1970 Maverick

Jeep, Car of the Year for 1945

Mazda Miata

MAZDA MIATA

The first sketches of the Miata were drawn in 1979.   In 1984 the first conceptual car body styling sketches were drawn.  They were drawn at Hiroshima Technical Research Center in Japan. The P729 is dubbed the "DUO-101" meaning a convertible and a detachable top.  International Auto Design in Worthing, England, was commissioned to develop the prototype car in 1985.

The Mazda Miata is still being produced today.

PONTIAC FIREBIRD

The Pontiac Firebird was made by John Delorean in 1967.   There were 67,032 coupes made and 15,528 convertibles made.  It had manual steering, rear suspension, and standard E70X14 tires.  Also as options you could have power steering, front disk brakes, 2-speed auto transmission, several wheel choices, and 5 different engines.

Pontiac Firebird

1999 V.W. Beetle

VOLKSWAGEN

The Volkswagen Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930’s and was called the "peoples’ car".  It was a small automobile and was inexpensive and affordable for the average family.  It was not put into large-scale production until after World War II.  The decision to make and concentrate on one single model, the Volkswagen 1200 "Beetle", was to avoid annual model changes.   It was unique in that its four-cylinder air-cooled engine was mounted over the rear axle.  Sold internationally, it became the best-selling model in automobile history.   Over 20 million were produced.  The series was discontinued in 1978 (except for in Mexico, where they are presently made today).  Volkswagen (1978) became the first large foreign manufacturer to build automobiles in the United States, and has opened factories in many other countries.  The German workforce helped reestablish the Volkswagen to worldwide preeminence.

Automotive Giants

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