Car Collector Magazine and Yahoo! Autos Unveil 'Cars of the Century'; Consumers to Select the Top Car of the Past One Hundred Years
26 August 1999
Car Collector Magazine and Yahoo! Autos Unveil 'Cars of the Century'; Consumers to Select the Top Car of the Past One Hundred Years
TITUSVILLE, Fla.--Aug. 26, 1999--To celebrate the past one hundred years of the automobile, experts from Car Collector Magazine and Yahoo!(R) Autos (http://autos.yahoo.com), a free comprehensive road map for researching, buying, selling and maintaining new and used cars on the Web, today unveiled the most popular "Cars of the Century." To kick off the "Cars of the Century" celebration, Car Collector Magazine and Yahoo! Autos invite Internet users from around the globe to "get in gear" and vote on the top cars of this century. Through the new offering on Yahoo! Autos, car enthusiasts can join the foremost world classic car collectors, exhibitors and owners, many of whom are attending this weekend's 49th Annual Concours D'Elegance event in Pebble Beach, to appreciate the most influential and innovative cars of this century.Beginning today and running through February 1, 2000, visitors can go to http://autos.yahoo.com and take an online tour of the top 20 models selected by Car Collector Magazine and Yahoo! Autos. By clicking on "Cars of the Century," people can cruise back in time through photo galleries of vintage vehicles and collectible autos, read about the line-up of pre- and post-war cars, learn about who built the cars and what makes each stand-out above the rest. Until December 1, 1999, car enthusiasts can help make history by voting on their favorite car of the 20th century. Car owners and fans alike can rank the vintage vehicles based on five criteria: performance, style, innovation, industry influence, and popularity.
"As we approach a new millennium, editors at Car Collector Magazine teamed with Yahoo! Autos to identify 20 of the most popular automobiles ever produced; 10 from before World War II and 10 from the post World World II era," said Jeff Broadus, publisher, Car Collector Magazine. "While some of these cars made the list because of stylistic and engineering innovation, others are clear industry leaders that were mass-produced by opportunistic automakers. All of the cars have one thing in common: they shaped the imagination of consumers. Because of this, we think it is fitting that consumers tell the world what car ranks as the top car of this century."
"By teaming with Car Collector Magazine, Yahoo! Autos can continue to offer car enthusiasts and collectors a place to follow the historic design breakthroughs of a fast-moving and innovative automotive industry," said Susan Carls, senior producer, Yahoo! Autos. "We want to give people a chance to look back and review some of the greatest accomplishments in automobile design and engineering history, meet other auto enthusiasts, and give our millions of users a chance to cast their consumer vote to tell us what car tops them all."
Cast Your Vote for The Century's Classic Car
"Car of the Century" brings a magnificent selection of some of the most influential and popular cars to people across the globe. Some of the cars that Yahoo! users will vote on include:
-- 1929-35 Rolls-Royce Phantom II -- A Rolls Royce on the street has
always turned heads. Even today, the famous flying lady adorning
the timeless gothic grille gets glances from people who wonder,
"Who owns this? Could it be someone famous?"
-- 1930-32 Cadillac -- Cadillac proclaimed their title "The Standard
of the World" after winning the Royal Auto Club's Dewar Trophy in
1908. This presitigious award recognized Cadillac's success in
creating the interchangeable parts, the most important
advancement of the automobile industry that year.
-- 1955-57 Chevrolet Bel Air -- Introduced in 1955, "The Hot One"'s
265cid/162-horsepower (180 with a 4v Power Pak) V8 was lighter
than the "stovebolt" six cylinder, and moved it down the highway
considerably faster. By 1957, the engine options list had grown
to include six different 283 cubic-inch V8s, including a
283-horsepower fuel-injected Corvette unit.
-- 1965-66 Ford Mustang -- The everyman's sports car, Mustang's
immediate success caught the whole automotive industry off guard.
This sporty, yet economical car could be purchased for less than
$2,500 and set sales records that have yet to be broken.
(Full list of selected cars follows at end of the release).
Classic Cars Get Even More Mileage
To continue the end of the millenium car celebration, in October, car collectors and enthusiasts can also chat real-time online with West Peterson, Car Collector Magazine's editor-in-chief. Peterson will celebrate highlights of the selection process, answer questions about vintage and classic cars, share advice on collecting, as well as tips on owning exceptional collectibles with a live appearance on Yahoo! Chat (http://chat.yahoo.com) on Tuesday, October 12, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Car enthusiasts also can follow along as Car Collector and Yahoo! Autos track the results. A review of "Cars of the Century" is scheduled for the November '99 issue of Car Collector Magazine. In January 2000, Car Collector Magazine will make its top picks for "Cars of the Century," then in February 2000, follow up with the results of the Yahoo! Autos' national poll.
Yahoo! Autos makes it easy for consumers to join in the celebration and cruise down memory lane through "Cars of the Century" message boards and communities. Through this dedicated area, people can swap stories, talk about the top 20 selections or meet with other classic car enthusiasts. Consumers to collectors to car aficionados can also create or join collector and other auto-related clubs by visiting Yahoo! Clubs (http://clubs.yahoo.com).
Yahoo! Autos (http://autos.yahoo.com)
Yahoo! Autos is part of Yahoo! Inc. and provides users with a free comprehensive road map for researching, buying, selling and maintaining new and used cars in one central place on the Web. By steering consumers to car information, merchant services and nationwide car listings and inventories, Yahoo! Autos helps consumers make informed decisions. Yahoo! Autos' users can access auto-industry news and reviews; obtain car history and reports; review financing and insurance information; check out maintenance options; access the latest polls; bid, browse and buy through online car auctions; fill automotive product needs from leather cleaner and floor mats to car covers and windshield wipers; meet with others in online car communities and follow auto-related sports events.
About Car Collector Magazine
For more than 21 years, Car Collector Magazine has been a leading automotive authority in the collector car industry, supplying factual automotive articles for avid collectors and enthusiasts. Car Collector also includes detailed information and engaging features on all types of collector cars and noted personalities who have their own collections. For more information about Car Collector Magazine, visit www.carcollector.com.
Note to Editors: Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks.
Top 20 Models Selected Pre World War II Automobiles: 1906-1914 Stanley Steamer 1928-1934 Packard 1929-1937 Duesenberg 1929-1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II 1930-1932 Cadillac 1932-1933 Ford V8 1934-1939 Bugatti T57 1935-1939 Jaguar SS100 1936-1937 Cord 1940-1941 Lincoln Continental Post World War II Automobiles: 1946-1972 Volkswagen Beetle 1946-1949 MG TC 1954-1966 Porsche 356 1955-1957 Chevrolet 1955-1957 Thunderbird 1956-1962 Corvette 1961-1971 Jaguar E-Type 1965-1966 Ford Mustang 1966-1967 Pontiac GTO 1967-1969 Camero/Firebird