Cars That Defined Their Decades

10. 1980s: DeLorean DMC-12

The exotic stainless steel, gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12, was famous for its starring role in 1985's movie Back to the Future. It was in production from 1981 to 1983, like the similarly short-lived Tucker 48 of mid-century it expressed unique design ideas including a steel backbone with a fiberglass body and the iconic stainless steel body panels. Unfortunately, its V6 performance wasn't up to its dazzling appearance. The company founder, John DeLorean, a former GM executive and inventor, soon faced the company's insolvency.