By thatcar.co.za
The other day I was driving with my son. He was sitting in the back seat, reluctant to wear his seatbelt, and he said:
“Whoever came up with the safety belt SUX!”
It got me thinking…
Which cars have actually influenced the cars we drive today?
Seatbelts? Who came up with them?
Airbags? ABS? Hell, even touchscreens?
Join me as I try to discover some of the most influential cars of our time.
9. 1966 VOLVO 140
Son, you can thank Volvo for the seatbelt.
The 1966 Volvo 140 introduced three-point front seatbelts, and that wasn’t all.
Volvo also introduced crumple-zone technology to the 140 Series, helping make occupant safety a much bigger part of automotive design.
These kinds of safety innovations have saved countless lives.
GOATED. 🐐
8. SAAB 99 TURBO — 1978
Today, it feels like every second car has a turbocharger.
Diesels are basically oil and a turbo — that’s how they operate.
And if you’ve ever driven a diesel without a turbo, you’ll understand why early Isuzu drivers were always in a foul mood. 😂
If you have a 1.0-litre car today that is quicker than your dad’s old 3.0-litre Sierra, you can look back to the Saab 99 Turbo for part of that story.
Saab didn’t invent the turbocharger.
What it did was help take turbocharging mainstream, refining the technology so that a turbocharged car could be driven every day.
And damn, what a looker of a car.
GOATED. 🐐
7. AUDI QUATTRO — 1980
I’m sure you’ve heard of xDrive, 4MOTION, AWD and all the other variations of all-wheel drive.
Almost every car with a bit of power today — from BMW and Mercedes-Benz to Subaru and Volkswagen — has the Audi Quattro to thank for helping make performance-focused all-wheel drive mainstream.
Yes, four-wheel drive already existed.
But it was mostly associated with things like Jeeps and off-road vehicles.
Audi put it into a regular passenger car and then went racing with it.
And they absolutely dominated.
The Quattro was one of the first cars to properly combine all-wheel drive with serious performance in a way that changed the industry.
BMW fanboys…
Show some respect.
AUDI QUATTRO — GOATED. 🐐
6. PLYMOUTH VOYAGER — 1983
There was a video recently of a dude telling a female passenger — and we’re quoting here:
“Get out my F-in’ car!”
That F-in’ car was a Mercedes-Benz V-Class.
A staple in Venda.
If you’ve made it in Venda — OK, to be fair, if you’ve made it in Venda, KZN, and you’re a politician — you buy the Mercedes-Benz V-Class.
And if you’re the sensible type, you buy the VW Caravelle.
These cars are a staple in South Africa, and the modern people-carrier owes plenty to the 1983 Plymouth Voyager They helped popularise the modern minivan concept, offering seven-seat capacity and flexible interior space like never before.
Plymouth — GOATED. 🐐
5. LAND ROVER DISCOVERY — 1994
I can bet you that today you’ve come across at least five seven-seater SUVs that can go pretty much anywhere.
Want to argue?
Have you not seen a Toyota Fortuner?
Of course you have.
Well, the modern go-anywhere seven-seat SUV owes something to the Land Rover Discovery.
The Discovery became famous for combining genuine off-road ability with the practicality of a family vehicle.
The Discovery II took that formula even further, with seven-seat practicality and fold-up rear seating, wrapped in a package that was far more comfortable and usable every day.
That formula is now everywhere.
Toyota Prado.
Toyota Fortuner.
Audi Q7.
BMW X7.
The list goes on.
Discovery — GOATED. 🐐
4. TOYOTA PRIUS 1997
Today we talk about PHEV, HEV, yada yada, like we’re some modern society that has suddenly discovered forward-thinking technology.
Think again, buddy.
The Toyota Prius launched almost 30 years ago.
The Prius helped create a template for the modern hybrid car — combining an internal-combustion engine with electric assistance to reduce fuel consumption.
Today, hybrids are everywhere.
So, whether you like them or not…
PRIUS — GOATED. 🐐
3. NISSAN LEAF — 2010
Yes, you too, Mr NEV.
Mr Environment.
Well, it’s partly because of the Nissan Leaf.
The Leaf showed the world that you could build a pure-electric family car that was practical, relatively affordable and designed to fit into everyday life.
It helped push the idea of the mainstream EV far beyond the early experimental stage.
LEAF — GOATED. 🐐
2. TESLA MODEL S — 2012
And then came the Tesla Model S.
Take the Leaf concept and push it into the future.
That was essentially the idea.
Here was an electric car that could behave like a normal premium car, fit into the life of an everyday consumer and travel hundreds of kilometers on a single charge.
At the time, that was a big deal.
In fact, it reminds me of my uncle Thuso, who was once perplexed as to why everyone was complaining about the fuel price.
His response?
But yena, “I still pour for R500. So what’s the big deal?” 😂
The Tesla Model S helped prove that an electric car didn’t have to be slow, boring or compromised.
TESLA MODEL S — GOATED. 🐐
AND HOW CAN WE FORGET…
1. THE MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS
Which one?
All of them.
If you want to know what technology will eventually feature in your car, have a look at the current S-Class.
Over the years, the S-Class has been a rolling showcase for technologies that eventually filtered down into more affordable cars.
So when you see something crazy in an S-Class and think:
“Who the hell needs that?”
Just wait.
A few years from now, you might find it in your family hatchback.
S-CLASS — GOATED. 🐐
SO, WHICH CARS DID WE FORGET?
We’ve mentioned some of the cars that helped shape the way we drive today.
But there are plenty more.
Which car do you think deserves to be on the G.O.A.T list?
Tell us.
Because there are some seriously influential cars we haven’t even touched yet.
