SUBJECTIVELY SEEKING THE CAR OF THE CENTURY HEY! WHAT ABOUT THE YUGO?
By ALEX TAYLOR III

(FORTUNE Magazine) – With the end of the century drawing ever closer, we are already being inundated by contests and stunts to determine the most important whatever of the past 100 years. Among the competitions already under way is the voting for Car of the Century, and the early returns are not encouraging.

The concept is simple: Ask automotive journalists from 32 countries to select 100 candidates for the Car of the Century. The first returns are in, and the results are sadly skewed. Japan, which builds the world's best popular-priced cars, managed to place just seven vehicles among the 100 finalists. The U.S., the nation that invented drive-in movies and drive-by shootings, succeeded in getting recognition for only 20 models. The big winner was Europe; 73 of its cars made the finals. Perhaps it is coincidental that 84 of the 135 journalists are European.

In fact, nationalism ran rampant. Lancia, now a barely visible division of Fiat, placed six cars on the list, more than any other manufacturer. A second Italian company, Alfa Romeo, also absorbed by Fiat, tied for second with four cars, as did Jaguar. Two other British makers of defect-prone sports cars, Lotus and MG, each placed two cars on the list, along with Hispano-Suiza, a French company that has been extinct for nearly 60 years. Indeed, the jurors spent a good deal of time looking in their rear-view mirrors: Other departed nominees are Austin, Morris, Cistalia, De Dion Bouton, Delahaye, Panhard, Tatra, and Talbot-Lago.

With all that nostalgia, only two U.S. marques placed more than one car on the list: Ford (with four) and Cadillac (three). Great swaths of the U.S. auto industry are missing, including Buick, Pontiac, Mercury, Plymouth, Jeep, and GMC. Nowhere can be found the 1903 curved-dash Oldsmobile, the world's first mass-produced car, the popular 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with Chevy's first V-8 engine, or the revolutionary Chrysler minivan. And where is the Ford F-150 pickup truck, still the U.S.'s best-selling vehicle?

You may feel sorry for the U.S., but pity poor Japan. Nissan made the list only for its 240Z sports car, while Honda was recognized for the Civic and the NSX supercar but not for the CRX, the first hot subcompact. As for Toyota, generally recognized as the best auto manufacturer in the world, the Lexus LS400 and the Corolla made it but not the Land Cruiser, the 2000GT sports car, or the Camry.

Its shortcomings notwithstanding, the Car of the Century competition is gathering speed. The organizers are planning 21 exhibitions and 39 TV specials, with the winner to be announced during a "live TV extravaganza" to be broadcast worldwide on Dec. 4, 1999. Perhaps the voters will regain their senses and select Ford's Model T, with the Volkswagen Beetle a close second. But the way things are going, don't be surprised to see a Bugatti or a Pegaso streaking toward the finish line.

--Alex Taylor III