Props again to the Beetle, inarguably, like I've said before, the most important car in the history of motorcars, besides the Model T. And the production run was longer than most people can remember. I wouldn't be surprised if someone bought the equipment off the Brazilians and started making "classics" again.
Of course, before even looking at the poll, I realized that everyone would vote for it, so I voted for the
BMW 3-series (seeing as I nominated the 2002ti).
This car series is single-handedly responsible for the stuck-up attitude of superiority that European car enthusiasts have towards the rest of us auto-geeks. And why not? It proudly and arrogantly wears the rear-wheel drive mantra on its sleeve long after many other manufacturers have given it up, and is the benchmark against which all other sports sedans are still compared.
Even in the most basic, bottom-of-the-line 316i form, often lambasted as a poseur-mobile or rep-mobile, it gives people who would've otherwise never known such things a taste of car control and communication you can't get from other such rep-mobiles. Whenever someone tells you European cars handle better than all others, a mental picture of this car is in the back of their minds.
And best of all, it hedges up the bottom and middle of the motorsports ladder, from track-days to autocrosses to touring cars, the BMW 3-series (like the Miata, as I mentioned in the Best Japanese car thread) helps fan the flames of racing enthusiasm the world over.
That the VW Beetle has meant as much to motorsports in previous decades, and that the Porsche 911 fills the bulk of the "middle class" of racing machines (just above regular track-geeks and just below supercars) are undeniable. But the 3-series means more to racing
now, in my opinion.
Shame the S-Class hasn't gotten far into the vote. A lot of my earliest motoring memories came in the back of an old Merc. They
used to be the grandest, toughest and most impressive cars on the road... not just another luxury car, like they are today.
