Most Influential Cars: The '80s

The Buick Grand National, a high-performance edition of the Regal, was Detroit's last stab at a muscle car. It was known as the high-tech muscle car because it featured electronic fuel injection, a computer-operated engine management system and modern turbochargers. Its turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine produced 235 horsepower. By comparison, the 1986 Corvette put out only 230 horsepower, proving that turbochargers can be quite helpful in enhancing performance.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

This is the granddaddy of all minivans. It was the first vehicle truly designed with the modern family in mind. The Caravan had lots of interior space, removable seating and a sliding side door, and it was roomy enough that a front-seat passenger could maneuver to the back of the minivan while it was in motion. Chrysler used interior bits from the K-Car line, which gave the Caravan a more carlike feel than any other van, no doubt helping it gain acceptance with the general public. Today, the minivan is a staple for young families. Chrysler has sold more than 13 million minivans since 1984.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

Another groundbreaker, the VW GTI was ground zero for the hot-hatch revolution. Few cars got more performance out of a 90-horsepower engine than this one. It took home Car and Driver 10Best accolades two years running and was praised for its value, agility and responsive front-drive powertrain. It was quick off the line, but rattled at cruising speeds. It's still considered one of the best hatches ever built.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

The Corvette C4 makes the list because its design — or more precisely, its silhouette — can still be seen in 21st-century 'Vettes. For 1984, the Corvette got wider and lower, but not slower. Unlike the Corvette C3, which lost power throughout its production run, the C4 saw output rise consistently, peaking with the 1990 ZR-1, which boasted 375 horsepower from its 350-cubic-inch LT5 V8 engine. That and improvements to the C4's brakes, transmission and overall fit and finish of its interior put the 'Vette back on the path to greatness.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

In 1983, Audi became the first automaker to produce full-time all-wheel drive in a high-volume production car. It used an innovative driveline that saved space and maximized traction; it was not a truck's 4-wheel drive put on the street. Audi won the World Rally Championship in 1982 and '84 and was runner-up in '83 and '85 with rally versions of this stylish slice of Euro fare, waking up automakers and buyers all over the world to the benefits of all-wheel drive.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

Coveted today as a founding father of drifting, the '84 Corolla GT-S was a tossable, rear-wheel-drive bright spot in a sea of front-wheel-drive grocery getters. While the rest of the Corolla lineup sported carbureted engines, the sporty GT-S flexed an electronically fuel-injected engine. It pumped out only 112 horsepower, but the GT-S was one those cars that you drive all out, have a blast in and not cause too much of a ruckus.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

The first superexotic, the Ferrari F40 was a technological juggernaut that should have come with a whiplash collar as standard equipment. Named in commemoration of Ferrari's 40th year, the F40 was a wicked ride that put function ahead of fashion. It was a race car pure and simple, built for the street and possessed of staggering numbers: 11.8 seconds for the quarter-mile, a top speed of 201 mph and 478 horsepower. The impact of the F40 can be seen in the Ferrari street racers that followed it: the F50, the Enzo and the current 599XX.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

The Wrangler is the fork in the road where the Jeep transitioned from military bruiser to a more civilized cruiser. While not in the realm of passenger cars, the Wrangler interior was light years improved from its former austere cabins. So opulent was the new Wrangler that many hard-core Jeepers dubbed it the "yuppie Jeep." The YJ featured a wider track, less ground clearance and sway bars for better on-road handling.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

The Fiero was and is the only full production midengine sports car ever produced by an American manufacturer (the Corvair was rear-engined). It was also innovative in its use of plastic body parts. The car was conceived after the 1979 oil crunch (yes, the '70s had two of them) so it was more miser than marauder. Parts bins of pedestrian General Motors offerings were raided for the Fiero, so the first model disappointed driving enthusiasts. Later Fieros upped the ante with V6 engines and sport suspension systems.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

The 1985 model year is when the Yugo hit the United States. Between 1985 and 1992, it struggled with poor materials, poor build quality and engines that seemed overmatched for American driving habits. Yugo powertrains were Fiat-based and saddled with antiquated, power-robbing emissions systems and questionable gear ratios. As a result, the Yugo was the slowest car sold in the U.S., topping out at a mere 86 mph.

Most Influential Cars: The '60s
Most Influential Cars: The '70s

Evan Griffey served as an editor of Turbo & High Tech Performance, a pioneering publication about sport-compact tuning. Today Griffey freelances for Import Tuner, Sport Compact Car, Car Audio and Siphon.

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