Which cars should be on the National Historic Vehicle Register?

So far, the National Historic Vehicle Register has 30 cars on its list. It’s hands down a good group of cars as you will find things like a 1940 GM Futurliner, 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, and 1968 Ford Mustang there. But since it’s a list of cars, of course I have thoughts. I am sure you are too. What do you think should be on it?

The National Historic Vehicle Register is a joint initiative of the US Department of Interior’s Historic American Engineering Record and the Historic Vehicle Association – now called the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, itself a nonprofit that Hagerty Insurance founded. Its mission, according to its website, is to “[record] the vital history of America’s major automobiles and will forever preserve their information for future generations in the Library of Congress. “The vehicles selected” demonstrate the tremendous impact automobiles have had on all aspects of American history. “

To get into the register, a car must meet at least one of the four associated criteria, a Hagerty spokesman told us. They are:

1. Event – a vehicle associated with an event or events important to automotive history or American history.
2. Person – a vehicle associated with the lives of great people in automotive or American history.
3. Design or construction – a vehicle that is distinctive because of its design, technology, craftsmanship or aesthetic value.
4. Information – a vehicle of a certain type that was the first, last, or perhaps the only survivor.

As of this writing, the 30 cars include:

• 1979 Lamborghini Countach
• 1981 DeLorean DMC-12
• 1970 Dodge Challenger
• 1921 Duesenberg straight eight
• 1966 Volkswagen Transporter
• 1969 Chevrolet Corvette
• 1984 Plymouth Voyager
• 1927 Ford Model T
• 1985 Modena Spyder
• 1968 Ford Mustang
• 1896 Benton Harbor Motor Car
• 1933 Graham 8 Limousine – “Blue Streak”
• 1964 Chevrolet Impala
• 1951 Mercury Series 1CM
• 1932 Ford Model 18
• 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
• 1938 Buick Y-Job
• 1920 Anderson Convertible Roadster
• 1907 Thomas Flyer 4-60
• 1911 Marmon Wasp
• 1962 Willys CJ-6
• 1909 White steam car model M
• 1940 Ford pilot model “Jeep”
• 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
• 1940 GM Futurliner
• 1947 Tucker 48 prototype
• 1918 Cadillac Type 57
• 1938 Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Special”
• 1964 Meyers Manx “Old Red”
• 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

Here you can find out more about each vehicle.

So yes! A list. This is a list.

Some of the cars there make perfect sense to me, like the Countach and the 300SL Gullwing. But others, like the Anderson Convertible Roadster, don’t. Hagerty wrote: “The 1920 Anderson Six Convertible Roadster is remarkably well preserved and is the only known surviving example of one of the brand’s most innovative body styles. The convertible roadster design is another notable innovation by Anderson and John Gary Anderson: Based on a US patent granted in 1916, the body shape enabled a car to quickly “transform” from a sleek roadster into a five-person touring car could, similar to the common, hidden rumble seats that were later used in roadster and coupé designs. “

I mean sure? It certainly fulfills point three on the criteria list, but I think there are better cars out there.

If I were to add one car to the list, it would of course be the McLaren F1. I don’t need to explain. But I would also like to have the original Bugatti Veyron on it. With 16 cylinders, four turbochargers, 10 coolers, a series of world records and a reputation for being extremely comfortable to drive and drive, the Veyron has for so long exceeded the limits of what is technologically possible. There will be no other comparable car.

On the electrification front, Patrick George proposed the General Motors EV1 – the first mass-produced electric vehicle to hit the market well before Tesla or Rivian or Lucid. In terms of an event or design and construction, this is hard to beat.

But if we want to include the EV1 for these reasons, we have to include the original Tesla Model S as well, according to Chris Tsui and Rob Stumpf’s suggestion. True, the Tesla Roadster came before that, but that was a small-batch car, while the Model S is largely responsible for changing the narrative around mass-market electric vehicles. Suddenly, driving an electric car was no longer a weird eco nerd. The Model S also gave us the first modern EV drive and it was luxurious; ownership didn’t force you to sit on a milk carton in the name of environmental protection. You could have both.

Rob also believes the 1991 Ford Explorer should be on the list. “I can’t think of a previous SUV that really lit up the SUV [and] Crossover madness, “he said. He’s right! Look around our streets today and four out of five cars are some kind of SUV.

The Porsche 356 comes from Stef Schrader. “Porsche probably wouldn’t exist if the Americans hadn’t bought it en masse,” she said. From then on, the 356 led to one of the most iconic Porsches of all time, the 911. But the 356 itself is beautiful and simple, more than just fulfilling point three.

Now it’s your turn. Do you understand what the criteria are, what do you think should be on the National Historic Vehicle Register, and why? Please say something JDM; I noticed a tragic lack of cool Japanese cars there.

Do you have a tip? Send me an email at [email protected].