9 Vehicles With the Longest Production Lifespans Ever
Most car models are lucky to survive a single decade on the production line. Market shifts, rising costs, and fickle consumer tastes send even beloved nameplates to the graveyard. But a handful of vehicles have defied that logic and have remained in continuous production for 60, 70, even 90+ years. These cars are still rolling off factory floors. What keeps a vehicle alive when everything around it changes? The answers range from military heritage and engineering stubbornness to outright design genius, and more than a few will surprise you.
1. Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 was never supposed to be called the 911. When Porsche unveiled the car at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, it was designated “901.” Peugeot filed a trademark objection as the French automaker held exclusive rights to three-digit model numbers with a zero in the middle. Porsche scrambled, swapped the zero for a one, and accidentally created one of the most iconic model names in automotive history. In continuous production since 1964, over 1.2 million units have been built.
2. Mini
When British engineer Alec Issigonis unveiled the Mini on August 26, 1959, he revolutionized the compact car. The original Mini stayed in continuous production from 1959 until 2000, then was reborn under BMW ownership starting in 2001, turning into a combined 67-year legacy. Here’s the twist: the Renault 4 actually outsold the Mini by nearly 3 million units. Yet the Renault 4 faded into obscurity while the Mini became a global cultural icon. Three Monte Carlo Rally victories cemented the Mini’s reputation.
3. Nissan Skyline
The Nissan Skyline wasn’t built by Nissan. When the first Skyline rolled off the line in 1957, it was produced by the Prince Motor Company, a small Japanese automaker named after Crown Prince Akihito. Prince merged with Nissan in 1966, and the Skyline nameplate came along, eventually spawning the legendary GT-R performance variant that racked up 49 consecutive touring car race victories in Japan. With a production run stretching 69 years, the Skyline represents one of the longest-lived nameplates in Japanese automotive history.
4. Toyota Crown
Before the Camry and the Corolla, there was the Crown. Introduced in Japan in January 1955, the Toyota Crown holds the distinction of being the first Toyota ever exported to the United States. In 1958, 30 Crown Deluxe sedans arrived on American shores under the “Toyopet” nameplate. Now 71 years into production, the Crown has outlived entire automotive brands. Most Americans don’t realize this seemingly new model is actually one of the oldest continuously produced cars on Earth. It is older than the Mustang and the Camaro.
5. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Every safety feature and luxury innovation you take for granted in modern cars likely debuted in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class first. Airbags, anti-lock brakes, adaptive cruise control, and electronic stability control, the S-Class served as the technology laboratory for the entire automotive industry. In continuous production since 1954, the S-Class has been the global benchmark for flagship sedans for 72 consecutive years. It outlasted the Jaguar XJ, discontinued after 51 years in 2019. The S-Class endures because every generation resets the standard, forcing every other luxury automaker to respond.
6. Chevrolet Corvette
On June 30, 1953, the first production Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the line in Flint, Michigan, with a white, fiberglass-bodied roadster featuring the first mass-produced plastic-laminated fiberglass body in automotive history. Just 300 were produced that first year. Now 73 years deep, the Corvette holds a singular title: the only continuously produced two-seater sports car from any American automaker. Over 1.9 million have been sold across eight generations. The TV series Route 66 turned the Corvette into a symbol of American freedom.
7. Toyota Land Cruiser
The Toyota Land Cruiser has been in continuous production for 75 years. Originally built as a military-style utility vehicle for the Japanese National Police Reserve, the Land Cruiser evolved into the definitive global adventure truck. By 2019, Toyota had sold its 10 millionth Land Cruiser. In Australia, it remains the best-selling four-wheel-drive vehicle. The model’s legendary reliability is a survival requirement for buyers operating in some of the most remote environments on Earth, from African aid agencies to United Nations operations.
8. Ford F-Series
Is the Ford F-Series a car? The debate rages on, but this much is inarguable: the F-Series has been in continuous production since 1948, spanning 78 years. Ford sold 828,832 F-Series trucks in the U.S. in 2025 alone, extending its streak as America’s best-selling truck for the 49th consecutive year. No other vehicle in American history has maintained that kind of commercial dominance for that long. At a conservative estimate, cumulative U.S. sales likely exceed 40 million units. The F-150 alone has become cultural shorthand for American blue-collar identity.
9. Chevrolet Suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban has been in continuous production since 1935, which is an unbroken run of 91 years that no other vehicle on Earth can match. When the Suburban debuted, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, and Social Security hadn’t yet been established. It began life as one of the first all-metal-bodied station wagons, evolved into the progenitor of the modern full-size SUV, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. It is the only vehicle ever to receive one.
