This Is How These 25 Modern Cars Of Famous Brands Look In Comparison With Their Old Versions
One hundred and thirty-seven years have passed since that memorable day when the German mechanic and inventor Karl Benz rode out of the gates of his house in an incredibly creaky, slow and gasoline-stinking carriage, which, by some unimaginable miracle, moved itself, without the slightest participation of horses. Benz's neighbors did not yet assume that they had witnessed a landmark event - the beginning of the automobile era.
Decades have passed since then, mankind has found a replacement for almost everything that was invented in the 19th century, but the car is still in strongest demand all over the world. Then, at the turn of the century many, many years ago, the leading global brands of the rapidly developing automotive industry were both the well-known Ford, Mercedes-Benz or Renault, and the long-gone Isotta Fraschini, Lorraine-Dietrich or Hispano-Suiza.
And the appearance of cars over almost a century and a half has changed beyond recognition. From clumsy strollers, noisy and smelling of smoke, with thin wheels on spokes and completely unsafe on the road, they have acquired swift streamlined shapes, artificial intelligence to assist the driver, while safety has become a key factor in the design of new models. Safety and beauty, of course.
Bored Panda has compiled for you a special selection of comparison illustrations of what the first or one of the first cars of famous contemporary brands looked like compared to some of their latest models. So please feel free to look at these photos, admire the evolution of engineering and design ideas, and do not forget to scroll to the very end and, of course, write your comments below. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!
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Ferrari 125s (1947) vs. Ferrari 812 GTS (2022)
Audi Typ B (1910) vs. Audi RS7 Sportback (2019)
Hyundai Pony (1975) vs. Hyundai Tucson (2022)
id say its a downgrade tbh, the newer models look souless, whereas the older ones have personality and an organic feel to them
Interestingly, the first actual car thief in history had the same last name as its creator. And indeed, in 1888, Bertha Benz, the wife of the author of the first car in history, behind her husband's back and without informing the local authorities, got behind the wheel with her two teen sons and drove to a neighboring city to visit their relatives.
The journey of Bertha Benz took more than a hundred kilometers and became a real sensation all over the world. You can even say that it was Bertha who drew everyone's attention to her husband's invention, proving that a car is not a toy, but a real vehicle. By the way, during her trip, the woman bought gasoline at local pharmacies, where it was sold as a cleaning agent.
Citroen Type C (1921) vs. Citroen C5 Aircross (2019)
I had a 20 year love affair with Citroens - everything from CX's (3) to SM's (2) (the initials denote Sado Masochism) via a few BX's, a couple of XM's and a completely bonkers, bloody annoying and wonderful Safari that I converted into a lovely and very comfortable, small motorhome (OK, maybe not a motorhome but good for getting away for a weekend and not paying for hotels), which, having lavished about £1000 back in 1995, shorted something out one night and burst into flames 2 weeks after completing the year long project - burned the bloody garage down as well, bastard ...... Bugger.
Chrysler Airflow (1935) vs. Chrysler 300C Tourer (2019)
Notice how the new model evokes the front end of the older model? Like paying homage to the past by bringing it forward into the present.
Opel Lutzmann (1899) vs. Opel Mokka-E (2021)
Eight years after Bertha Benz's memorable journey, the first ticket in the history of mankind for speeding was issued. The historic offender was Briton Walter Arnold, who was driving his car at an unimaginable speed of 8 miles per hour. There were no traffic rules then, so the police fined Arnold as if he was riding a horse-drawn carriage.
Honda T360 (1963) vs. Honda CR-V Hybrid (2018)
Jaguar D-Type (1955) vs. Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic (2021)
First Jaguar was the Swallow, also a licence produced Austin Seven. Then came the SS90
Bentley 3 Litre (1919) vs. Bentley Continental GTC (2016)
By the way, despite the fact that Walter Arnold was the first driver fined for speeding, he never became the first racer in history - after all, the first car race took place a year before his incident. The race was the idea of H.H. Kohlsaat, the publisher of the Chicago Times-Herald.
Hoping to promote this new industry and sell more papers, Kohlsaat announced "A Prize for Motors," with a $5,000 purse for "inventors who can construct practicable, self propelling road carriages." The race was originally planned to run from Chicago to Milwaukee, but bad roads forced a shorter course, and it became a 54-mile course from Chicago to Evanston and back.
The official race was held on Thanksgiving Day in temperatures around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with 6 inches of fresh snow and drifts of up to 24 inches. Almost 80 entrants had been promised, but only 11 agreed to run in such weather, and just six cars arrived at the start line. Only two entrants finished and the winner of the first race ever was J. Frank Duryea.
BMW Dixi (1928) vs. BMW Z4 (2022)
The Dixi was a licence product of the Austin Seven ( So was also the french Rosengart LR2)
Dodge Model 30 (1918) vs. Dodge Viper RT/10 (2018)
Mazda R360 (1960) vs. Mazda MX30 (2020)
Look at that lil thing! It's like a go-cart. I bet it would be fun to drive if it has some pep.
Today, the automotive industry continues to evolve as every year there are faster, smarter and safer cars, more and more like futuristic land-based versions of spaceships. But no matter how technically perfect they were, it all started then, one hundred and thirty-seven years ago, in the quiet German town of Mannheim, when Karl Benz, scaring away all the surrounding dogs and to the delight of the neighboring children, rolled out his home-made unit onto the road, marking the birth of a new era.
Fiat 3HP (1899) vs. Fiat 500X (2015)
Benz Patent-Motorwagen (1885) vs. Mercedes-Benz EQS (2022)
Porsche 356 (1948) vs. Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe (2021)
Volkswagen 2 (1948) vs. Volkswagen ID.4
Buick Model B (1904) vs. Buick Envision Premium (2020)
Renault Type AX (1908) vs. Renault Arkana (2021)
In Renault ads a few years ago you had a guy coming to a Renault repair shop with a car like the Type AX for maintenance...
Ford Quadricycle (1896) vs. Ford Puma (2019)
Toyota Model Aa Sedan (1936) vs. Toyota Corolla Cross (2022)
Volvo OV4 (1927) vs. Volvo XC90 (2019)
Chevrolet Series H-2 (1914) vs. Chevrolet Tracker 1.2 Turbo LS (2022)
Mitsubishi Model A (1917) vs. Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (2021)
Nissan Datsun Type 16 Coupe (1937) vs. Nissan X-Trail (2022)
Peugeot Bebe Type BP-1 (1913) vs. Peugeot 308 (2021)
For my personal taste, cars had class, peaked in design 70es and 80es and now they mostly look like fugly tins of metal.
I’m disappointed. I was hoping to see lamborghini with a tracktor lol.
Not sure that these were appropriate comparisons. Seem like a coupe compared to a SUV is not the same thing.
These aren't their old versions. These are cars being compared with SUVs in many cases.
Huh. I've known since grade school that Ford didn't invent the car, but rather the assembly line (much bigger deal, actually). But reading this, I realized I still didn't know who invented the car. Would you believe a Jesuit missionary in China in the 17th century tried to impress the emperor by building a self-propelled carriage? It was a successful prototype, but too small to be practical. Several people built steam cars (France's Nicholas Cugnot's tractor, 1771; UK's William Murdoch, 1780; Walter Hancock's phaeton, 1838; Canada's Henry Taylor's steam buggy, 1867). The first automobile able to be driven on a typical road, however, actually WAS American, Rev. JW Carhart, 1871. His went 200 miles at 6 MPH throughout Wisconsin.
Some of these models of yesteryear brings a sense of nostalgia but I think overall, I still love my 3rd generation Toyota Vios :-D
I thought this was how the same model had been changed over the years. Not just one old, one new car from the same company ...
While I positively drool over some of these original designs, you cannot forget that the original cars back in 1910 were modeled off of house drawn carriages because that made sense. Today cars x are designed for aerodynamics (NOT a concern back then) safety (lol) and speed/ power (again, lol). It's like comparing a Clydesdale to an Arabian. Both horses, but very different.
https://driveshare.com/files/car_images/8850/1659541364_php62ea977463992.jpg.full.jpg?t=1659541376 Chevy Impala 1967 vs Chevy Impala 2017 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQA51_OCMOeeBp2ymB5etNkEVeqO0HpO5IbDw&usqp=CAU
For my personal taste, cars had class, peaked in design 70es and 80es and now they mostly look like fugly tins of metal.
I’m disappointed. I was hoping to see lamborghini with a tracktor lol.
Not sure that these were appropriate comparisons. Seem like a coupe compared to a SUV is not the same thing.
These aren't their old versions. These are cars being compared with SUVs in many cases.
Huh. I've known since grade school that Ford didn't invent the car, but rather the assembly line (much bigger deal, actually). But reading this, I realized I still didn't know who invented the car. Would you believe a Jesuit missionary in China in the 17th century tried to impress the emperor by building a self-propelled carriage? It was a successful prototype, but too small to be practical. Several people built steam cars (France's Nicholas Cugnot's tractor, 1771; UK's William Murdoch, 1780; Walter Hancock's phaeton, 1838; Canada's Henry Taylor's steam buggy, 1867). The first automobile able to be driven on a typical road, however, actually WAS American, Rev. JW Carhart, 1871. His went 200 miles at 6 MPH throughout Wisconsin.
Some of these models of yesteryear brings a sense of nostalgia but I think overall, I still love my 3rd generation Toyota Vios :-D
I thought this was how the same model had been changed over the years. Not just one old, one new car from the same company ...
While I positively drool over some of these original designs, you cannot forget that the original cars back in 1910 were modeled off of house drawn carriages because that made sense. Today cars x are designed for aerodynamics (NOT a concern back then) safety (lol) and speed/ power (again, lol). It's like comparing a Clydesdale to an Arabian. Both horses, but very different.
https://driveshare.com/files/car_images/8850/1659541364_php62ea977463992.jpg.full.jpg?t=1659541376 Chevy Impala 1967 vs Chevy Impala 2017 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQA51_OCMOeeBp2ymB5etNkEVeqO0HpO5IbDw&usqp=CAU
