Cars That Defined Their Decades

11. 1980s: Toyota Corolla

In the 1980s the basic, four-cylinder Toyota Corolla moved to a simplified, square-corners design which was generic enough to not only have universal appeal as a practical automobile, it also inspired competitors to create similar models such as the Chevy Nova and Geo Prizm. Though the model has changed significantly over the years, by the 1980s, it was preparing to pass the sales records of other vehicles such as the VW Beetle, which it achieved in 1997. By 2016 it was by far the leader with over 44 million sold. Corollas are popular with tuners who apply their creative talents to this worldwide favorite.