The Look.

The family sedan was just one of many popular designs in the 1990s, but Americans also bought everything from bulky sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to the rounded Volkswagen Beetle to sleek, luxury roadsters. Designers throughout most of the decade seemed to base their creations not so much on their imaginations as on the dictates of government rules on safety, fuel economy, and the environment. Some notable designs included the 1994 Chrysler LH sedans, which moved the base of the windshield forward and increased the wheelbase by pushing the rear wheels back to create a new look; the 1998 Mercedes-Benz ML320 SUV combined carlike qualities without sacrificing off-road capability. Another important design was the Ford Taurus. When Ford Motors introduced the 1986 Taurus, its softly rounded contours were a sharp contrast to the boxy-looking cars favored in the early and mid 1980s. The "jelly bean...