Surprised even the experts: The nine longest cars

We stay in Europe: the world-famous Citroën 2CV, often called duck in German-speaking countries, was produced from 1948 to 1990 – but the development of the French classic had already begun in the mid-1930s. . The command of the then legendary Citroën boss Pierre-Jules Boulanger (1885-1950): “Design a car that offers space for two farmers in boots and a hundred kilos of potatoes or a barrel of wine, it is at least 60 km/h fast and only 100 km consumes three liters of gasoline.» The result has delighted generations of drivers.

Of course, the automobile country Germany should not be missing in this ranking. The Mercedes G-Class is considered the prototype of modern all-terrain vehicles and has been produced continuously since 1979. Today the angular Kraxler is a vehicle for the rich and beautiful – the G-Class was developed in the mid-1970s by Daimler’s commercial vehicle division, together with the Steyr-Daimler-Puch, for use in the military and forestry. The off-road capability with locks and reducers bears witness to the original purpose of the vehicle to this day.

Another vehicle has been making its way down a rough road: the Lada Niva has been rolling off the assembly line since 1977 at the huge factory in Togliatti, Russia (named after former Italian communist leader Palmiro Togliatti, 1893-1964). The all-terrain vehicle produced by the Russian automaker AvtoVAS also had many fans in Europe for its real ruggedness – its import has been banned since 2020 due to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. But that doesn’t make the Niva a bad car: the technology is rustic, honest, and therefore easy to repair. Foresters in particular love indestructible Russians.

Anyone who has vacationed in India has most likely sat in the back seat of the Hindustan Ambassador. Largely unknown in Europe, the sedan is based on Morris Oxford Series III technology developed in England and was produced by Indian manufacturer Hindustan from 1958 to 2014. The ambassador is used as a taxi on the streets of India to this day. By the way, Peugeot has now secured the rights to the car brand – maybe there will be a comeback.

In the ranking of automotive long-distance runners, the aforementioned VW Beetle occupies only fourth place with an astonishing 65 years of production. More than 21.5 million rolled off the assembly line between 1938 and 2004 and is still the sixth best-selling car in the world (click here for a ranking of the best-selling cars in history). A symbol of the German economic miracle of the post-war era for many, the Beetle continued to be produced in Brazil until 2019. Unofficially, the Beetle has 81 years of service and sales of 23 million units.

Third place is the Lotus Seven, which has only been produced 2556 times since 1957. However, since 1973, the pure two-seater is no longer manufactured by sports manufacturer Lotus, which, by the way, is sold to China, but by traditional British manufacturer Caterham. Designed for club racing, the Seven still follows the principles of legendary Lotus founder Colin Chapman (1928-1982): A race car must be light and compact. Caterham is now trying to bring the concept into the electric age: the all-electric EV Seven was recently unveiled in Goodwood, England – scheduled to hit the market in 2026.

In the second row it reads: “It never ends on a Rover”. With a production run from 1948 to 2016, the silver medal went not to the classy Range Rover but to its rustic counterpart, the Land Rover Defender. Interestingly, the factory’s manufacturing facility in Solihull, UK, remained the same throughout construction. Technical improvements over the years did not dilute the rustic character of the English either. In 2020, Land Rover presented the successor to the off-road veteran.

There is a real surprise in the first place, where a representative from England also takes the throne. With an incredible production range from 1936 to 2019, the Morgan 4/4 holds the record for the longest continuous production car model in the world. The classic roadster, whose number sequence in its name means nothing more than the car has four wheels and a four-cylinder engine, was replaced in 2020 by its successor, the Plus Four. Very light and powerful Morgan vehicles enjoy cult status in the fan community – around 1000 vehicles are produced each year.