In recent years, drivers have been able to benefit from some of the most impressive technological innovations. Cars are safer than ever thanks to seat belts, airbags, and new automotive features like automatic braking systems and back-up cameras. Long journeys have never been more enjoyable, with even the grumpiest of kids kept entertained by in-car infotainment systems, and getting lost is a thing of the past now that most new cars have built-in navigation.

Technological innovation has always been an important part of the automotive industry, but some of the most ground-breaking cars of all time were more important because of the impact they had on design beyond the car factory or even on the wider world in general.

Related: The Most Innovative Alternative Fuel Sources And The Cars That Use Them

10 Jaguar E-Type – Iconic Design

Jaguar E-Type silver
Via carscoops.com

The Jaguar E-Type is a British sports car that was in production between 1961 and 1975. As well as looking utterly gorgeous, the E-Type was no slouch, with an impressive top speed of 150mph. Based on a Jaguar motor racing car design from the 1950s, it is the styling of the Jaguar E-Type that was so innovative.

Jaguar E-Type
Via castleclassiccars.co.uk

In an era when everything, cars included, was about being functional, the E-Type was a piece of automotive luxury. Even the great Enzo Ferrari described the Jaguar E-Type as “the most beautiful car ever made”.

9 Volkswagen Type 1 – Long-Lasting Popularity

Volkswagen Type 1
Via sco.wikipedia.org

Few people would describe the quirky Volkswagen Beetle as “beautiful” but the Volkswagen Type 1, as it was also known, was certainly ground-breaking. What was innovative about the Type 1 was that it was created to be an everyday car for everyday people in the 1930s when only the rich were able to afford a vehicle.

Volkswagen Type 1 black
Via pinterest.com

It may have got off to an inauspicious start (the project was started under the leadership of Adolf Hitler) but it became one of the most popular cars of all time, selling over 21 million models between 1938 and 2003.

Related: These Quirky Cars Are More Innovative Than We Give Them Credit For

8 Willys Jeep – A New Kind Of Vehicle

Willys Jeep
Via silodrome.com

Few vehicles can claim to have created a whole new type of vehicle but there would be no modern jeeps or even SUVs without the Willys Jeep, a military vehicle that was created for the US soldiers who were fighting in World War II.

Willys Jeep red
Via motorauthority.com

General Eisenhower even called the humble jeep one of the five most important pieces of equipment for winning the war, and soon after the conflict ended Willys and other car manufacturers started to capitalize commercially on the jeep’s popularity.

7 Lamborghini Miura – The First Modern Supercar

Lamborghini Miura
Via supercars.net

Sports cars have been around since 1914 when the Vauxhall 25 hp 'Prince Henry' Sports Torpedo was launched, but the concept of the supercar is a much more recent innovation. The phrase supercar has itself almost become outdated, with the most expensive high-performance vehicles on the market today often described as “hypercars”.

Lamborghini Miura orange
Via telegraph.co.uk

Nevertheless, the stylish and sporty Lamborghini Miura is widely thought to be the first modern supercar. The Miura was launched by the Italian company in 1966 with production coming to an end in 1973 after fewer than 1000 models had been built.

6 Tesla Model S – Electric Innovation

Tesla Model S white
Via motortrend.com

Electric vehicles have been around for a lot longer than many people might think. While they may have only become a commercial success in the last decade or so, electric cars were running on American streets in the 19th century.

Tesla Model S
Via mulgari.com

The first American electric car was invented in 1890 but could only manage a top speed of 14mph. The Tesla Model S, with a top speed of 155mph, is a "little" faster, but best of all, it manages an impressive range of 350 miles between charges.

Related: 10 Iconic Cars That Defined The 2010s

5 Ford Model T – Production Line Breakthrough

Ford Model T
Via volocars.com

The Ford Model T is probably one of the most famous of the early motor cars created in America. Considering that production on the Model T ended back in 1927, the name of this iconic car is still very familiar today, almost a century later.

Ford-Model-T-black
Via greencarreports.com

While there is no doubting the importance of the Model T to the history of the American automotive industry, the truly innovative thing about this vehicle is how it was built, with inventor and engineer Henry Ford creating the first moving assembly line for the manufacture of his cars in 1913.

4 Dodge Caravan – The First Minivan

Dodge Caravan brown
Via Hagerty.com

Minivans may have fallen out of fashion in recent years, with most families preferring SUVs to what is seen as a rather boring vehicle choice, but in the 80s and 90s, no self-respecting parent would be seen without a minivan to transport the kids around town.

Dodge Caravan
Via thetruthaboutcars.com

The first modern American minivan on the market was the Dodge Caravan in 1984, though some claim that the 1936 Stout Scarab should claim the prize of being the first minivan made in the States.

3 Mclaren F1 – Formula One Tech On The Street

McLaren F1 silver
Via buy.motorious.com

McLaren is better known for its Formula One team than they are for their production vehicles, but when the company has put its mind towards creating cars that anyone can drive they usually manage to create something pretty special.

McLaren F1
Via collierautomedia.com

Perhaps that is because McLaren production cars can benefit from the advantages of having Formula One engineers working in-house, which means that road-legal vehicles like the McLaren F1, first produced in 1992 and powered by a V12 engine, can reach a top speed of 240mph.

2 BMC Mini – Defined An Era

BMC Mini
Via classicdriver.com

When it comes to deciding which is the most recognizable car of all time, the contest would probably be a close one between the Volkswagen Beetle and the BMW Mini. The Mini, which became synonymous with London during the Swinging Sixties, was first produced in 1959 by the British Motoring Corporation.

BMC Mini white
Via autoexpress.co.uk

The Mini name was acquired by BMW in 2000, but the German company has continued to create iconic vehicles which remain faithful to the original Mini design, while still embracing modern features and innovations.

1 Toyota Prius – Launch Of Green Motoring

Toyota Prius white
Via motor1.com

Electric vehicles may have been around for over a century, but it is unlikely that we would have seen them make a comeback in such numbers without the Toyota Prius. The Prius was the vehicle that was single-handedly responsible for increasing interest in environmentally-friendly motoring.

Toyota Prius
Via motoringresearch.com

A plug-in hybrid which was first sold in 1995, the Toyota Prius finally gave motorists an alternative to driving gas-guzzling, polluting vehicles, and though it has struggled to maintain sales in the face of stiff competition, the Prius remains the car which set the ball rolling.

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