It’s astonishing just how much a car can change over the years. Sometimes, the only similar parts about a car can be the badge name of the car. It’s easy to compare a car to it’s predecessors when you put them next to each other, but that can be boring. EBay Motors found a new way to show all of the different generations of some given cars. The animations shown below from eBay Motors show the design progression and growth of four popular cars, with some of the cars going back over 60 years.
The Ford Mustang’s design evolution is truly all over the place when it comes to design and size changes. The styling comes a complete 360 degrees, starting with the original 1964 1/2 model and progressing all of the way through the retro-styled years of 2005-2014. Dimensions grow, then shrink drastically, then grow again, within just four generations. By the time that we get to the 2015 model, the Mustang has shifted away from the cool retro styling and is almost as long as the 1971 model. While it is difficult to say how accurate the scale is in all of these animations, eBay Motors says that the size changes are real-life.
Next up is the Chevrolet Corvette, also an American icon. It changes dramatically in the first 3 generations (C1, C2, and C3 for you Corvette enthusiasts), but begins a gradual design evolution from the 4th generation (C4) onwards. The C4’s wedge-shaped front end and gradually sloping roof carry over into the C7 Corvette. Granted, there are a lot of changes, but the basic profile of the C4 Corvette can still be clearly seen in any Corvette from then on out.
The BMW 3-Series may see the most dramatic change in size. Starting with the tiny E21 generation (the 1st generation), the 3 Series grows in every direction through each of it’s 6 generations until it bloats to the size of the F30 generation BMW 4 Series (the replacement for the 3 Series coupe). Because of BMW’s new naming scheme, the 4 Series is shown to keep the two-door BMW 3 Series going. The final car shown in the animation, the 4 Series, barely fits in the picture box.
The Honda Accord’s size progression is almost as drastic as the BMW 3 Series. It grows substantially from the small first generation model. By the 8th generation, the Accord barely fits inside of the picture box. The current model (the 9th generation) is a little bit smaller than the 8th generation model, but the car is still much, much larger than the tiny 1st generation Accord. Styling-wise, the Accord is pretty gradual, especially in generations 6-9.
Some of the cars shown in the animations will shock you at how much they grow. The BMW 3 Series and the Honda Accord shocked me. See what shocks you.
The Unmuffled Auto News 
That is cool! Would hate to see this done to a photo of me through the years!! 🙂
It is cool!
This is really awesome! I remember seeing incarnations of these cars through the years. Who did the animation?
Somebody at eBay Motors did the animations. It is very awesome.
That’s really cool. It’s cool to see how even through the decades each car retains its unique shape.
Yeah, it is very cool how each car retains it’s own shape.