The answers in this post are absolutely WILD! You people really only live in a US-/Western-centric world huh?
The ONLY possible valid answer here is the
#VW Beetle
No other car on the planet would be recognized by a 20-year old to an 80-year old, from Brazil to Kazakhstan and everywhere in between.
Anything else is just people smoking dope. It's not even a contest.
Correct this is the only answer.
Anything else is country based or just completely wrong.
I’ve had my Mustang called a Ferrari, a Lambo, a cool american car, a challenger, a charger, a corvette.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC DO NOT KNOW CARS.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES KNOW VW BEATLE.
Edit: Went to a family funeral up in the mountains this weekend. 3 different family members asked where I stole a lambo from
Given the production numbers were well over 4x those of mini's entire line production, the classic beetle is way way more common.
Yes both have an iconic look, but one of them has been seen way way more by people still alive today.
Outside of the UK commonwealth people MIGHT recognize it as "the Mr. Bean car" but even then only people old enough to have watched Mr. Bean back in the day.
Model T is out. Normies can't tell it from a model A or other brands models built in the surrounding 4 decades.
Beetle is probably a winner. Porsche 911, Jeep Wrangler, Willys Jeep and Landrover are contenders.
I hadn't thought as a Wrangler being known as just "a Jeep". If that counts, that would make it an easy 2nd place, I think. Although people would confuse a Suzuki Samurai or something as a "Jeep" so maybe not?
The Beetle takes it by a landslide. The average person has no idea what an XKE is and the Mustang has had too many variants for all of them to be recognizable. As for the model T, most modern car enthusiasts can't tell the difference between cars of that era, let alone the average bystander.
I think the only car that comes close to the Beetle is the Jeep (Wrangler)—a car so recognizable that current model Wranglers don't even have the Jeep badge up front.
You made a good point about the mustang variants. That was the first thing that popped into my mind until I realized that the average person couldn't tell a foxbody from a generic Buick or something similar
Exactly. Not to mention that most people wouldn't be able to identify a Mustang II or 1971 Mach 1 as a Mustang on sight. Nobody ever questions what a Beetle is.
Not even close. The Hummer wouldn't be recognized by most people in central Africa, for example. It wasn't sold in many markets and Joe Public wouldn't be able to ID it from a picture.
Hmmwv* fat fingered it lol the US military all purpose vehicle that is in operation in a lot of countries across the world. They might not know the name but they definitely would recognize a picture of it. It was a tongue in cheek reply didn't mean it seriously lol
Meh I got enough L's in my life I'll just add it to the pile luckily I got enough W's to almost balance it out just hope one day the scales will shift towards the win column enough to be happy on the daily instead of once in a while.
tbh, even though the answer is clearly the beetle, this is probably the wrong place to ask--people here think whatever cars they grew up with should be known by everyone. you should ask people who don't give a fuck about cars.
The Original Volkswagen Käfer (Beetle) by a longshot. Everyone knows it.
Also like other said Porsche 911.
Probably also Ford Crown Victoria. People might not know it’s named that but they will certainly know it as „that 90s Police Car“
The thing with the 911 is that I highly doubt the average Joe schmoe could tell the difference between a 911 and the Cayman etc etc.
To him, every Porsche with the two big ol lights up front is a 911, and that's about as far as they'll get.
If that's the question then "VW Beetle" is wrong since it was called the Volkswagen Type 1 or Volkswagen Sedan though it's probably correct to just say Volkswagen. Beetle was always just a nickname until the modern "New Beetle".
Are all minis in America coopers?
But anyway as a Brit I can’t believe nobody else has mentioned the classic mini! As you say nearly 50 years of the same design. Definitely equal to the beetle but in my mind actually more recognisable.
Also replying to OP :
Definitely not the model T, not the mustang as you need to be into American cars a bit in Europe to know that one. The e-type isn’t common enough for people to know.
The mini crossed classes. Famous people, rich people, rockstars, actors, heads of state all drove them as well as the everyday people.
It’s the mini. It’s always been the mini.
Yeah in America we never actually got any classic minis. We only officially got the bmw variant (2002+). And at that we didn’t receive the one. So everything in the us is either a cooper trim or higher.
It has to be something that is/was sold all around the place and is iconic.
My list:
1) Beatle
2) Porche 911
3) Willys Jeep aka The Jeep
4) WV Golf
5) Hummer (this one is problematic as where are h1 h2 and most people will not be able to tell the difference)
The thing about Delorian is that my mother or grandmother will not know the name of the car, they will be able to tell that it's from a movie, but not the name. Where is wv golf -> they will, as they see that car every day.
IMHO beatle is not a competition here, because everyone from young child to old lady will be able to recognize and name the car.
VW Bug and Porsche 911 have to be the most recognizable in the world. They've essentially kept the same shapes of both cars which makes any generation recognizable.
Unfortunately your comment has been removed because your Reddit account is less than 5 days old **OR** your comment karma is less than zero. This filter is in effect to minimize repost bot spam and trolling from new accounts. Mods will not manually approve your comment. Please wait until your account is 5 days old or your comment karma is positive.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Cartalk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My list: Recognizable good design: Beatle, Willys WW2 Jeep (and descendants), any Corvette, Mustang (not Mustang 2), any post ww2 MG 2 seat roadster, pre 1960 T-Bird, the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, most Porsches, GM's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (iconic windows in top design for no good reason), Original Jeep Wagoneer and then the Grand Wagoneer, Original AMC designed Jeep Cherokee. Worldwide, I'd not be surprised if the Toyota Pickup, Camry and Corolla, and Nissan Sentra, (which all go by different names depending on market), are some of the most recognizable generic "cars and trucks" ever.
Most recognizable for notorious poor build and/or design insanity: Edsal, Delorean, AMC Pacer, Ford Pinto, GM's Vega and clones, Suzuki Samurai, Ford Exploder, any Hummer, Pontiac Aztec.... flops that nearly everyone's heard about and seen.
Not sure how to classify cars like GM's Camaros, Firebirds, Impalas, Suburban, Chrysler K Series, Fords' Escort, LTD (thru Crown Victoria), Model T, Model A, Taurus and F-150.... All these sold well, even spectacularly and made a huge impact (esp Ford's Model T and A) on the industry. But I am not sure people today would recognize all of them world-wide..
There are some good examples here, Beetle definitely, maybe Mini, maybe a Jeep or Land Rover, or Volvo 240 estate/wagon, even the DeLorean because of Back To The Future. But what about the two iconic taxis? Surely the London black cab (FX4, TX1/TX) and the New York Checker Marathon should make the list, given the number of movies and television programmes they've appeared in.
Early 2000s Chevy Impala. Everybody had one. I can spot one a mile away while blindfolded. Honorable mention to the Pontiac Sunfire and the Impala of this generation, also known as the Nissan Altima.
G O L F, puts VW out of sight in the lead. In the whole world everyone knows what GOLF and BEETLE look like. Funnily enough the VW Beetle doesn’t have the word “Beetle” written on it anywhere and the name is a popular name rather than the manufacturer designated name.
I feel like I had a healthy appreciation for the Beetle before this thread, but man. It gets you thinking about what a powerful brand it is, and how VW isn't doing anything with it (to my knowledge).
In America yeah. Outside of America other than car enthusiasts people would maybe recognize it as a cop car or taxi, but would likely not know what the model is called
Flipping the script: Detmaso Pantera.
Alllll too frequently when someone posts a what is this car, it's a pantera.
it's inscrutable, and deserves to be in this list.
Too many lambos, most people will not know the correct model. Same goes for corvete. Corvete and Lambo might not be known by someone like my mom or grandmother. So Bettle defintly takes the cake.
The answers in this post are absolutely WILD! You people really only live in a US-/Western-centric world huh? The ONLY possible valid answer here is the #VW Beetle No other car on the planet would be recognized by a 20-year old to an 80-year old, from Brazil to Kazakhstan and everywhere in between. Anything else is just people smoking dope. It's not even a contest.
Correct this is the only answer. Anything else is country based or just completely wrong. I’ve had my Mustang called a Ferrari, a Lambo, a cool american car, a challenger, a charger, a corvette. THE GENERAL PUBLIC DO NOT KNOW CARS. THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES KNOW VW BEATLE. Edit: Went to a family funeral up in the mountains this weekend. 3 different family members asked where I stole a lambo from
The classic mini would
Nope. In Commonwealth countries maybe. But as well recognized as the Beetle globally? Not even close.
By 1952 the beetle was offered for sale in 46 countries. In 1962 BMC was shipping the mini to 170. So… maybe not?
Given the production numbers were well over 4x those of mini's entire line production, the classic beetle is way way more common. Yes both have an iconic look, but one of them has been seen way way more by people still alive today.
Pick a random person off the streets of Chad, Mongolia or Papua New Guinea. Which one would they recognize?
Peugeot 504 probably
I could ask my 70 year old mom and both of my teenage kids. 1 out of 3 MIGHT know the mini, but ALL of them would DEFINITELY know the VW
Outside of the UK commonwealth people MIGHT recognize it as "the Mr. Bean car" but even then only people old enough to have watched Mr. Bean back in the day.
Model T is out. Normies can't tell it from a model A or other brands models built in the surrounding 4 decades. Beetle is probably a winner. Porsche 911, Jeep Wrangler, Willys Jeep and Landrover are contenders.
I think the Beetle wins hands down.
agreed slug bug for the win
I think the classic mini wins hands down.
The classic mini never really left UK and Europe. Bugs truly spanned the globe.
No one knows a porsche 911. They might know it’s a Porsche MAYBE and that’s it.
ppl downvoting him but he is right, ask any normal person on the street if a cayman is a 911 and theyd say yes
No they would say “ what the fuck did you just say to me you little shit?” Legitimately 95% of people don’t know vehicle
I hadn't thought as a Wrangler being known as just "a Jeep". If that counts, that would make it an easy 2nd place, I think. Although people would confuse a Suzuki Samurai or something as a "Jeep" so maybe not?
The Beetle takes it by a landslide. The average person has no idea what an XKE is and the Mustang has had too many variants for all of them to be recognizable. As for the model T, most modern car enthusiasts can't tell the difference between cars of that era, let alone the average bystander. I think the only car that comes close to the Beetle is the Jeep (Wrangler)—a car so recognizable that current model Wranglers don't even have the Jeep badge up front.
The idea that most people would see the Jaguar and say "oh look, an XKE" just as quickly as they'd identify a Beetle made me chuckle.
No-one in the UK would say "oh look, an XKE", as it was only called that in North America. It was the E-Type everywhere else.
Huh, I was confused, my grandpa has an E-Type and I’ve only ever known them as the E-Type (US)
Yep. The E Type was really the car. But I think the Beetle wins hands down.
They’d recognise a classic mini though
They'd recognise the Jaguar, just wouldn't use the "XKE" name, when it's called the "E-Type"
You made a good point about the mustang variants. That was the first thing that popped into my mind until I realized that the average person couldn't tell a foxbody from a generic Buick or something similar
And… outside of the US even less so. *maybe* they’d recognise ‘the one from bullet’ but very few were ever sold outside the US
Exactly. Not to mention that most people wouldn't be able to identify a Mustang II or 1971 Mach 1 as a Mustang on sight. Nobody ever questions what a Beetle is.
What vehicle started a game? Punch Bug! No punch backs. New Beetles don’t count either.
Maybe not, but everyone still recognizes them immediately as beetles.
I'd throw the Hummer in that hat, as well
Not even close. The Hummer wouldn't be recognized by most people in central Africa, for example. It wasn't sold in many markets and Joe Public wouldn't be able to ID it from a picture.
Hmmvw on the other hand is definitely recognizable by at least 178 countries and can technically be bought by the public.
Absolutely not. What the hell is a hmmvw or did you make a typo?
Hmmwv* fat fingered it lol the US military all purpose vehicle that is in operation in a lot of countries across the world. They might not know the name but they definitely would recognize a picture of it. It was a tongue in cheek reply didn't mean it seriously lol
Lol. That would have been an awesome joke. Take the L for the typo I guess 🤷🏾♂️
Meh I got enough L's in my life I'll just add it to the pile luckily I got enough W's to almost balance it out just hope one day the scales will shift towards the win column enough to be happy on the daily instead of once in a while.
its the beetle, the car is engrained in alot of communities and looks like almost nothing else on the road
tbh, even though the answer is clearly the beetle, this is probably the wrong place to ask--people here think whatever cars they grew up with should be known by everyone. you should ask people who don't give a fuck about cars.
The Original Volkswagen Käfer (Beetle) by a longshot. Everyone knows it. Also like other said Porsche 911. Probably also Ford Crown Victoria. People might not know it’s named that but they will certainly know it as „that 90s Police Car“
The thing with the 911 is that I highly doubt the average Joe schmoe could tell the difference between a 911 and the Cayman etc etc. To him, every Porsche with the two big ol lights up front is a 911, and that's about as far as they'll get.
I only know the Käfer out of the 3 you mentioned, so I doubt it. (im from Hungary btw)
De Lorean. Pop culture rules.
First gen VW Bus is also a contender!
But does anyone know what it's actually called? Like the model name?
If that's the question then "VW Beetle" is wrong since it was called the Volkswagen Type 1 or Volkswagen Sedan though it's probably correct to just say Volkswagen. Beetle was always just a nickname until the modern "New Beetle".
Yeah that logic checks out.
Is that part of the prompt?
Yes
The Batmobile
There’s no way that it isn’t a Beetle. My five year old son and my eighty year old mother would both recognize one instantly.
Beetle is for sure up there. I might also add the 2nd/3rd-gen Prius.
Volkswagen bug
Jeep.
VW beetle
Toyota Prius?
Depends where you are in the world
Nobody wants to throw mini coopers in the mix? The same body style ran mostly unchanged for 50 some years. Even the newer ones are pretty unmistakable
Are all minis in America coopers? But anyway as a Brit I can’t believe nobody else has mentioned the classic mini! As you say nearly 50 years of the same design. Definitely equal to the beetle but in my mind actually more recognisable. Also replying to OP : Definitely not the model T, not the mustang as you need to be into American cars a bit in Europe to know that one. The e-type isn’t common enough for people to know. The mini crossed classes. Famous people, rich people, rockstars, actors, heads of state all drove them as well as the everyday people. It’s the mini. It’s always been the mini.
Yeah in America we never actually got any classic minis. We only officially got the bmw variant (2002+). And at that we didn’t receive the one. So everything in the us is either a cooper trim or higher.
It has to be something that is/was sold all around the place and is iconic. My list: 1) Beatle 2) Porche 911 3) Willys Jeep aka The Jeep 4) WV Golf 5) Hummer (this one is problematic as where are h1 h2 and most people will not be able to tell the difference)
I would change golf with delorean. But your list is spot on. Maybe a different order for different parts of the world
The thing about Delorian is that my mother or grandmother will not know the name of the car, they will be able to tell that it's from a movie, but not the name. Where is wv golf -> they will, as they see that car every day. IMHO beatle is not a competition here, because everyone from young child to old lady will be able to recognize and name the car.
VW Bug and Porsche 911 have to be the most recognizable in the world. They've essentially kept the same shapes of both cars which makes any generation recognizable.
[удалено]
Unfortunately your comment has been removed because your Reddit account is less than 5 days old **OR** your comment karma is less than zero. This filter is in effect to minimize repost bot spam and trolling from new accounts. Mods will not manually approve your comment. Please wait until your account is 5 days old or your comment karma is positive. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Cartalk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Definitely a Pantera.
9/10 people would have no idea what that is
I'm not trying to be snarky but whoosh.
Yeah, you got me. I blame arguing with the guy about minis for throwing off my radar
Volkswagen beetle
USA- mustang Elsewhere- I dunno.... hilux?
VW beetle
My list: Recognizable good design: Beatle, Willys WW2 Jeep (and descendants), any Corvette, Mustang (not Mustang 2), any post ww2 MG 2 seat roadster, pre 1960 T-Bird, the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, most Porsches, GM's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (iconic windows in top design for no good reason), Original Jeep Wagoneer and then the Grand Wagoneer, Original AMC designed Jeep Cherokee. Worldwide, I'd not be surprised if the Toyota Pickup, Camry and Corolla, and Nissan Sentra, (which all go by different names depending on market), are some of the most recognizable generic "cars and trucks" ever. Most recognizable for notorious poor build and/or design insanity: Edsal, Delorean, AMC Pacer, Ford Pinto, GM's Vega and clones, Suzuki Samurai, Ford Exploder, any Hummer, Pontiac Aztec.... flops that nearly everyone's heard about and seen. Not sure how to classify cars like GM's Camaros, Firebirds, Impalas, Suburban, Chrysler K Series, Fords' Escort, LTD (thru Crown Victoria), Model T, Model A, Taurus and F-150.... All these sold well, even spectacularly and made a huge impact (esp Ford's Model T and A) on the industry. But I am not sure people today would recognize all of them world-wide..
Vw Beetle.
Beetle or DeLorean
C3 Corvette is a pretty iconic look.
There are some good examples here, Beetle definitely, maybe Mini, maybe a Jeep or Land Rover, or Volvo 240 estate/wagon, even the DeLorean because of Back To The Future. But what about the two iconic taxis? Surely the London black cab (FX4, TX1/TX) and the New York Checker Marathon should make the list, given the number of movies and television programmes they've appeared in.
Hummer
1969 Dodge Daytona or 1970 Plymouth Superbird
Cyber truck these days. Even a kid who’s might not know what a Beetle is probably knows what a cyber truck is.
Cars recognizable as a unique visual? Sure. But most everyone can also *name* the Volkswagen Beetle from its visual appearance.
Kia soul/f150
DeLorean. Every time.
Prius started hybrids
Punch-Mini was never played in the car with my sister on family road trips when we were kids.
Early 2000s Chevy Impala. Everybody had one. I can spot one a mile away while blindfolded. Honorable mention to the Pontiac Sunfire and the Impala of this generation, also known as the Nissan Altima.
Jeep
dunno abt you but suzuki jimny or swift
G O L F, puts VW out of sight in the lead. In the whole world everyone knows what GOLF and BEETLE look like. Funnily enough the VW Beetle doesn’t have the word “Beetle” written on it anywhere and the name is a popular name rather than the manufacturer designated name.
Porsche 911. It’s available worldwide, and even my non-car friends can recognize it on the road.
I feel like I had a healthy appreciation for the Beetle before this thread, but man. It gets you thinking about what a powerful brand it is, and how VW isn't doing anything with it (to my knowledge).
Miata is always the answer. Except maybe this time.
DeTomaso Pantera I’ll see myself out
Toyota Corolla
WHY IS NOBODY MENTIONING MINI COOPER??
Miata NA
The amount of people that have mistaken my 1st Gen CR-V by a Jeep should eliminate the Jeep from the list. For lots of people tire in the back=jeep
Miata with the popup headlights
Miata. Corvette.
Probably a Crown Vic, wink wink...
In America yeah. Outside of America other than car enthusiasts people would maybe recognize it as a cop car or taxi, but would likely not know what the model is called
Ford Mustang. Certain cues come and go but generally all generations are instantly identifiable as a “Mustang” for 60 years now
Corvettes, and bugs
Honda Civic
Well, the Volvo 240 is hard to beat.
Lamborghini [Countach](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=8785e4754248b691&sca_upv=1&hl=en-GB&sxsrf=ADLYWIK7tpFXwHVITINDfFbor3Gxyyi_WQ:1718296630286&q=lamborghini+countach+1990+white&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0AeMNWKf4PpcKMI-eSa16lJoRPMIuyspCxWO6iZW9F1Ns6EVsgc0W_0xN47PHaanAEtg26fpfc9gg2y1-ZsywNNidIzOA0khSyMN51n7r3LlDC9M1NYStuTRDcBUYQ58dKt-Q6SigUS4Yne5yDHLg0vPBr98Nz98twIaNcnWiKaD4QuEh93Q53sB-UkWP9OcfO5KeatY98HR7cDW9ZTjFpZV7kJtA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6gJHigdmGAxUIklYBHWWlCJcQtKgLegQIBxAB&biw=320&bih=454&dpr=2#vhid=yvq_edXq-yFaSM&vssid=mosaic)
Flipping the script: Detmaso Pantera. Alllll too frequently when someone posts a what is this car, it's a pantera. it's inscrutable, and deserves to be in this list.
The Chevrolet Corvette, pick a year everyone knows what it is.
K car
2001 Toyota Camry
Trabant 601
Definitely the Bette. Lambo, Corvette
Too many lambos, most people will not know the correct model. Same goes for corvete. Corvete and Lambo might not be known by someone like my mom or grandmother. So Bettle defintly takes the cake.
Gen 6+ Corvettes
I just spent a minute remembering which Corvette is which gen, so no.
Hummer
Hilux
Land Rover
Probably. I know back in the day that there was a huge number of people in remote areas where it was the first motor vehicle they'd ever seen.