1959 BMW 507
To this day, no BMW has topped the 507's good looks. Sleek and relatively powerful, with classic proportions and a 160-hp, 3.1-liter V-8. Often emulated but never duplicated — not even when BMW aped its looks with the Z8.
1965 Pontiac GTO
The hot, high-winding version of a teacher's car, the '65 GTO sported classy stacked headlights and a 360-hp 389. All you need to change is gas, tires, and oil.
1966 Jaguar XJ13
Built to take on Ferrari at Le Mans, the V-12-powered XJ13 was the last old-school hurrah by Coventry's competition department. It never saw production and never raced, and the sole prototype burned to the ground in testing (it was later rebuilt). Wanna go play Norman Dewis?
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
It may have been named after a comedy routine on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, but the Judge was no joke. The ultimate GTO, it featured a Ram Air III V-8 and almost every option in the book.
1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal
A gorgeous Bertone body makes the Montreal an undeniable looker, but it's the growl of the four-cam, 2.6-liter V-8 that really steals our hearts.
1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
In addition to the split-bumper aesthetic, the '70 Z28 introduced the potent LT-1 V-8 to the Camaro lineup. Attainable speed plus Italianate looks? Always a recipe for the Wants.
1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Indifferently built and heavier than the Washington Monument, the trucklike Daytona is a testament to how far looks and a great engine will take you. A 352-hp V-12 sits in that long nose. You know you want it.
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Mustang Mach 1 brought miles of style and a tough-guy attitude to the Mustang lineup. Familiar engines were offered, from the ordinary 351 all the way up to the 428. Parnelli Jones took one (a 1970) to Trans-Am glory. What more to you need to know?
1973 Ford Falcon GT XB
Modern Aussie hoon cars trace a lot of their heritage back to the XB-chassis Ford Falcon GT. It's the car that Mad Max drove in The Road Warrior, and it all but invented the notion of apocalypse vehicle.
1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
At its launch, this 170-mph behemoth was hailed as Britain's first supercar. In the right hands, the massive Vantage could out-accelerate a Ferrari Daytona and out-testosterone a big-block Corvette. Rule Britannia.
1981 Volkswagen Scirocco S
Italian styling, German engineering, and the cool, lift-a-wheel vibe of the Golf/Rabbit GTi in a sleek package.
1984 BMW M635CSi
Badged M6 in America, the M635CSi got the 3.5-liter, 286-hp straight six from the M1, retuned suspension, and a 158-mph top speed. Autobahn missiles don't come more shark-nosed than this.
1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
The GSL-SE was the best of Mazda's early rotary breed. With fuel injection, refined suspension tuning, and big brakes, it was the RX-7 to have.
1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16
Only 200 street-legal examples of the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 were built. A 400-hp four lived in the back seat, and if you looked at it funny, it would eat you for breakfast. Like the Renault R5 Turbo, this is Frog Crazy of the best kind.
1988 Nissan GTS-R R31
When Nissan retired the GT-R, it needed a model to take touring car racing, and thus the GTS-R Skyline was born. A giant turbo, 210 hp, and sleek, bent-paper 1980s styling added up to one hell of a machine.
1992 GMC Syclone
A turbocharged V6 in a lightweight, all-wheel-drive pickup with ABS and discs at all four corners. The Syclone accelerates like a bat outta Hoonville and doesn't mind turning or stopping. Car and Driver famously tested it against a Ferrari. Is it any wonder that people still go nuts for these things?
1994 Porsche 928 GTS
When the 928 GTS was introduced, it was a case of too little, too late for a car that essentially ahead of its time. Despite being spectacularly good, Porsche's luxury GT didn't find much of an audience.
1996 Subaru Impreza WRX Type R STi
The WRX Type R STi was a 271-hp, 2700-pound homage to Subaru's WRX rally car. It never came to the United States, but it's still a lustworthy piece of Fuji Heavy heritage.
1998 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR
By 1998, Mitsubishi had honed the concept of the homologation special and figured the rally thing out. That the Evo's engine churned out 276 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque? That just helped things along.
1999 Lotus Elise Sport 190
Lotus founder Colin Chapman built a company on the notion that sports cars should be as simple and light as possible. The 1500-pound, 200-hp Elise Sport 190 was produced long after his death, but it followed his principles to the letter.