Motherhood, apple pie and baseball, right? I suppose it depends on your point of view. If you live on the Left Coast, it might be strippers, tacos and gangland slayings. Elsewhere, it could be moose, mooseburgers and moose-tipping. Anyway, today's question comes to us from TTAC's own Samir Syed, and I really like it. Then again, I like all queries without correct answers. Let's call 'em philosophical questions. To a certain mindset, nothing will ever be redder, whiter and bluer than a '57 Chevy Bel Air Coupe. But I seriously doubt that's what de Tocqueville would say. Perhaps a Ford F-series? At the risk of igniting the usual firestorm, what about America's favorite car, the best-selling Toyota Camry? When I look out my window and contemplate the full majesty of the American Dream, the only honest answer is… the BMW 3-series. Every wannabe in Los Angeles has one. You?
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
If you are only talking vehicles currently available now…Ford Mustang, F150, Jeep Wrangler.
No foreign manufacturer can completely replicate these American icons—they are the Harley’s of the automotive world.
I have to say, after my road trip in california, that the Ford F150 is the quintessential American car. Heavy duty, built in America (mostly!) and a symbol of what built America, hard working Americans using American tools.
Plus it does about 12 miles to the gallon, another symbol of America, wasting resources!
Oh come on! I’m allowed at least one jibe, surely….?! ;O)
Corvette, Mustang, Wrangler, Crown Vic and F-150. All are good answers. (yes I know the Panthers are made in Canada)
If/when the Challenger and Camaro arrive, they are good runner ups, even with a bastardized heritage. Ditto the Chrysler 300.
To be quintessentially American it needs to be an American icon and not just a popular import – something with its roots deep in the American culture. Definitely a domestic truck from Ford, Chevy, GMC or Dodge would be on the list as would any number of worthy V8 RWD sedans from the Bel Air, Impala (409 preferably), selected Cadillacs, Caprice and anything on the Panther platform. In the sporty category it would have to be the Corvette, Mustang and Camaro.
Mustang, to me.
Plus it does about 12 miles to the gallon, another symbol of America, wasting resources!
I was thinking the same thing…whatever it is, America has generally acted like resources were limitless so something big and wasteful would be appropriate.
John
Lincoln.
Town Car.
Named after a President.
Symbolic of the penultimate achievement of the American Dream.
Hummer H2 or Dodge Viper. We are the nation that goes there.
Edward Niedermeyer:
Oh yes…. very good answers
I think Mustang first….
then Cadillac
then Chevy ? Impala? or Maybe a Buick
then a Ford truck.
The jalopy.
Mustang is all that comes to my mind when thinking about the question.
Still in production today. Still an American Icon.
Not saying it’s a good icon, but an icon regardless.
Among current models, the Mustang because of what it continues to exemplify as well as its notable history.
Among past models–
–either the Model T (“Wheels for the World” and the essence of American industry’s genius for transforming our life),
–or the 1956 Cadillac because it represents so well the aspirations and values of America’s car culture, the traditional characteristics of American vehicles (big, brassy, powerful, comfortable),
–and the might and self-confidence of Detroit at the peak of its global dominance.
I still say the Wrangler. Instantly recognized the world over and you can trace it’s liniage straight back to WWII. Rugged, independant and never truly duplicated.
The quintessential American car is something nobody wants anymore (as much as we all claim we do). It’s big, it’s ostentatious, it’s in your face, and in a world of meek hybrid econoboxes, and nimble five-door hatchbacks, it’s something that barrels down the road blasting AC/DC the whole time.
It’s something that doesn’t need to handle because American roads are straight. It’s somethingthat doesn’t need to be narrow because American roads are wide. It’s something that doesn’t need a sparse interior because, well damnit, because that’s not what we paid for.
Unfortunately, the Quintessential American Car no longer exists, because we no longer want those qualities. We care not for a pillow-soft ride that can soak up a bomb crater like it was a speed bump. We care not for seating that’s more La-Z-Boy than Recaro, and that thing called Torque is slowly fading off into the darkness. The American car is dead.
I should’ve seen it coming when I discovered the speedometers no longer stretch the entire width of the dashboard.
IMO, it would need to be a popular car that is RWD and V8-powered, and has been permanently ingrained in American culture through music, movies, etc.
I suggest the 1932-34 Ford. This car has been many things to many people. The Ford V8 flathead engine is one of the “quintissential” American engines too. If you include “kit cars” then 1932-34 Fords are still being made today!
It gets full marks on all counts as being pervasive in American popular culture. Film credits include “American Graffiti” and “The California Kid”. ZZ-Top’s album “Eliminator” shares it’s name with their ’33 Ford coupe, wnd who could forget the Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe”?
As an added bonus, the Franklin Mint sells a “Bonnie and Clyde” miniature replica of the 1932 Ford, although they were actually ambushed and killed while driving a ’34 Ford. The original Bonnie and Clyde car has been preserved and is on display in a Nevada casino.
Americana is laced with connections to the 32-34 Ford.
This sums it up:
Stick shifts and safety belts
Bucket seats have all got to go
When I’m driving in my car
It makes my baby seem so far
I need you here with me
Not way over in a bucket seat
I need you to be here with me
not way over in a bucket seat
But when we driving in my Malibu
It’s easy to get right next to you
I say “Baby, scoot over please”
And then she’s right there next to me
I need you here with me
Not way over in a bucket seat
I need you to be here with me
Not way over in a bucket seat
Well alot of good cars are Japanese
But when we’re driving far
I need my baby, I need my baby next to me
Chrysler Sebring, symbol of everything that went wrong with the American car.
My first thought was the Humvee. Then an Abrams Tank. As for more commercially available vehicles, the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Mustang, Ford F-150, and of course the Crown Vic.
Odd how Ford’s are common American icons, yet Ford is soon to be bankrupt.
The Ford Explorer. It’s so ubiquitous (and unadvertised) that no one thinks of it. There are more Fords for sale at Carmax than any other brand, and more Explorers by far than any other Ford (over 700). It’s what value-oriented red state Americans with families prefer to drive in a world of $2.00 a gallon gasoline. But now some of them can’t afford their Explorers anymore. Yet for better or worse, the Ford Explorer is still the quintessential American “car”.
I can’t name just one…
Corvair — Like America, it’s not as bad as some believe and way more fun than you think.
Chevelle — 1970 LS6 454 specifically. It’s big, loud, brutal, and has solid lifters to boot…
’57 Chevy — I don’t know of any car that is more recognizable; not only by model, but by year.
The Pickup — Any brand will do; if I had to pick just one vehicle, this is it.
Plymouth Reliant/Dodge Aries
. . . . ._____
.____/___|_|__
/_(0)______(0)|. . .
I believe our friends over at Jalopnik have a post today that IS the AMERICAN CAR.
I mean V8, Luxury, Bling, Big, cushy ride, and cargo area for oversized stuff.
Now if they would just raise the suspension 12″…
http://jalopnik.com/365823/1980-cadillac-eldamino-for-when-your-brat-just-isnt-classy-enough
AMC Pacer
With dubs, a spoiler and a VTEC sticker
If I was in a foul mood, I’d say it’s the Cavalier. An indifferent, blatantly cynical half-hearted attempt to fool the consumer that stayed on the shelves long past the sell-by date. Over the long run, it probably cost more sales than it made, and helps to explain why Detroit ended up where it is today.
But I’m feeling more cheerful and charitable today, so I’ll focus on the positive and say that it’s a toss-up between the Mustang and the Chevy pickups. Cheap V-8 horsepower on crude, stodgy platforms that are a bit behind the times but are still pretty good at what they do.
TexasAg nailed it – the full-sized American pickup truck is it. Those vehicles encompass all that we came from, are, and hope we can be as Americans.
Picture a big Chevy, Ford, Dodge, or even Toyota on a dusty road out in Montana or Wyoming and you have the image…
The ’90s Pontiac Grand Am. Nothing else really captures all the things that went wrong with the American Automotive industry (and the American Dream) so succinctly as that plastic-clad, badge-engineered piece of crap. Though the Chevy “Monte Carlo SS (Dale Jr. Edition)” and “Impala SS” of the early 2000s comes close.
The quintessential American vehicle is the Ford F-150. Americans as a whole didn’t get into small cars they just moved up to trucks when the cars started to get smaller and the F-150 is still the best selling.
The quintessential American car, IMHO, is the Ford Fusion. No vehicle better epitomizes an American car or the state of American car companies today, as it is sold by an American company but designed primarily in Japan and built in Mexico.
What makes a car quintesentially American versus European, Asian, etc.? America is about two things to me (or at least should be), wide open spaces and the freedom to pursue your dreams. The “nationality” of the car has nothing to do with its “Americanness”. American principles (should) go beyond where you’re from to what you can do. What car best provides people with the ability to traverse our wide-open spaces? My answer is a Toyota Corolla-reliable, relatively affordable, in for the long haul, and it continues to meet or exceed customer expectations. What car best provides you with the ability to make your own way, start your own business? What car best exemplifies the rugged independent frontiersman? I have two choices for that one, either a Ford or Chevy 1/2 ton pick-up, down through the years in their various model designations. Chevy and Ford pick-ups have been the workhorses for this nation for nearly 100 years now. I have a ’58 Chevy with the “Stovebolt” inline 6 and wished that I had an early 40’s Chevy and a mid 20’s Chevy to go with it. That “Stovebolt 6” is still a great engine 50 years later.
Well in the north Dallas suburb of Frisco, TX it has to be the Suburban or Tahoe with a 5’1 soccer mom on her Iphone yapping about whats on sale at (retail store here). To me it is a mix between a MUSTANG or F150, wouldn’t be the USA without a Mustang or F150 passing my 30 MPG Civic.
The 6000SUX.
No? Okay, how about the ’59 ElDorado Biarritz?
Even though it’s my question, I honestly can’t answer it decisively. I can tell you the car everyone wanted growing up was a Camaro Z28 – except for me, I wanted a Firebird because I loved Smokey and The Bandit and that bird on the hood looked so much cooler. These days, I drive a Mustang and want a Corvette…
Good call on the F-150, but the Silverado+Sierra have outsold it for a long time now. Besides, Chevrolet was still America’s #1 selling brand in 2007, so it seems only fitting that a Chevy pick-up would be the choice.
Hello!!
To ME, the quintessential American car is the Corvette.
If I had to choose one year, one model that best symbolizes the US, it would be the 1964 Chevrolet SS327 Convertible.
Lincoln.
Town Car.
Named after a President.
Symbolic of the penultimate achievement of the American Dream.
Ford. Same reasons.
Just kidding!!!
In reality, ’57 Chevy. If you want to wear the automotive equivalent of the flag on your chest, go to my website, motorlegends.com.
A 1962 Ford Thunderbird Roadster, preferably blinding white with a red interior.
My vote is for the ’32 Ford, any body style. This is the classic American Hot Rod. First V-8, made in the USA, never out of style. What more can I say?
Ford F150.
1969 Dodge Charger, for the love of God people.
1)57 Chevy . . but I can also say a 68 Vista Cruiser, 59 Caddy, or Ford Maverick.
Jeep Wrangler.
The original helped us win WWII and it’s essentially the same today…even Chryslerized it’s not been screwed up much.
Shame on those of you nominating the Pontiac 6000 and the Chrysler Sebring. Can we keep a little bit of optimism here please?
New Taurus…..It goes “there”. Its a little bland, but a bit different. Its big, affordable, offers AWD, Its competitive in many classes, uses available resources efficiently (bang for bucks) given circumstances, Its easy to drive. 255hp is a good chunk of power. It gets ignored for many of its qualities. It carries a name with history. Its pretty up to date relative to every other car. Its quintessential, its right in the middle of contemporary America, future America and past America.
btw. I think Many of the cars mentioned are too impractical to be quintessential. They are icons.
To me, the quintessential American car is the good old full size sedan, whether it be a Chevy Caprice, Buick LeSabre, Ford Crown Victoria, Dodge Monaco or any other such car, old or new. My favorites! Especially full size GM cars.
The Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram also qualify as quintessentially American.
1957 Chevrolet BelAir, 4-door sedan, 6-cylinder, 3-on-the-tree with overdrive.
Come on now. Your Dad had one, maybe even your grandfather. Or he wishes he did. It raced on NASCAR tracks up until 2 years ago……….It’s a CHEVROLET……the Monte Carlo.
Even better Americana would be the vehicle we spend driving and relaxing on, on the weekend or after work….maybe…heaven forbid, with a can of beer in hand…..the John Deere riding lawn mower