Model cycles are getting shorter and the choice much wider, with competition in the marketplace hotter than ever.

But it didn’t used to be like that; there was a time when cars remained in production for years and years, notching up big sales in the process. Here we celebrate the cars that gave us independence – the models that put nations on wheels.

Modern production methods mean there are more people cars than ever – mass-produced models tend to be built in massive quantities nowadays. As a result we’ve drawn the line almost 20 years ago, to ensure this didn’t become a top 500 article...