Karmann’s reworking of the first-generation Golf three-door into the Cabriolet was so successful that Volkswagen didn’t bother with replacing it until the third-gen Golf model of the 1990s.
It remained a staunch part of the French company’s line-up right up to 1998, not because Peugeot couldn’t afford to replace it, but because demand was still there.
The Volvo 340 should have been a DAF, but when the Swedish company took over Dutch maker DAF it launched this small sedan and hatch range under its own banner.
A combination of having a great, tuneful V8 and rarely having any money to develop anything new resulted in Aston Martin sticking with this model as its mainstay for 18 years.
The impact and lasting legacy of the Fiat 500 makes you think it should have been in production for much longer than its 18-year run.
Not just the definitive Mercedes-Benz roadster, but perhaps the defining model in the company’s history, the R107 is everything its followers love.
For many years, the MGB range was the best-selling sports car of all time until the Mazda MX-5 wrested that title away.
Since the Porsche 928 was originally conceived as a replacement for the 911, it had to be good from the outset.