From the birth of the mass-produced automobile there was recognition that cars could be more than just something to transport people from point A to point B. There was definitely a market for style above the general functionality of a vehicle and automakers responded with luxury versions of their cars. Much like how flashy jewelry or designer clothes indicate wealth, the luxury car became the ultimate status symbol.

Nowadays, a luxury auto includes lots of fancy electronics, but they are still cars finished with the finest materials like they were from the beginning. Though not marketed as race cars, luxury vehicles generally come with powerful engines, because there's no point in having an air of superiority with inferior performance. Simply put, luxury vehicles have the best of the best, and that includes drivetrains, brakes, and suspension system.

British, German, and more recently Japanese automakers have reputations for building the finest luxury cars in the world, but America is no slouch either. Many people think of American-made vehicles as being lower in quality, or perhaps just more utilitarian, but the U.S. not only makes some of the best luxury rides, it has produced some of the greatest upscale vehicles in automotive history.

RELATED: 10 Coolest V-8 Powered Luxury Cars Of The Last Two Decades

10 1929 Duesenberg Model J

A Locomotive-Sized Sports Car

Duesenberg sure sounds like a German automaker, but they were 100 percent American, founded by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in Indianapolis, Indiana. The brothers cut their teeth building aircraft and marine engines during WWI, and turned that expertise into a company that built race cars and personal luxury vehicles.

Power, Performance, And Price

Those two things came together in the Staright-Eight Model J, which came optional with a supercharger, capable of producing 400 horsepower. That's impressive by modern standards, but back in the 1920s, most cars had double-digit horsepower. Unfortunately, these incredibly expensive luxury performance cars came out right around the same time as the stock market crash and weren't big sellers.

9 1930 Cadillac V-16

Cadillac Defines American Luxury

Cadillac started out makings some pretty goofy looking rides that most people wouldn't recognize as a motor vehicle, but figured things out by the late-1920s/early-1930s and established themselves as a premier maker of luxury cars. The V-16, sometimes called the V-Sixteeen, was introduced in 1930 and was the top-of-the-line Cadillac.

Power, Performance, And Price

Like the name would suggest, these Cadillacs came with V-16 engines that MotorTrend described as "magnificent" and "legendary." Designed to be more powerful and smoother than any other car available, they offered an astounding 10 different body styles that were custom-built to order. Over its 11-year run, only 4,076 of these extremely expensive Cadillacs were produced.

8 1949 Cadillac Sixty Special

Post-War Fighter Plane Special

Having come through the Great Depression and the Second World War, luxury American cars weren't quite as opulent in the 1940s. Cars that were considered mid-level like the Pontiac Streamliner Deluxe and the DeSoto Deluxe were among the fanciest rides available in the decade. Cadillac however was still in the business of luxury and the 1949 Sixty Special was the top offering.

Power, Performance, And Price

With a complete redesign in 1948, the Sixty Special had styling inspired by the P-38 Lightning WWII fighter plane. It's also when Cadillac figured out to make a good V-8 engine. The 331ci short-stroke, high-compression engine produced 10 more horsepower and weighed 188 pounds less than the 346ci that used to come standard in the Sixty Special.

RELATED: 10 Obscure Cadillac Models That History Forgot About

7 1956 Continental Mark II

Birth Of The Luxury Legend

The 1956 Continental Mark II was part of the first generation of Mark series, which kind of doesn't make sense. It did make dollars though, as the most expensive American automobile at the time. This luxury car wasn't in competition with Cadillac, it was going after the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley Continental market.

Power, Performance, and Price

While a lot of people may think this car is a Lincoln, it was actually the first and only product from Continental. When the Mark III came along in 1957, it was then a Lincoln Continental. The first-gen Mark IIs were entirely hand-built, with a premium put on quality craftsmanship. It's also the first model to feature the signature Continental tire bump in the trunk.

6 1957 Chrysler 300C

Proto American Muscle

The Chrysler 300 "Letter Series" were high-performance personal luxury vehicles, built from 1955 to 1965. They were named after the 300 horsepower FirePower V-8s under their hoods and considered by some to be the first true American muscle cars. From the beginning, Chrysler advertised the 300 as "America's Most Power Car" and it was at the time.

Power, Performance, and Price

The 1957 300C was one of the coolest cars of the 1950s, as a less boxy Bel Air with a lot more power. This model year is when the Letter Series was upgraded to a 392ci Hemi V-8 and air conditioning became an option for, what would be over $5,000 in today's money. This was the car that established a link between luxury and performance.

5 1965 Buick Riviera

Thunderbird Killer

GM vehicles usually share body styles across brands, but the Riviera "Coke bottle look" was unique to Buick in 1963, when it was introduced. Cadillac was GM's luxury car division, but they let Buick put out one hell of a luxurious performance ride in the mid-1960s. Not only was the car powerful, it was loaded with luxury features like tilt steering wheel, power windows and seats, plus walnut interior inserts.

Power, Performance, and Price

The 1965 Riviera Gran Sport not only came with all the high-end features, it had an upgraded engine, suspension, and exhaust, making it a true luxury performer. MotorTrend raved that the first-gen Riviera toppled the Ford Thunderbird as the king of personal luxury vehicles, adding, "No two ways about it, the Riv was, and is, a scene-stealer of the highest order."

RELATED: The 2023 Chrysler 300C Is One Last Shot Of Nostalgia

4 1976 Cadillac Eldorado

Last Of The Ragtops

1976 was the final year for the Cadillac Eldorado convertible, until they brought it back in 1984. The thing is, Cadillac promoted it as "the last American convertible" and many people bought the ragtop land yachts as investments, only to get submarined by its reintroduction. There was actually an unsuccessful class action lawsuit against GM, brought by unhappy '76 Eldorado convertible buyers.

Power, Performance, and Price

The final 200 Eldorado convertibles were sold with the Bicentennial Edition trim, to celebrate 200 years of American freedom. They came with special patriotic pinstripes, stitched leather seats, and commemorative plaques. They were also equipped with the signature Cadillac 500 engine that got around 9 miles per gallon, which was smack dab in the middle of the oil crisis.

3 1977 Lincoln Continental Mark V

Pimp My Ride

If you were an organized crime boss, pimp, or just a rich guy chomping on cigars in 1977 and you weren't behind the wheel of a Lincoln Continental Mark V, nobody took you seriously. Big, gaudy, and flashy, the car symbolized the materialist excesses of the 1970s. In the simplest of terms, this was the car you drove if you wanted people to think you were important.

Power, Performance, and Price

At almost 20 feet, the Mark V is the longest two-door coupe ever sold by the Ford Motor Company, and probably any automaker. It was the best-selling Mark series Continental, moving 228,262 units in three model years. It also featured the smallest-displacement engine in a Lincoln since the 1950s, but the '77 was all about rolling slowly and looking cool, not drag racing.

2 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac Redefines American Luxury

This list skips a couple of decades, because American luxury in the 1980s and 1990s was nonexistent. Actually it was poorly made and ugly like the ridiculous stubby-trunk 1980 Cadillac Seville. Cadillac however would redefine what luxury meant in the new Millennium with the CTS, introduced in 2003. The massive land yachts were replaced with high-performance luxury compacts.

Power, Performance, and Price

The 2009 CTS-V was one of the most blistering cars ever produced with a supercharged Corvette engine and performance package. Considering the power and features that went into the CTS-V, it was an incredibly affordable luxury vehicle. Car and Driver included the 2009 CTS-V on its best cars of the year list and noted, "Cadillac makes the jump from knuckle dragger to sophisticate in one leap."

RELATED: A 200-MPH Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Really Exists!

1 2023 Lucid Air Sapphire

American Luxury Gets Electrified

The EV Revolution has once again redefined what American luxury means, from massive gas-guzzlers to sleek all-electrics with dragster-style horsepower. There are plenty of six-figure Teslas with luxury pricing, but their stark utilitarian design and finish is anything but luxurious. The Lucid Air however is gorgeous electric vehicle worthy of taking the American luxury car into the next generation.

Power, Performance, and Price

When it comes to a luxury ride, there's no reason not to go for the top version, and with the 2023 Lucid Air, that's the Sapphire. It has the most power, the best range, and most features which Car and Driver says is, "a home run, delivering a posh overall experience with an unbeatable driving range." In 100 years of American luxury, cars have gone from the size of a locomotive to ones that can pull one at 200 mph.