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The very first automaker websites

Thoughts of the simple, information-oriented nature of mid-1990s web browsing make us nostalgic. But as the times have changed, so have websites, lost to the newest update. Or so we thought. Since 1996, the Internet Archive has kept a library of websites for historical documentation that can be accessed through the Wayback Machine - and that includes automaker websites. We discovered the tool through an article on Autoweek's website and did some exploring ourselves. Here's what we found.

Porsche's website was up in 1996, and it's the closest you'll get to reliving the Boxster launch short of breaking out an old issue of Road & Track or Car and Driver. Toyota was there in 1996 as well, with a well-designed website for the time (the links still work!). At the same time, BMW was fine with posting some plain text and its blue-and-white crest for the homepage while assuring us, "We are constantly adding information and news."

Autoweek's piece focuses its attention on American car websites, so be sure to check it out and have some fun with the Wayback Machine yourself.

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