The Most Popular Car the Year You Were Born

The United States didn’t invent the automobile, but thanks to Henry Ford, it was one of the first countries to mass-produce it. 

According to History, the first automobiles were "perfected" in France and Germany toward the end of the 1800s. By 1899, the U.S. had only produced 2,500 motor vehicles. Then, in 1908, Ford created the Model T. That same year, General Motors was founded, followed by Chrysler, and so the race began.

By the 1920s, 15 million Model T coupes had been sold, prompting urbanization, new highway laws, job creation, labor unionization, and advances in society and industrialization, not to mention the ability to get around quicker and more efficiently.

New styles developed over time, but many believed American-made vehicles’ safety and functionality features were falling behind, with "an average of twenty-four defects per unit" in the mid-1960s. Gas prices, pollution, and energy consumption all contributed to the move toward Japanese-made "small cars," which were more fuel efficient and practical.

Automobiles have certainly evolved. In 2026, we have self-driving vehicles and the new Tesla Roadster with its first-ever "flight" feature; something many American car owners never thought they would see in their lifetimes.

While these new automobile features are changing how the world navigates the road (and life, for that matter), it's interesting to explore how we got here. Let's shift into reverse and cruise through half a century of the most popular cars in the U.S. in the year you were born, according to Reader's Digest.

THE BEST-SELLING CAR THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1950

Crosley Station Wagon

1951

Studebaker Starlight Coupe

1952

Buick Roadmaster

1953

Hudson Hornet

1954

Chevrolet Bel-Air

1955

Chevrolet Bel-Air

1956

Chevy Corvette

1957

Ford Skyline

1958

Ford Thunderbird

1959

Cadillac Coupe de Ville

1960

Rambler Ambassador

1961

Jaguar E-Type

1962

Lincoln Continental

1963

Buick Riviera

1964

Ford Mustang

1965

Chevrolet Impala

1966

Volkswagen Type 2 Camper Bus

1967

Chevy Camaro

1968

Chevy El Camino

1969

Plymouth Roadrunner

1970

Dodge Challenger

1971

Chrysler New Yorker

1972

VW Beetle

1973

Chevrolet Monte Carlo

1974

Chevrolet Impala

1975

Cadillac Sedan de Ville

1976

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1977

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1978

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1979

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1980

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1981

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1982

Ford Escort

1983

Oldsmobile Cutlass

1984

Chevrolet Cavalier

1985

Chevrolet Cavalier

1986

Chevrolet Celebrity

1987

Ford Escort

1988

Pontiac Firebird

1989

Honda Accord

1990

Nissan 300ZX

1991

Ford Taurus

1992

Hummer H1

1993

Jeep Grand Cherokee

1994

Toyota Supra

1995

Saturn S-Series

1996

Honda Civic

1997

Chrysler Town & Country

1998

Toyota Camry

1999

Toyota Camry

2000

Toyota Camry

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