly competitive car, fighting for the championship until the last corner of the last grand prix.

Since then, Formula One has become a mad shuffle, Ferrari’s 2009 car has proven to be a huge disappointment, new teams and young guns have emerged and matured and Massa himself took a giant spring to the head from Rubens Barrichello’s car, which nearly killed him and removed him from competition for the rest of this season.

While he is still a young driver at 28 and with a team that will surely bounce back, he is certainly no closer to winning his world championship than on that November day in São Paulo, where it slipped from his hands so cruelly, right in front of his home crowd.

Source: BBC, Photo Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images, Clive Mason/Getty Images

Oh, hey! Hi there, fourth of four electric Renault vehicles with very little possibility for actual production to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, what was your name again? Oh, right, the Renault Kangoo ZE, how do you do? What's that? You have a 93 HP electric motor, 166 lb-ft of torque, an 80 MPH top speed and a 100 mile range? Oh yeah, that's totally impressive. Um... there's this thing we've got to do over there with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, it'll just take a second. No, it's not you, we'll be back in a bit, we swear.

We're starting to sound like a broken record played during the Frankfurt Motor Show, but the Twizy ZE concept is an all-electric car, sports a 20 HP motor with 51 lb-ft of torque, lithium ion batteries and a top speed of 47 MPH and a range of 62 miles. Boring, boring, boring.

What isn't boring is the crazy-interesting form factor. It's an upright bubbly car with fully-faired wheels, tons of glass all around. It's at least visually engaging, even though it's powertrain puts us to sleep.

The Zoe ZE (that's Zero Emissions by the way) hits all the familiar concept car touchstones, wacky shape, unrealistic dramatic lighting, gigantic wheels, etc., but it also features are rather realistic powertrain. It's all-electric with a lithium-ion battery and a 95 HP electric motor with 165 lb-ft of torque. It's got an 87 MPH top speed which brings out a retractable spoiler, which might be arguably necessary.

So that L'Oréal thing. The system mixes into the cabin air a moisturizing liquid to not only keep skin properly hybdrated, but it also detoxifies and keeps the cabin smelling fresh to boot. The system was created in cooperation with L'Oréal and only confirms our stereotypes of the French.

More importantly then untenable square wheels, the four concepts display hot swap battery tech that's supposed to enable three minute "recharges."

In addition to the "Quickswap" battery changes, both the Renault Fluence ZE and Renault Kangoo ZE are based on gas-powered production models. That means these could likely be coming to production. Well, except for the lunar buggy-looking thing above with the square wheels. That'd just be cuh-razy!

Full press release below:

RENAULT'S FOUR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONCEPTS SHOCK FRANKFURT

Renault generated quite a buzz at the opening of this year's Frankfurt motor show, with the unveiling of an unprecedented four electric vehicle concepts, as well as releasing further details on the future infrastructure and technology behind them.

All Renault's concept cars on show in Germany preview its electric vehicle range which will be released from 2011 and cater for a wide variety of different customers and uses.

In summary, the Renault electric vehicle highlights for the show are:

* Twizy Z.E. Concept: pearlescent white ultra-compact and nimble 1+1 zero-emission city car, with 15kW motor (20hp) and footprint barely larger than a scooter (2.3m long, 1.13m wide and turning circle of 3m). It has a top speed of 47mph, with acceleration comparable to 125cc motorbike
* Zoe Z.E. Concept: compact, four-seat supermini for short daily journeys in urban areas. Scissor doors at the front and butterfly doors at the rear, with polyurethane gel for front and rear of car to underline its hi-tech feel and protect components against minor knocks in town. Features 70kW motor for 100 mile range, 21" alloy wheels and retractable rear spoiler for greater aerodynamic efficiency. Comes complete with personalisable avatar for driving information, mood lighting and futuristic 'hydrate, detox and active scent' climate control
* Fluence Z.E. Concept: electric version of all-new, elegant five-seat Fluence saloon with range of 100 miles for family driving, ahead of production for Israeli market with Project Better Place. Boasts low-rolling resistance Michelin tyres and Samsung Jet phones
* Kangoo Z.E. Concept: previews electric van for fleet and commercial use with 70kW electric motor, solar roof panels and even a heated steering wheel
* ‘Quickdrop': three distinct vehicle charging methods, of which this is one. Rapid exchange stations replace batteries within three minutes

In line with the values championed by the Renault brand, its electric vehicles will offer customers a spacious interior, comfort, quality and safety. They will also feature a distinctive design signature.

Electric vehicles represent the clean-break solution which can put zero-emission mobility within everyone's reach. In line with the brand's Renault eco² environmental policy, Renault Z.E. electric vehicles are poised to be marketed on a large scale to take a decisive stand on the environment.

Renault begins marketing affordable production electric vehicles in 2011, with the Renault-Nissan Alliance targeting number one status mass-market zero-emission vehicle sales.

Twizy Z.E. Concept is an innovative response to the challenge of urban mobility. With its four-wheel chassis, it offers the driver and passenger, seated in tandem, an all-electric means of transport which produces no CO2 emissions. Compact, nimble and practical, it offers everything needed to cope with city traffic.

Wraparound bodywork creates a safe, reassuring cocoon which offers first-class protection for both driver and passenger. Power comes from a 15kW electric motor which develops 70Nm of torque, making Twizy Z.E. Concept versatile and easy to drive. Acceleration in urban and suburban traffic is comparable to that of a 125cc motorbike.

The second showcar, Zoe Z.E. Concept, is evidence that an all-electric zero-emission vehicle can also boast smart, appealing looks. Its special roof optimises the management of the climate control system to ensure extended range, while the ambience inside the cabin can be customised. Over and above its traditional role, the climate control system breaks new ground thanks to its 'hydrating', 'detox' and 'active scent' functions which combine to enhance travel. Zoe Z.E. Concept is a compact, versatile car for daily use, which represents a new form of transport thanks to the option of three battery-charging techniques.

The third all-new´concept at Frankfurt, Fluence Z.E. Concept, is a statement of Renault's intent to produce a range of zero-emission vehicles that meets the needs of all types of motorists. A genuine four-door family car with attractive styling, comfort and space, it proves that such features can go hand in hand with respect for the environment.

Fluence Z.E. Concept is an all-electric car with a range of 100 miles. The battery can be charged using one of three methods: a standard charge (between four and eight hours), a quick charge (20 minutes) or an immediate solution (three minutes) which takes the form of the exclusive 'Quickdrop' rapid battery exchange system. The saloon concept previews the forthcoming electric version of Fluence and represents a solution to zero-emission motoring in the world of tomorrow.

Kangoo Z.E. Concept is based on the Kangoo and brings zero-emission mobility to the professional road-user. Powered by a 70kW electric motor, delivering 226Nm of torque, in conjunction with a lithium-ion battery, its energy consumption is minimised thanks not only to the careful attention that has been paid to its overall design, but also to energy optimisation, without impacting the high standard of comfort. Kangoo Z.E. Concept's many information functions make it a particularly user-friendly, efficient and interactive vehicle.

In addition to the four concept cars on show, Renault also chose Frankfurt to unveil its exclusive 'Quickdrop' battery exchange system, as well as further details on the two other battery power solutions.

There will be three options to re-fuel Renault's zero-emission vehicles:

* Standard charge: takes between four and eight hours, via a charging socket situated on the outside of the vehicle.
* Quick charge: in 20 minutes, using the same socket at specific charging points.
* 'Quickdrop' system: three minutes at a rapid battery exchange station.

Range optimisation is the greatest challenge for electric vehicles. This is why Renault is working hard to make the process as simple and efficient as possible by planning for all types of charging needs and methods.

Even 20 years is a long, long time in automotive-design years, and so we've established that as the cutoff for this list. We're not talking about model names that have been around forever (e.g., Crown Victoria, Century, Bluebird), but a particular chassis/generation of a car that remained fundamentally unchanged over its lifespan. We're not including light trucks, mostly because it's damn near impossible to sort out Soviet military stuff. Obviously, a lot of quasi-arbitrary judgment calls had to be made with some of the candidates- does a different engine or totally restyled body make for a distinct vehicle?- and so we're confident that we've provided something to enrage every one of you, be it a car that totally qualified that we blew off or a totally undeserving car that we sneaked into the list. For example, were there differences between the first few generations of the Ford Fiesta sufficient to make that car ineligible for this list? We said yes, which Fiesta zealots will no doubt consider to be fatwa-grade heresy. In any case, we've probably made some mistakes, and we've definitely missed some cars that belonged on the list. Fire away with the hate mail, by all means!

Things get somewhat sticky when it comes to Fiats built outside of Italy. We think the Polski Fiat 125p shouldn't get lumped in with either the Fiat 125 or the Fiat 1300/1500, it being a cost-cutting mashup of the two, so we're giving this 24-year veteran its own place of honor in the Jalopnik Cars Of Immortality Hall Of Fame. Likewise, by the time VAZ got around to the VAZ-2107 (aka Lada Riva), its design had diverged sufficiently from its Fiat 124 ancestry that we consider it and the 124 to be separate cars. You 124 fanatics don't need to fret about that outrage, though- thanks to production in India and Egypt, the 124 doesn't need the later Ladas to nail down 31 years.

You may have noted the conspicuous shortage of American machinery in this list; other than the first-gen Ford Falcon (built in Argentina until the 1990s) and the Checker Marathon, there were no easy calls to be made for American manufacturers. We've included the rear-wheel-drive GM T Body, because of the bewildering swarm of Kadetts, Chevettes, I-Marks, and low-production South American clones that flew forth from that design; we're saying 21 years for the T, and you're free to argue your guts out about it. How about the GM B platform, which stayed in service from the '61 Buick Invicta to the '96 Chevy Caprice? The General performed nearly half a dozen major redesigns of the B platform over the decades, and not enough components interchange between one B generation and the next for it to be considered the same car for 20 solid years. Same goes for the Ford Panther platform (1979-present) and the hordes of Chrysler K derivatives (eternity). The Model T was only made for 19 years, so it doesn't make the list (unless someone can dig up some proof that it was being bootlegged in the Maldives), nor does the Willys Aero, even with all those years of production in Brazil. What really broke our hearts was the Rambler American/Renault Torino, which almost made the list at 18 years of production in Wisconsin and Argentina (we were looking for loopholes to prove that the '64 Rambler American was actually a cosmetic facelift of an earlier version, but no dice).

This project got really challenging when we got to Chinese-built versions of Japanese and Korean cars. The line between "facelifted license-built copy" and "based on heavily modified chassis design" gets increasingly blurry in China, and most likely we've overlooked a couple of 20+ year Chinese versions of Mazdas or Suzukis. Chinese Volkswagens were a lot easier to figure out, but how about Malaysian Mitsubishi clones- or are they clones?- sold in China? Ai-ya!

Here we go, fifty cars that were built for 20 years or longer, as close as we could get to the right order:

Volkswagen Type 1
65 years (1938-2003)
The Beetle was built in Germany from 1938 through 1980, which would have put it in second place on our list, behind the Mini but just in front of the 2CV. However, production in Brazil (1950-1996) and Mexico (1955-2003) gives the little Ferdinand Porsche-designed ass-engine air-cooler a whopping 22-year-edge over the Mini.

Morris Oxford / Hindustan Ambassador
55 years (1954-present)
The case could be made that the previous generation of the Oxford, which debuted in 1948, was similar enough to the '54 that the Oxford/Ambassador deserves 61 years instead of 55. However, the Amby is still being made! That means the much-beloved little Indian car has a shot at catching the Beetle. Engines have come and gone (the '09 Amby has Isuzu power), but the essential Oxford-ness of the car remains.

Austin Mini
43 years (1957-2000)
An Old Mini with airbags? Yes, the car that started the front-wheel-drive/hatchback revolution managed to stay relevant into the current century. Park one of these next to one of those BMW-built imitators and you'll see what a small car really looks like!

Citroën 2CV
41 years (1949-1990)
How much power does a car really need? Ask a Citroën engineer in the late 40s and he'd tell you: nine horsepower! Later models had nearly four times that, with 33 horses being the max from the factory. Of course, some had a little more than that when they went racing. Nearly four million were made.

Fiat 128 / Zastava Skala / Nasr 128 / SEAT 128
40 years (1969-present)
How many versions of the groundbreaking front-driver 128 are out there? Why, even Enzo Ferrari drove one! In addition to being a huge hit in Europe, where it was built until 1985, Zastava continues to build 128s (branded as the Zastava 55) to this day; as of last year, you could still get an Egyptian-made Nasr 128.

Austin FX4
39 years (1958-1997)
We can't include the Checker Marathon in this list without also including the most iconic of the old London Black Cabs. The FX4 was built by different manufacturers over the years and went through quite a few engines, but it remained essentially the same vehicle. Two Austins in the Top Ten!
Image source

Fiat 1100 / Premier Padmini
38 years (1962-2000)
Clearly, the key to getting your car built for a few extra decades is to make Indian buyers love it. As the Fiat 1100, this car was done in Italy by 1969, but India's Premier Automobiles Limited kept on making the 1100 (badged as the Padmini) until 2000.
Image source

Hillman Hunter / Iran Khodro Paykan
37 years (1967-2004)
Hey, Rootes Group machinery survived into the 21st century! The Paykan got Peugeot power eventually, but it remained a Hillman at heart. Paykan production equipment was sold to a Sudanese company a few years back, though we've had no news so far of any gleaming new Paykans being built there. Wait a couple of decades and we may see the Paykan hang in there to beat the Beetle's longevity record!
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Peugeot 504
37 years (1968-2005)
The 504 was built for 15 years in France, then continued production in Argentina until 1999. Africans still loved the 504 after that, with production continuing in Kenya (2004) and Nigeria (2005). Don't be shocked if someone starts building the 504 once again.

Renault 12 / Dacia 1300
37 years (1969-2006)
The 12 was yet another Renault success story, with production on five continents and millions sold. The last Renault-branded 12 was built in Turkey in 1999, but Romanian automaker Dacia made the 12-clone Dacia 1300/1310 until just a few years ago.
Image source

Fiat 131 / SEAT 131 / Tofaş Murat 131
35 years (1974-present)
Also known as the Brava and Mirafiori, the 131 had ten years of Italian production, then lived on in Spain, Turkey, and now Ethiopia.
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Volkswagen Golf Mk1
35 years (1974-present)
Yes, you can still buy the first version of the biggest-selling VW car since the air-cooled Beetle! South Africans love the Mk1 Golf so much that they've been making them since 1974.

Renault 4
33 years (1961-1994)
Usually, a Renault made for more than 30 years indicates that some Warsaw Pact nation built it under license for a couple of decades past the point of relevance in the home market. Not so with the 4! Intended as competition for the hugely successful Citroën 2CV, the Renault 4 outlived its rival by four years.
Image source

Moskvitch 408/412
33 years (1964-1997)
You'll have to pick up the definitive guide to Soviet cars to get the whole Moskvitch 408 story, but here's one fun fact: when the hard-currency-strapped Soviet Union started importing Moskvitches to the UK, the price tag for this fairly substantial car was £22 less than the tiny Mini. Including cars made by the Izhevsk Mechanical Works, the 408/412 stayed in production until the late 1990s.

Ford Falcon (first generation)
31 years (1960-1991)
Imagine going to a Ford dealership and having a choice between a new Sierra XR4i and a new '62 Falcon. That's how it went down in Argentina, where facelifted but still recognizable first-generation Falcons were made until 1991. You could even get a diesel Falcon! We're just disappointed that Ford Of Argentina didn't keep building the '69 Fairlane fastback into the 1990s.

Peugeot 404
31 years (1960-1991)
Kenyan production kept the 404 (car of choice for Ho Chi Minh) going for extra decades.
Image Source

Fiat 124 / VAZ-2101 Lada / SEAT 124 / Tofaş Murat 124 / Premier 118NE
31 years (1966-1984, 1986-2001)
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Renault 5 / SAIPA Sepand
30 years (1972-2000)
We North Americans knew the 5 as the Le Car; we missed out on the goofy European 5 ads but we did get some cheezy ones of our own. European production halted in 1996, when the last Slovenian 5 left the assembly line, but Iranian carmaker SAIPA made the 5 (badged as the Sepand) until 2000.
Image source

Vauxhall Victor FE / Hindustan Contessa
30 years (1972-2002)
We could probably stretch the ancestry of the Contessa back another couple of generations of Vauxhall Victors, but 30 years is pretty good. Do the owners of Contessas, with their early-70s British styling, look down on the Ambassador drivers stuck with 40s British design?
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Fiat 126 / Polski Fiat 126p
28 years (1972-2000)
The original Italian-built 126 made it to 1980, but fortunate Polish buyers could get the Polski Fiat version for another 20 years.
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Zastava Koral / Yugo
28 years (1980-2008)
Is this car really a Fiat 128? We think the Koral (aka Yugo) differs enough from its progenitor, and has sufficient history of its own, to merit its own entry in our all-time survivors' list.

Volkswagen Passat Mk2 / Santana
28 years (1981-present)
Is the Mk2 Passat close enough to the Mk1 to move the start date back to 1973? We say it's not. As long as the Chinese keep building Santanas, however, the second-gen Passat will keep moving up in the ranks.

Alfa Romeo Spider
27 years (1966-1993)
Will Alfa freaks be proud that this design stayed in front-line service for so long, or splutter about the changes that "modernized" their car over the years?

GAZ-3102 Volga
27 years (1982-present)
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VAZ-2107 / Lada Riva
27 years (1982-present)
We'll be seeing one of these at the 24 Hours Of LeMons next month!
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Checker Marathon
26 years (1956-1982)
Many different engines, but the Marathon stayed the same.

Mitsubishi Lancer (3rd gen) / Proton Saga
25 years (1983-2008)
How much of the Lancer Fiore remains in today's Saga? Nearly all of it, apparently. Note: the image depicts the non-Lancer-based '09 Saga.
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Daihatsu Charade / FAW Xiali TJ7101
26 years (1983-present)
See how much useful information you can extract from the FAW website about this fine automobile, then let us know if we were totally wrong in assuming that it's still a Charade.
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Fiat Uno
26 years (1983-present)
The Uno was made all over the world, but Brazil is the last Uno holdout, building sedan and wagon versions.
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Porsche 911
25 years (1964-1989)
Was the 911 essentially the same car until the 964 version? Quite a tough call; if we exclude the 911 from the list, we'll be fending off a rain of Molotov cocktails from enraged Porsche fanatics who feel left out. Including it will make many of those same fanatics mail us some Unabomber-style packages, since we're implying that the 911 hasn't always been at the very leading edge of performance-car technology. We decided that sufficient parts interchange between '64 and '89 models to get the 911 on this list.

Fiat 127
25 years (1971-1996)
The Argentinean version of the 127-based Fiat 147 wagon continued until 1996, 16 years after Fiat stopped building the car in Italy.
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Lada Samara
25 years (1984-present)
There's no Fiat content in the all-Russian Samara, and you can still buy yourself one! After the end of the Soviet Union, the Samara got some pretty entertaining commercials.

Volkswagen Jetta Mk 2
25 years (1984-present)
You can still buy the second-gen Jetta in China, where the car is badged as the Jetta King.

Polski Fiat 125p
24 years (1967-1991)
Not really a Fiat 125 (the suspension is from the 1300), we say the 125p is a separate model.
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FSO Polonez
24 years (1978-2002)
It's a Polski Fiat 125p under the skin, but we think the Giorgetto Giugiaro body and variety of engine choices make it a different car.
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Jaguar XJ6 Mk1
24 years (1968-1992)
The original XJ6 was just so good that no major redesigns were needed for those 24 years.

Citroën Traction-Avant
23 years (1934-1957)
The oldest car on this list, the Traction-Avant was so far ahead of its time in the 1930s that it stayed relevant into the Jet Age.

Morris Minor
23 years (1948-1971)

ZAZ-968 Zaporozhets
22 years (1972-1994)
Depending on how you interpret model changes and upgrades, the air-cooled "Soviet Corvair" might qualify for moving up in the ranks of this list... or being dropped from it. Try not to roll it over, comrades!
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Tatra 613
22 years (1974-1996)
Hooray, a Tatra made the list!
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Mazda 121 / Kia Pride / Saipa Pride / Ford Festiva
22 years (1987-present)
Talk about your confusing cascade of captive imports and badge engineering! We're pretty sure that some variety of this car has been in production since 1987.

Peugeot 405
22 years (1987-present)
Peugeot stopped making the 405 in France in 1997, but Iran Khodro continues to build them to this day.

Citroën DS
21 years (1955-1976)
Another example of a car so ahead of its time that Citroën could keep selling it for decades. Too bad the Goddess was so complex; otherwise someone would still be building the DS.

Austin-Healey Sprite / MG Midget
21 years (1958-1979)
Not much about the Spridget changed over its lifetime, other than the addition of big black plastic bumpers and the subtraction of horsepower. Oh, sure, the bug eyes disappeared early on and a few nods to modern technology (e.g., disc brakes) were slapped on, but overall we're dealing with a car that was obsolete from day one and stayed that way throughout its production run (as a Sprite owner, I'm allowed to say such things).

General Motors T Body (RWD)
21 years (1973-1994)
The Chevette, the Acadian, the Kadett C, the Gemini, the I-Mark, the Bird, the Chevanne... the list of cars that The General and his allies built on the rear-wheel-drive T platform goes on and on. Hell, maybe someone is still building the T; our eyes started glazing over after a couple hours of research.

VAZ-1111 Oka
21 years (1988-present)
The Oka appears to have the honor of Most Horrible Economy Car In The World nailed down, but it still sells pretty well in the former Soviet Union.
Image source

Zastava Florida / Nasr Florida
21 years (1988-present)
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Fiat 500 (original)
20 years (1957-1977)
Would you believe that Fiat built the iconic Cinquecento until 1977?
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Saab 99/900
26 years (1968-1994)
As MrB00st and 900pilot have pointed out, the 900 was essentially a lengthened 99, and the 900 went to a new platform in '94. So, 26 years instead of 20.

Suzuki Cultus Gen 2 / Geo Metro / Holden Barina/ etc
20 years (1989-present)
Also known as the Suzuki Swift, this car probably holds the record for most bewildering sequence of model names and licensing deals.

We hate to drop an atom bomb in QOTD, but behold the Renault Avantime — the coupe version of the Renault Espace minivan with two less doors, 250 horises and a six-speed manual transmission. A grand touring minivan seen by few people outside the realm of Gran Turismo, few people were willing to fork over more money for a french GT minivan and less than 10,000 were built. Still, it's a fantastic and fantastically strange coupe. We dare you to come up with something more odd-looking.

(QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of The Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)

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1937 Beardmore	1953 Citroën	1956 Morris	1959 Morris
1960 Peugeot	1960 Triumph	1961 Morris	1963 Land Rover
1965 Austin	1965 Alfa Romeo	1966 Jaguar	1966 Lancia
1966 Volvo	1969 MG	1969 Volvo	1969 Volvo
1969 Citroën	1970 Volvo	1971 Volvo	1971 MG
1972 Triumph	1972 Steyr	1973 Volvo	1973 MG
1974 Jensen-Healey	1975 Citroën	1975 MG	1977 Fiat
1977 Volvo	1978 Jaguar	1978 Saab	1980 Volvo
1981 Fiat	1982 Fiat	1984 Jaguar	1985 Alfa Romeo
1985 Saab	1985 Peugeot	1986 Jaguar	1988 Renault
1988 Peugeot	1989 Ferrari	1989 Alfa Romeo	1991 Peugeot
1991 Alfa Romeo	1991 Rolls-Royce