This year Alfa Romeo 156 will turn a quarter of a century. The 40th anniversary will be celebrated by the Audi 100 (C3)with an unprecedented drag coefficient Cx=0.3 for its time. And the Ford Sierra, the forerunner of the Mondeo family, will have exactly the same age. But today we will focus on a dozen other landmark models.
You won’t find particular models in luxury car rentals in Dubai but you will find top-notch brands there. Rental companies offer a wide range of rental cars from SUVs to supercars in order to attract as many customers as possible. Moreover, rental prices are quite affordable so that everyone can feel the best driving emotions.
But there are names that are always at the top and trusted by everyone at all times.
1. Alfa Romeo Alfasud – 50 years
The first front wheel drive Alfa featured GiorgettoGiugiaro’s eye-catching design, boxer four-cylinder engines and a fantastic chassis. And yet, many will remember this car for other “merits”: Alfasud suffered from constant electronic failures and was able to turn into dust in just a couple of seasons.
2. Audi 80 (B1) – 50 years
Model awarded European Car of the Year in 1973. The assets of the first “eighty” include a front-wheel drive layout, a McPherson-type suspension and powerful (up to 110 forces) EA827 series engines. And it was this car that saved the Volkswagen brand in difficult times: the first generation Passat was nothing more than an Audi 80 in a liftback form factor.
3. BMW 5 Series (E12) – 50 years
It was with the BMW E12 of the same 1973 that the concept of “series” began. And many idolize the debut “five” for epoch-making engines. The inline “six” of the top version of the M535i develops 218 forces, allowing you to exchange 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. Absolute extravaganza by the standards of the seventies. A bonus is the iconic design of the Marriage Field.
4. BMW 3 Series (E30) – 40 years
The appearance of the E30 was unprecedented. “Thirty” was offered in the form factors of a sedan, coupe (including the powerful M3), station wagon and even a convertible. The drive could be rear or full. Pedals – two or three. And the number of engines that have been under the hood of the E30 has completely exceeded two dozen.
5. Ferrari 250 GTO – 60 years
Despite the edition of 39 copies, the Ferrari 250 GTO became one of the most famous models of the “reds”. A sports car weighing 880 kg, built for the sake of homologation (Gran TurismoOmologato) of a racing prototype of the GT class, was equipped with a 300-hp V12 and exchanged a 100 km/h in 6 seconds. Fun fact: a new 250 GTO cost $18,000 – in 2018, one of the copies went under the hammer for a record $70 million.
6. Ford Granada – 50 years
Blue Oval’s attempts to break into the European market began well before the 1998 Focus. The Ford Granada, developed by Ford’s Cologne division with the help of British chassis tuners, debuted in 1972 and ran until 1985. It is curious: at first, exclusively “non-formatted” 1.7 V4 engine was installed on the cars of the family.
7. Mercedes-Benz 190 (W201) – 40 years
The desire to compete for customers of BMW E30 led to the appearance of the Baby-Benz. And success was not long in coming: the 190th sold around the world in almost two million copies, achieving resounding success in the DTM championship and interested partners from AMG, Brabus and Cosworth.
8. Mercedes-Benz S-class (W116) – 50 years
It is W116 that is considered to be the progenitor of the S-class. After 8 years of development, the five-meter sedan was presented in Frankfurt in the spring of 1972. And for a long time it became the standard of comfort and safety. This model became the first production car on which ABS was tried on. The top version of the 450 SEL was equipped with a 6.9-liter V8 with a capacity of 284 horses.
9. Opel Record D – 50 years
Today, such elegant sedans are not so easy to find in Europe. Although in six years of production, 1,116,088 copies of Opel Record D and about 140 thousand Opel Commodore with 2.8 six-cylinder engines rolled off the assembly line. The output of such motors reached 160 forces, and it took only ten seconds to accelerate to a hundred. Pretty decent even by today’s standards.
10. Renault 5 – 50 years
The incredible 3.5-meter Renault 5 lasted on the assembly line for almost a quarter of a century, sold 5.5 million copies worldwide, and the Alpine Turbo version is rightfully considered one of the first hot hatches in history (along with the Volkswagen Golf GTI). It is not surprising that the French are serious about resurrecting the “five” as an electric car.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
