He runs and runs and runs. That was the title of a 1968 commercial promoting the VW Beetle. At this point in time, the Wolfsburg classic already had 30 years of production under its belt. The Wolfsburg classic rolled off the assembly line for a total of 65 years, which puts it in the ranking of the longest-built cars. The magazine “Auto Verkehr” has put together an overview of the automotive endurance runners that were produced without major model changes. A hit parade that allows a glimpse into the glorious history of the car in times when one model after the other is pushed to the scrap heap.
The number one of this very special leaderboard is not a German car. The United Kingdom of Great Britain secures the first three places in the all-time leaderboard. Sitting on the throne of the all-time favorites with an incredible production period from 1936 to 2018/19 is the Morgan 4/4, a classic roadster whose sequence of numbers in the name indicates nothing else that the car has four wheels and a four-cylinder engine. In second place it says: “It’s never over in a Rover”. No, it’s not the Range Rover that won the silver medal after 68 years of construction from 1948 to 2016, but the Land Rover Defender. Interestingly, the manufacturing site of the Solihull factory remained the same throughout the construction period. Nor did the technical improvements introduced over the years dilute the Brit’s rustic character.
In third place is the Lotus Seven, of which only 2,556 have been manufactured since 1957. The two-seater, designed for club racing, still follows the principles of the legendary Lotus founder Colin Chapman: a racing car must be light and compact. Fourth place has completely different production figures in the books. In 65 years this car ran 65 years 21,529,464 worldwide. It is a symbol of the German economic miracle and was built between 1938 and 2003. Of course, the time has finally come to include the VW Beetle in the ranks of automotive classics.
The fifth bears British genes. The Hindustan Ambassador was based on the technology of the Morris Oxford Series III and was built by the Indian manufacturer Hindustan from 1958 to 2014. So a full 56 years. Every visitor to India has certainly had the honor of driving in the automobile endurance runner. Because the Hindustan Ambassador is used as a taxi to this day. Some of the vehicles are brightly decorated, while others are no longer in the best condition. Incidentally, Peugeot has now secured the rights to the Ambassador car brand. Maybe there will be a comeback.
The next one in the table comes with ten years less production time and it’s not British or German. The Lada Niva has been rolling off the assembly line at Togliatti’s gigantic factory, named after an Italian communist, since 1977. So this placement isn’t set in stone yet. The off-road vehicle produced by the Russian automobile manufacturer AvtoVAS in Tolyatti has many fans in central Europe thanks to its rough, genuine robustness. The technology is rustically honest and therefore easy to repair. Foresters in particular love the indestructible Russians. Where German high-tech SUVs stretch their wheels, the Lada Niva is just warming up. Because we’re on Lada right now, we’re going to stay with Lada. With the Lada 1200 or Nova and 44 years of construction, the Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAS has entered the elite circle of long-running favorites for the second time. Anyone who sees the limousine knows why Togliatti is called Togliatti. The forefather of the vehicle in the classic three-box design from 1970 to 2014 is the Fiat 124. The Lada 1200 / Nova was sometimes the best-selling sedan in Russia.
It continues in Europe: Who else but the Citroën 2CV, the world-famous duck from France, could be included in this ranks of vehicles. Construction time from 1948 to 1990, ie 44 years, although development had already begun in the mid-1930s. The request of the legendary Citroën boss Pierre-Jules Boulanger to the engineers was unmistakable: “Design a car that offers space for two farmers in boots and a hundredweight of potatoes or a keg of wine, is at least 60 km/h fast and only three liters of petrol per 100 km.” The result delighted generations of motorists. The Classic Mini Cooper made only one year less, from 1959 to 2000, than the Citroën 2CV. The little runabout designed by Alec Issigonis quite rightly ranks in this ranking of automotive legends. The combination of front-wheel drive with a transversely installed four-cylinder engine was groundbreaking and was copied many times. With this design principle, Issigonis managed to create a surprising amount of space in the passenger compartment with very compact dimensions.
And what about Germany? Chamber! The automotive country par excellence also has another long-running favorite. Namely the Mercedes G-Class. The original version of the off-road vehicle takes sixth place with 39 years of production from 1979 to 2018. In the meantime, the angular off-road vehicle has become a vehicle for the rich and beautiful. The G-Class was developed in the mid-1970s by Daimler’s commercial vehicle department together with Steyr-Daimler-Puch for use in the army and forestry. The off-road capability with the locks and the reduction gear bear witness to the original purpose of the vehicle to this day.
