Which iconic car deserves the accolade of being named Autocar’s Icon of Icons?
Over the past few weeks, we have brought you seventeen contenders for the 2019 Autocar Readers’ Champion award, with different members of the Autocar team championing each one. Criteria for entry was simple: each car needed to have the same name from birth, and still be on sale today (or, in a few cases, arriving soon as an all-new model).
Now, ‘icon is an overused word’ is itself an overused phrase. But if a nameplate can be iconic, the seventeen cars that comprise our list all certainly fit the bill. Whether it be for motorsport success, influence on automotive design, sheer volume of sales or the impact made on motoring culture, each nominee could rightfully claim the title.
Which car will come out on top, however, was left up to you.
Autocar readers have been voting in their thousands, with the winner to be revealed at Silverstone’s Wing Complex during the Autocar awards ceremony on the 14th of May.
You now have less than a week left to vote for your favourite, with the poll closing at 11.59pm UK time on the 31st of March.
Here are the seventeen cars shortlisted for the award:
Land Rover | Mini | Porsche 911 | Mazda MX-5 | BMW 3 Series | Lotus Elise | Jaguar XJ | Jeep Wrangler | Ford Mustang | Suzuki Jimny | Range Rover | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | Nissan Skyline | Toyota Corolla | Volkswagen Beetle | Lotus Seven | Fiat 500
Scroll through the gallery above to to see the nominees, then click here to cast your vote!
Join the debate
si73
Surprised theres no golf or
Surprised theres no golf or fiesta, fiat 500 is a bit of a stretch, many years passed without one, panda however had less time not in existance. Honda civic has been going for quite a while and is probably as worthy as any others mentioned. And why a 3 series over any other? Is it really more iconic than a 5 or 7?
The jeep wrangler, defender/ series 1,2,3, xj, range rover, 911 are true icons I reckon, as when the brand is mentioned these are the cars you think of, true representations of the brand, the others are long lasting popular cars.
Difficult choice.
Bydesign
Natinalities
Interesting list. No French though ( you know the usual suspects, 2CV, DS, R4 etc etc) and only one Italian? It's always a difficult and divisive list but quite good fun.
scotty5
Define icon.
Buy a Corolla and you're driving an icon? It reminds me of that Only Fools sketch where Trigger gets an award for having the same broom for the last 20 years. "It's had 17 new heads and 14 new handles".
I'd pick Mini or Fiat 500 over say a Beetle as they're still in production. OK they differ greatly from the original, but when one passes, it's unmistakeabe. Corollas, Golfs etc just blend in to the background.
artill
What an odd award, not for a
What an odd award, not for a car, but for a nameplate?
However, it should really only go to a car that has always been called that name, (which excluded the Wrangler and quite a few others) and which still serves the same market (which excludes the likes of the Mini and most of the rest). For me it leaves a choice of the 911 and Mustang.
si73
artill wrote:
Good point, the mx5 is miata or eunos else where where as a mustang has always been a mustang but whilst a wrangler hasn't always had that name and neither has a defender both are what I think of when I think of jeep or landrover.
I voted mx5 as I have one, so biased but now reading your post I think its even more wrong. The 911 is too big and I think is now more gt, the cayman has replaced it as the sports car so its the mustang for me which is still a muscle car as it has always been. A true icon, or maybe a rangerover?
donoVAN
For me an icon needs to be
For me an icon needs to be well known not like some of these cars.
russ13b
corvette
do you think of it as a chevrolet, or as a somehow stand-alone entity?
AnnabelleBoissin
Amazing cars
Amazing cars
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