Cars of the 60's

Cars of the 60's

The average 1960s car cost about $2,752, and a gallon of gas was around 31 cents.

The 1960's automobiles belonged to a distinct decade of automobile history with the advent of economy, muscle and pony cars.

The 1960's saw the American automobile industry consolidating into the Big Three: General Motors, Ford Chrysler and American Motors. These firms not only dominated the domestic market with the sales of the 1960s cars, but the global market as well. In 1960, American companies built 93 percent of the autos sold in the United States and 48 percent in the world.

In the mid-1950s, however, led by Volkswagen and soon followed by Fiat, Renault, Datsun (Nissan) and Hillman, imports began to nibble their way into the rich American market. The growing presence of imports disturbed Detroit, and the Big Three responded with their own small 1960s cars. GM produced the Corvair, Ford the Falcon and Chrysler the Valiant.

Chevy Corvair

Ford Falcon

Chrysler Valient

1963 Buick Riveria

1962 Buick Special

1961 Oldsmobile F85

1961 Pontiac Tempest

GM introduced three new smaller cars in the U.S. as 1961 models: the Buick Special, Oldsmobile F-85 and Pontiac Tempest.

Oldsmobile F-85 was a compact sedan, coupe and station wagon powered which had a V8 engine from 1961 to 1963. In 1964, the F-85 was upgraded to an intermediate sized car. The Cutlass was initially the top model of the F-85 line, but became a separate model by 1964 with the F-85 nameplate continued only on the lowest priced models through the 1972 model year. Subsequently, all Oldsmobile intermediate 1960s cars were Cutlasses.

1964 Oldsmobile F85

1964 Cutless Custom 2 Door Coupe

1966 Chevrolet Corvair 500

The Corvair would represent several production firsts for Chevy, including their first (only) rear air cooled engine, first unitized body, first production car turbo and fully independent suspension for each wheel-front and rear.

Chevrolet introduced the radical Corvair which featured an aluminum 6 cylinder rear engine layout. The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 500 Deluxe came with a basic Corvair engine, one-barrel carburetor and three-speed manual transmission. Chevy may not have "copied" the VW 1960s cars, but many of the basics of the air cooled rear engine, compact transaxle and suspension were similar, with the main difference that the Corvair was larger, inside and outside and was an "American size compact". The Corvair would represent several production firsts for Chevy including: their first (only) rear air cooled engine, first unitized body, first production car turbo and fully independent suspension for each wheel-front and rear.

1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza

Early in 1960 a "sporty" Monza model was offered with bucket seats, full wheel covers and full vinyl interior. These sporty 1960s cars were to really "drive" Corvair sales and attract the interest of enthusiasts in the coming years.

Even during this early period the Corvair was developing a following and was considered one of the "sportier" compacts, sometimes being referred to as a "poor man's Porsche".

As part of the 1962 model year, Chevrolet introduced a new line of 1960s, the Chevy II. The initial Corvair had been positioned as an economy car, but it was much more successful with the plusher trim and sportier image of the Monza model which sold well in 1961.

1966 Chevy II Nova SS

1964 Plymouth Valient

Chrysler had its Valiant. It was conventional in layout, but actually was extraordinary in its new features. The Valiant was sold as a separate brand in the first year, but subsequently displayed Plymouth logos. The first generation was launched in 1960 and lasted until 1962. It consisted of a unibody car. It was restyled in 1963 then totally redesigned in a style reminding of European cars of the time. From 1963, Dodge used the Valiant as a base for its Dart models.

The only survivor of the Detroit compacts, the Valiant lived up to 1976 when it was replaced by the Volare and its Dodge clone the Aspen. From its creation, the Valiant and its various imitations had found a market, but although profitable, it did not suffice to stop Plymouth from its share of 1960s cars.

In fact, the paradox is that the success of the Valiant led Plymouth to make another costly mistake. Assuming the mood for smaller 1960s cars, it downsized its whole fleet. Unfortunately, the majority of customers still wanted larger cars, and Plymouth lost more market shares.

The Mercury Comet was the “everything” car for Mercury. Introduced in 1960 on a stretched Falcon frame, the Comet had to be Mercury's compact, intermediate and pony car entry at the same time. The planned 1961 Edsel Comet compact car was relabeled the Mercury Comet, and more cars were sold in its first year than all models of Edsel ever produced.

The Comet was developed as a compact car for the Edsel line. But with the Edsel brand eliminated before the 1960 model year, Ford released the Comet as a separate model that was sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers.

1962 Mercury Comet

The Mercury Comet was the everything car for Mercury.

Fewer than 6,000 Edsels survived, and today they are considered collectors’ items, with convertibles sometimes selling for over $20,000 if in good condition.

Cheap and easy to repair, the new Rambler was a hit in the recession-racked year of 1958, when American Motors was the only domestic car manufacturer to show a profit. In 1960, Rambler produced over 450,000 cars, and became number three in sales among domestic brands.

Ramblers were the first cars to use unibody construction throughout their model lineup. The primary advantage of this technology was a stronger structure without the need for a separate chassis. With less squeaks and rattles, the overwhelming majority of contemporary automobiles, with the exception of trucks and some SUV’s, owe their design to some form of this 1960s cars' original unitized body construction innovation.

1964 Rambler Classic 770

In another safety milestone, Rambler was the first to offer seat belts as an option in 1950, and the first to provide them as standard equipment by the end of the decade.

By 1962, the introduction of compact cars by the big three automakers had decreased Rambler’s market share.

Rambler introduced some of the most attractive designs of any manufacturer during the mid-1960s. AMC Rambler Limited Edition Extra puts added emphasis on this period with tests of the again redesigned Classic and Ambassador series for 1966, and the introduction of the Classic-based Marlin for 1965.

1960 Rambler Ambassador

1965-67 Rambler Martin

The unsophisticated Marlin was an attempt to capture a piece of the “personal car” market dominated by the Ford Thunderbird and Buick Riviera. Unfortunately, Rambler’s attempt to compete with the “Big Three” met with limited success. Their 1960s cars were not selling well. The Rambler name was falling out of favor in a market dominated by flashiness and horsepower. A new image was in the works, and by 1968 the Rambler name, for years a symbol of economy, was shown the door - ending a saga of 1960s cars known for gas saving.

1960s cars were some of the most beautiful cars ever to cruise the asphalt jungles of cities and country alike. If there is a golden age of cars, then it's the '60s. From the birth of muscle cars, to the surge of sports cars from Europe, the 1960s are steeped in automotive lore. But it's the look of 1960s cars that outdoes anything else. Without doubt, the best looking cars ever to grace the Earth were made in the1960s. The cars of the 1960s were both stylish and powerful: 1960s sports cars were especially cool.