Most Beautiful Vintage Cars in History

I love vintage cars, I really do.

Vintage cars often hold a testament to the ingenuity that automotive engineers had. They were the basis from which all the greatest classic muscle cars came from, and the beginnings that all the best supercars of today have in common.

In their own way, they embody hope for a great future in a time that has long been past. It's both humbling and mesmerizing, seeing the simple designs that once were considered to be the latest and greatest—only to realize people might end up saying the same thing about what we use today in 100 years or so.

Though many people might think of a Pontiac GTO as a vintage car, this is really not true. If you look at it from a historic automotive community standpoint, cars that actually deserve the vintage label all originate prior to 1930.

Not sure why I love these ancient machines? This list will show you some of the most beautiful vintage cars in automotive history, and what made them so great.

(Note: We will be including cars from the 19th century on here, despite them not technically being from the vintage era of 1915 to 1930. I like these cars, so nyah!)

1924 Chrysler Model B-70

The Model B-70 was the car that helped Chrysler launch to fame, and it's really easy to see why. This beautiful car has a certain boxy, stately appeal to it—especially with the nice little nooks it has for extra tires on the sides of it.

The B-70 was one of the most popular vintage cars of the 20s. At the time, its maximum speed of 75 miles per hour was unheard of, as was its 5 to 25 miles per hour timing of seven seconds. Both powerful and impeccably classy, it's easy to see how Chrysler ruled the Roaring 20s with this machine.

1906 Locomobile Grand Prix

Walter Chrysler, the man who invented the B-70, was originally inspired to start his own car company when he went to an auto fair and saw a Locomobile. The Locomobile company was known for making steam-powered cars during the 19th century and the beginning of the 1900s.

This is one of the first vintage cars made by Locomobile to feature a gas-powered engine, and one of the first to actually be entered in a race. Though this particular Locomobile didn't really win a race until 1908, it still won an international race.

The Locomobile Type 1906, as it was also known, was one of the first production cars to put the now-defunct Locomobile car company on the map. This car is beautiful in its own steampunk way, and maybe that's why people called it the "Mona Lisa" of cars.

1925 Renault 6 CV NN

Though Renault is only occasionally mentioned today, we'd be lying if we didn't admit that they didn't make some of the prettiest vintage cars in history. This unique roadster was the first car to cross the Sahara Desert, running a total of 203 hours to do so.

Renault made this beautiful car to help it drop its "luxury car" tag and help prove to buyers that it was rugged enough to last. It succeeded, and quickly became a 1920s favorite.

Fun Fact: Renault is one of the oldest still-existant car companies in the world, with its origination year being 1899.

1910 Peugeot Type 125 Runabout Double Phaeton

If you want to take a look at some seriously beautiful vintage cars that had that "country club" vibe to them, look no further than Peugeot's Type 125 line. This was a series of mid-range cars that were known for being sporty for their time and having a maximum speed of 31 miles per hour.

The Runabout's Double Phaeton line was particularly impressive, simply because it had bucket seats made out of rich leather and was roofless for open-air driving. These days, open-air driving doesn't really happen, which is why we'll never see something like this again any time soon.

1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

If you love the idea of rolling up in a Rolls-Royce Phantom, you would have loved seeing the precursor: the Silver Ghost. This is the kind of car that James Bond would drive if he lived in the 1900s, and as far as cool cars go, this one is truly a king.

The Silver Ghost was a stretch limo before limos were invented, and somehow still was good enough to act as a muscle car as well. Its top charted speed of 55 miles per hour was a marvel, especially considering that most cars of the time could barely break 30.

1894 De Dion Bouton

Driven by Count De Dion Bouton himself, this is one of the only vintage cars on this list to have ever been considered one of the fastest cars in the world at its time. When this beautiful-yet-strange steam-powered machine had a steam car with a trailer that would pull additional passengers.

It had a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour, which is actually slower than some sprinters. However, at the time, the 1894 De Dion Bouton broke ground and helped people see what kind of potential cars had.

1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe

Rolls-Royce cars are some of the most elegant cars today, so it's not surprising that a lot of their vintage cars still remain serious head-turners today. The Jonckheere Coupe is one such example, thanks to its smooth lines and gorgeous red leather interior.

If you didn't know any better, you'd probably expect this car to have been custom-made in 2017 for a James Bond movie. But, amazingly, this car was created in the mid-20s for the world's most wealthy elite. Amazing how timeless great design can be, no?

1928 Duesenberg Model J

Duesenberg might be the only long-gone car company that could have put Rolls-Royce out of business due to the sheer beauty of their designs. In fact, prior to WWII, this company was the king of the luxury car world and became famous for smashing world records with its powerful engine.

The Model J had a maximum horsepower output of 320—making it comparable to some of the fastest muscle cars of the 70s. Think about that for a minute, and you'll see why Duesenbergs still sell for as much as $10.5 million a pop.

1930 Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Trossi Roadster

Looks like the Batmobile, doesn't it? The Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK Trossi Roadster is the youngest car on this list, but it definitely shows that vintage cars could have serious style. Bruce Wayne would kill for something like this.

Mercedes-Benz's design looks very "Batman" for a reason; it was allegedly one of the cars that helped spark the design of the Batmobile. This particular car belonged to the guy who would eventually be president of Ferrari motors, and he loved its 300 horsepower engine.

It may be one of the weirdest vintage car designs out there, but it sure as hell is pretty, too.

1927 Duesenberg Model X Boat Roadster

Finishing off this list is another Duesenberg, because this really was the time when they flourished. The Model X Boat Roadster is the rarest of all Duesenberg cars and really marked the pinnacle of vintage cars in many ways.

This gorgeous car line had only four cars in it, which is a sad shame. It was as powerfully built as it was pretty. With its 100 mile per hour top speed, it theoretically could have raced some of the muscle cars of the 70s and 80s and won.