On Wednesday, Hondadebuted the Civic that will see the nameplate through its 50th anniversary. With that in mind, we decided to take a look back at the beloved bread-and-butter offering that made Honda a household name worldwide.

First generation: 1973-79

The first-generation Civic not only kicked off what is basically a five-decade run of Honda's compact nameplate, but it also spawned the Accord, which began life as a long-wheelbase variant of the little hatchback. It was also the testbed for Honda's renowned CVCC engine, which was no doubt a significant contributor to Honda's reputation for building fuel misers.