Car of the Century facts for kids

The Car of the Century (COTC) was a special international award. It was given to the most important car of the 20th century. A group called the Global Automotive Elections Foundation managed the whole process. The winner was the Ford Model T. It was announced at a big event on December 18, 1999, in Las Vegas, USA.

1st place: Ford Model T

How the Best Car Was Chosen

Choosing the "Car of the Century" involved a detailed plan. It all began in October 1996. A committee offered a list of 700 cars. These cars were suggested by car experts and clubs.

In February 1997, the list was narrowed down to 200 cars. This was announced at a car show in Amsterdam. An honorary group of independent car experts picked these 200 cars.

Next, a jury of 133 professional car journalists from 33 countries took over. They reduced the list to 100 cars. This result was shared at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1997.

The process continued with a public vote online. People chose 10 cars. At the same time, the professional journalists picked 25 cars. Interestingly, 9 of the 10 cars chosen by the public were also on the journalists' list. The AC Cobra was the extra car chosen by the public. So, 26 cars were announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999. These were the nominees for the next round.

2nd place: Mini

3rd place: Citroën DS

4th place: Volkswagen Beetle

5th place: Porsche 911

The Top Nominees

Here are the 26 cars that were nominated for the award:

The 26 nominees

Make	Type	Year	Country
AC	Cobra	1965–1967	UK/US
Alfa Romeo	Giulietta Sprint Coupé	1954–1968	Italy
Audi	Quattro	1980–1991	Germany
Austin	Seven	1922–1939	UK
BMW	BMW 328	1936–1940	Germany
Bugatti	T35	1926–1930	France
Chevrolet	Corvette Stingray	1963–1967	US
Citroën	Traction Avant	1934–1957	France
Citroën	2CV	1948–1990	France
Citroën	DS19	1955–1975	France
Ferrari	250 GT SWB Berlinetta	1959–1962	Italy
Fiat	500 Topolino	1936–1948	Italy
Ford	Model T	1908–1927	US
Ford	Mustang	1964–1968	US
Jaguar	XK120	1948–1954	UK
Jaguar	E-Type	1961–1975	UK
Land Rover	Range Rover	1970–present	UK
Mercedes-Benz	S/SS/SSK	1927–1932	Germany
Mercedes-Benz	300 SL Coupé	1954–1957	Germany
Morris/Austin	Mini	1959–2000	UK
NSU	Ro 80	1967–1976	Germany
Porsche	911	1964–present	Germany
Renault	Espace	1984–present	France
Rolls-Royce	Silver Ghost	1907–1925	UK
Volkswagen	Beetle	1938–2003	Germany
Volkswagen	Golf	1974–present	Germany
Willys	Jeep	1941–1945	US

From these 26 cars, the jury was asked to pick five finalists. These five cars would then go into the very last round of voting. The final nominees were announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1999.

The Winners!

For the final round, each jury member ranked the five cars in their favorite order. Points were given based on their rankings. The car with the most points won! Here are the final results:

See also

In Spanish: Automóvil del Siglo para niños

• Car Designer of the Century
• Car Engineer of the Century
• Car Entrepreneur of the Century
• Car Executive of the Century
• List of motor vehicle awards