Then to Eternity: The 10 Most Iconic Vintage Luxury Cars

Advancement and modernization in India contributed to the dramatic rise in the number of cars people owned.  Before this rise, it was a matter of privilege for one to own a car. Spoilt by choice, a vintage car was every car owner’s dream. With the advent of technologically advanced cars the vintage ones began disappearing, but only from the roads.

Here are some of the all-time favorite vintage cars and if you’re lucky enough you might see them on the road too. (Until then, read about them here)

Jaguar E-Type

Built in the 1960s, it was considered one of the most beautiful vehicles ever made. “The most beautiful car ever made” were the words of Enzo Ferrari and of course he was right. It has an excellent braking system and it performs better than many other older vehicles. The stunning, elegant design and the classic appearance can reach up to 150 kms per hour.

Chevy Corvette

A companion for the long drives? This muscle car is all you need. Considered iconic, it has a beautiful design and features unique components like retractable headlights and innovative, aerodynamic bodywork and power under the hood. The models between 1963 and 1967 are the best ones and to opt for the second generation of the vehicle, would be an advice to live by.

Porsche 911

Porsche is well known for its beautiful designs and uncompromisable performance. The 911 was the successor to the famous 365 model and if you plan on owning this vintage, it would be ideal to pick the model built before 1974. The models built after 1974, lost the classic appearance, they were so well-known for. Although the production terminated in 1989, it still continues its production in the Porsche line-up.

Shelby GT350 

Also known as the cobra, this muscle car was launched in 1966 and is one of the best vehicles to drive. It’s performance and power are much better when compared to the other vehicles of that era. It has an interesting appeal and it also has a high weight-to-power ratio. The only downside is the availability and cost of this car. (very highly priced) With Ford's V8 engine, it was a legitimate race car for the street.

VW Beetle

The 1961 Beetle was a counter-culture classic and it was one of the best-selling cars of all time. With its rich Beetle legacy and endearing appeal, it featured push button door handles. A representation of fun and simplicity, this machine is your car next door. If you are planning on buying it, it can easily be sourced from classified ads.

Aston Martin DB5

This quintessential British grand tourer was featured in James Bond movies throughout the 60s. It has a unique and unquestionable piece of automotive history because of its refined luxury and style. The car was built with an amazing combination of Italian styling and British Engineering and it became a renowned car because of its appearances in the 007 movies. It was among the fastest production cars in its era because it could speed up to 150 KMPH.

Ferrari 250 GTO

The ultimate Prancing Horse was one of the extremely rare cars between 1962 and 1964 because there were only 39 of them. Very few people had the chance to own this vehicle. It's also very surprising that they even exist today. It claims the record for being the most expensive car ever publicly auctioned, at a whopping $48,4 million. It is the best car Ferrari ever made and it was used in many historic race championships.

Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing 

Introduced in 1954, this car is a classic among the sports cars and also the fastest production car of its time. This million-dollar vintage car was launched at the New York International Motor Show in 1954. It has captivated its audience with its beauty and elegance for over 60 years and the innovative door design can be credited for the same. It was designed with impressive aerodynamics and a first for Mercedes with a fuel injected engine that had never been seen before. Unfortunately, it had a very short span of production.

Rolls-Royce Dawn Drophead 

It is nearly impossible to finish this list of luxury vintage cars without a Rolls Royce in it. Keeping the idea of luxury in mind, this car was launched in 1949 and was retired in 1954. It was a stunning vehicle with a limited availability and was back into the market after the world war. It was discontinued for many years and the car maker introduced a successor model after a 60 years hiatus. It may well be the most sporting and dramatic coachwork ever.

BMW M1 1981

With the intention to build a unique and sleek supercar, this car was every bit unique, sleek and super. This car was brought to life by BMW and Lamborghini. It was built as a motorsport competition model that would be a rival for Porsche. It was brought into the market between 1978 to 1981 and couldn't meet the competition requirements and only a total of 453 were hand-built in its history.

These cars might be loud, expensive to maintain, and not be as fast, or easy to handle as their modern counterparts yet they have made their mark in the automotive history and given us a million different reasons to celebrate them.

Which one was your favorite? Let us know!