Recently, Motor Trend Magazine reached a significant milestone in its history: the sixtieth anniversary of its birth as a publication. This is impressive for most any publication, and especially noteworthy for car nuts. I grew up with Motor Trend (and Road and Track, and Car and Driver, and Hot Rod, and Street Rodding … and … well, you get the picture). I spent many hours as a fledgling car nut reading all the old issues my dad kept in the basement (just in case he wanted to read them again someday). My mother despised these magazines, not because she held cars and the place they occupied in my dad’s life in some sort of contempt (she didn’t). She despised this collection because when we moved (which was every few years back in those days), it meant we would have to pack them in up boxes and move them with us - and if I remember correctly, mom did most of the packing.

I learned a lot from these magazines, Motor Trend especially. It always seemed like the editors were having so much fun, and it always seemed to me that they had a grip on what was cool (to car geeks, at least). And they had cool jobs. Motor Trend took another sharp right hand turn directly into coolsville for me a few years ago when they published a special bimonthly magazine called Motor Trend Classic. It was exactly what it sounded like, and so much more. It contained many great stories about some seriously interesting classic and potentially forgotten cars, and those who restored, drove, owned, and enjoyed them. I distinctly remember a fantastic story about the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra’s mansion in Palm Springs, and his beautiful Chrysler-powered Ghia L6.4. It was great, but unfortunately all good things must end, and so it was that Motor Trend Classic came off the presses for the last time shortly afterward in 2007. But I’ve still got my pristine copies in the basement that I’m waiting to share with my four year old daughter.

So - when they recently compiled a list of the sixty coolest cars of all time to help celebrate this anniversary, I dug in and enjoyed it. You may not agree with everything included (or NOT included) in this list, but I’m sure you will agree that it’s a great list full of some very cool cars. You may also be surprised by where some of these cars appear ON the list.

Here, then, are some highlights of the list:

• The 1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GTO makes an appearance at # 59 (see what I mean about surprises? I would have placed this one higher.).

• The 1960-1962 Ghia L6.4 (as mentioned above - beautiful and rare).

• McLaren F1 (necessary, I think).

• 1968-1974 Ferrari Daytona (awesome).

• 1965-1966 Shelby GT350 (the 350H was the greatest rental car ever).

• 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger (I feel a need to watch “Vanishing Point”).

• 1999-current Pagani Zonda (“If Han Solo couldn't fly the Millennium Falcon, he'd drive one of these.”).

• 1959-1967 Jaguar MK II (strikingly beautiful, even when the Lucas electrics went sideways).

• 1949-1951 Mercury (long live the lead sled).

• 1969-1973 Datsun 240Z (just plain cool).

• 1964-current Porsche 911 (nothing more need be said).

• 1954-1954 Hudson Hornet (Won 49 of 71 NASCAR races in two years - awesome).

• 1975-1981 Mercedes-Benz 6.9 (a sledgehammer shaped like a luxury sedan).

• 1961-1975 Jaguar E-Type (timeless beauty).

• 1955-1965 Chrysler 300 (A power-lifter in a business suit. TOTALLY cool).

• 1970 Plymouth Road Runner / Dodge Charger Daytona (loud, fast, and cool).

• 1989-current Mazda MX-5 Miata (not girly when you stuff a V8 into it).

• 1963-1969 Ford GT40 (it won Lemans 4 times in a row. And it was gorgeous!).

• 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham (it was the meaning of American luxury).

• 1966-1973 Lamborghini Miura (“if Sophia Loren were a car, she’d be this one.”).

• 1967-1970 Toyota 2000GT (it even appeared in a Bond movie).

• 1963-1967 Corvette Stingray (might even be as beautiful as the E-Type).

• 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback (Steve McQueen + car chase = cool).

• 1964 Pontiac GTO (perhaps the first true muscle car).

• 1992-1995 Dodge Viper (dangerous = cool).

• 1974-1989 Lamborghini Countach (you know you had the poster).

• 2009 Nissan GT-R (and they shall call him ‘Godzilla’).

• 1963-1965 Aston Martin DB5 (James Bond + some nonstandard equipment = cool).

• 1962-1969 AC Shelby Cobra (guess where this placed on the list).

Enjoy!