2025 is a big year for special birthdays—from silver, gold, and platinum anniversaries to some solid in-betweeners, there are quite a few popular cars and trucks celebrating big milestones this year.
So, like we often do, we made a list of our most favorite ones. Check out the ten below and see if you agree with our pics—and if you think we made some egregious oversight, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Our 10 Favorite Vehicle with Milestones in 2025
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10. AMC Pacer
The Pacer first hit the roads in 1975, making 2025 its Golden Anniversary.
Go ahead, snicker all you want—but in A LOT of ways, the AMC Pacer was innovative beyond its years. Standing in stark contrast to the large domestic sedans of the era, the Pacer’s big greenhouse and usable space belied its compact car status. Look closer and you’ll see the asymmetrical doors that further enhanced its practicality (and was a feature mimicked later by several other automakers).
The Pacer’s slippery profile helped thwart the impending gas crisis and, with rack and pinion steering and an integrated roll bar hoop, it set handling and safety benchmarks that would soon become established standards in the industry.
Cue “Bohemian Rhapsody” and join us in wishing the AMC Pacer a Happy 50th!
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9. Z32 Nissan 300ZX
Though it technically was released in 1989 for the Japanese market, the United States didn’t see it until the 1990 model year, so the earliest Z32 Z cars are now officially 35 years old.
Dubbed “Z32” by enthusiasts thanks to its internal model designation, these cars continued Nissan’s innovative push—namely in its twin-turbocharged form that made 300 horsepower, impressive output for the era. Toss in features like four-wheel steering and T-Tops, and you can easily see the appeal here.
The Z32 went racing too, racking up plenty of IMSA victories with Steve Millen behind the wheel, and in 1994 a 300ZX grabbed the GTS-1 class win at the fabled 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Oh, and it wears what are arguably the best-looking taillights ever put on a motor vehicle.
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8. S197 Ford Mustang
Remember the first time you saw the “new” retro Mustang in the wild? It was jaw-dropping, and many enthusiasts regard the S197 as the catalyst for the revival of late-model muscle.
That was two decades ago—feel old yet?
Yup, the fifth-gen. S197 Mustang bowed in 2005, solid axle and all. Initially equipped with either a trusty Cologne 4.0L V6 or the 4.6L Mod Motor V8, the latter GT version could cut sub-14 second quarter miles—and that number would gradually improve as performance inched forward thanks to the arrival of the vaunted 5.0L Coyote.
Most importantly, the S197 Mustang just…looked…cool. With the right blend of old and new style, the Mustang rode the retro wave better than most and it set the tone for the later Mustang generations to come.
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7. Chevy Camaro Z28 IROC-Z
The official patch-layer of high school parking lots across the country is now 40 years old.
Chevy first introduced us to the IROC-Z Camaro back in 1985. After a long run on the outgoing F-body platform, the 3rd-Gen. Camaro debuted in the International Race of Champions in 1984 and the Bowtie brass thought an accompanying special model would be a hot seller.
And it was. First offered as a performance trim level a notch above the Z28, the early IROC-Z cars were the fastest, lowest, and most nimble 3rd-gen. Camaros you could get, thanks to a host of suspension upgrades and a tweaked TPI system poached from the C4 Corvette.
Pretty soon after its release in 1985, the IROC-Z became *the* Camaro to have and it would grow into a performance staple for the latter half of the 20th century.
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6. Jeep CJ-5
Despite being heavily derived from the M38-A1 military vehicle that arrived in 1953, the “Civilian Jeep” CJ-5 was officially released as a 1955 model. With an iconic grille and rounded fenders, the CJ-5 silhouette established the signature Jeep look that persevered well into the 1980s.
That’s perhaps the most endearing part about the CJ-5 in particular: It soldiered on for close to 30 years, but there’s not a whole lot of visual differences between the 1955 and 1983 models that bookend the CJ-5’s incredible career—and that’s despite a host of ownership changes, driveline configurations, and safety regulation evolutions along the way.
Happy 70th, CJ-5!
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5. E-Body Dodge Challenger
Believe it or not, it took Dodge a few years before it entered the Pony Car market—two generations after Plymouth had introduced its Barracuda in 1964.
Debuting in 1970, it was clear that the wait was worth it. Positioned a bit more upmarket than its E-Body cousin, the Challenger had a larger wheelbase and a bit more refinement that put it in the same league as some of the “upscale” Pony Cars like the Pontiac Firebird and Mercury Cougar.
Yet the performance was there, thanks to a mix of optional V8s—up to and including the 426 Hemi. You also had a handful of special trims, with our favorite being the Trans Am homologation special, the Challenger T/A (which was completely distinct from the AAR ‘Cuda, by the way).
So yes, the Challenger is 55 years old now and can still roast tires like it was fresh from the showroom.
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4. Tri-Five Chevy
Produced from 1955 to 1957, these classic Chevy passenger cars are lovingly referred to as “Tri-Fives” thanks to their enduring style. In fact, if you ask anyone—gearhead or not—to picture a car from the 1950s, there’s a good chance they’re thinking of a Tri-Five.
But two-tones and tailfins aside, these models are notable for introducing the automotive world to the small block Chevy V8.
So if you’re playing along at home, it means the earliest SBCs are now 70 years old.
Yowza—that’s seven decades of propelling some of the most famous vehicles ever made. From Studebakers to Stingrays, the small block Chevy wound up in some amazing rides and we have the 1955 Chevy passenger cars to thank for that.
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3. AMC Rebel Machine
To prove that Kenosha could counterpunch Detroit in the 1960s musclecar fight, AMC unleashed The Rebel Machine in 1970, 55 years ago.
To create The Machine, AMC took its Rebel midsize and plopped the AMX’s 390ci V8 between the frame rails. Inside you’ll find a Hurst shifter coupled to a Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed. The end result was a mid-14 quarter mile ET and a top speed north of 120 mph.
Suffice it to say, it shook the stereotype of AMC being a staid car company.
Sadly, The Machine was a one-year-only affair, and while records vary, AMC enthusiasts agree that only around 1,900 to 2,300 AMC Rebel Machines were assembled.
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2. Buick GSX
Though Buick released its “Stage 1” package a few years prior, the GSX took things up a notch with a styling/performance option befitting a true luxury muscle car. The GSX trim began in 1970, but the package endured through 1972, where ever-tightening regulations and rising insurance rates signaled the end of the big-cube musclecar party.
The GSX kit included a mix of appearance and suspension upgrades, but the real GSX magic stemmed from the mighty 455ci Buick Big Block and its 510 ft.-lbs. of torque—the most produced by an American Car until it was de-throned by the Viper’s V10 30+ years later.
Any car that can hold onto a record like that is worth some applause, and at 55 years old now, the GSX still drops plenty of jaws on the boulevard.
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1. Corvette ZR-1 (Twice!)
We’re getting a two-fer at Number 1 here.
For starters, the fabled ZR-1 package first appeared on Corvettes back in 1970 with the C3 Stingray generation. That means the O.G. ZR-1 Vettes are celebrating 55 years.
The original ZR-1 package was based on the C3’s already-potent LT-1 small block engine combo—only it added more competition, track-ready upgrades to the brake, suspension, and cooling systems. In other words, it was a grassroots racing starter pack.
But for a lot of gearheads, the C4 ZR-1 released in 1990 upped the Corvette’s performance prestige even higher.
And it started with an all-new powerplant. Dubbed the LT5, the C4 Corvette ZR-1’s engine was somewhat based on the traditional small block Chevy V8 architecture—but that’s about where the similarities end. Thanks to a fresh aluminum block and dual overhead cams, the LT5 made 375 horsepower at its debut 1990.
But the final year of the ZR-1 in 1995, that output had swelled to 405—a simply astonishing number for the time.
All told, the “King of the Hill” Corvette ZR-1 set records for both performance and reliability, demonstrating to the planet’s most respected automakers (namely those in Stuttgart and Milan) that General Motors could build a world-beating performance coupe.
…And even though its performance numbers have been bested in the past 35 years, there’s no denying that the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 was an era-defining sports car.
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So, did we miss one on our birthday list? What other vehicles are celebrating big milestones this year? Please let us know in the comments section below.
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