Twenty-five years ago, “Top Gun,” and “Platoon,” were among the year’s top movies, while “Cheers” and “Murder, She Wrote” were favorites among television audiences. And it also 1986 when the Chevrolet Corvette convertible, Honda Accord and Mercedez-Benz 300D all began new chapters of their enduring legacies.
Cars 25 years old are eligible for the Antique Automobile Club of America car show.
As such, here’s a list of key eligible cars from 1986:
Acura Integra, Acura Legend, Cadillac Eldorado, Chevrolet Corvette (convertible), Ford Aerostar, Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Honda Accord, Mazda RX-7, Mercedes-Benz 300E/300D, Toyota Celica.
Some of the best-known cars from 1986 are more significant than others.
The Chevrolet Corvette convertible, for example, was important because the famed sports car wasn’t available as a droptop for 11 years because new government rollover standards prompted GM to discontinued convertibles.
Honda introduced the third generation of the Accord, which was three inches longer than the previous edition. It was available with 98 or 110 horsepower.
Do the Corvette convertible, Honda Accord or any other 1986 car models, now 25 years old, warrant iconic status in addition to their new status as “antique cars?”
Article Last Updated: March 13, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
I think the Honda Accord has reached iconic status because other manufacturers of cars are designing their offerings more like the Accord style for the 4 door passenger sedan. It amazes me how alike the body styles are, even new luxury cars like the Mercedes are reminiscent of the Accord.