While the 1960’s were all about a shift in how we viewed war and politics, the classic cars of the era are still just as memorable now as they were then.
Given that we are somehow already living in the 2020’s, it’s easy to forget just how much the world has changed in recent years. For some, the 1960’s feel like yesterday, while for others it’s so long ago that the events of this era seem almost unfathomable. After all, it was during this decade that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Civil Rights Movement came to life, and the Vietnam War commenced – and all of these century shaping events happened in just one country alone.
While these events put the United States firmly in the global spotlight, the changes also extended to the nation’s automotive industry. Muscle cars, pony cars and personal luxury vehicles didn’t exist at all prior to the arrival of the swinging sixties, and while hundreds of new car designs were shown, many of them died out without making a blip on the radar. In saying that, the American automotive industry of the 1960’s also birthed a number of iconic classic cars from this era that are still easily recognisable to just about anyone even now – but which are regarded as the best?
Top Five Classic Cars Of The Sixties
The cars that we now define the era with, experienced a surge somewhere around the middle of the decade, thanks to the first group of baby boomers hitting their twenties and thirties. The second World War was over, they were cashed up, and they were ready to embrace the simple fact that owning one of these cars was a key step on the road to achieving the ‘American Dream’.
The 1960’s were an exciting time to manufacture cars in the United States – new engines were being introduced, new designs were made and competition in the automotive world soared. However, not all of these icons were created equally, so what are regarded as the best of the best when we look back to this generation’s classic cars?
1964 Ford Mustang – In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. The namesake of the ‘pony car’ automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by ‘long hood, short deck’ proportion, it spawned Ford’s competitors to release their own similar models as a means to keep up.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette – The C2 Sting Ray, second-generation Corvette is generally recognised as the one that defined the ‘60s. Coming off the ‘50s first generation model, the ’63 Corvette was based on the Mako Shark concept car. The independent rear suspension and big block were introduced in this generation, making it fast and tough. Though these cars began selling at affordable prices, these days a big block C2 regularly sells for over six figures.
1966 Pontiac GTO – Partly driven by its performance, and partly because of a very effective marketing campaign, the Pontiac GTO quickly became a sales success. From Forrest Gump to the Fast and The Furious franchise, many of our favourite films feature a Pontiac GTO muscle car not just as a prop, but arguably as a staple character in their own right and cementing it’s cult status as one of America’s most prized muscle cars.
1967 Plymouth Barracuda – The bigwigs at Plymouth knew that the soon to be released Mustang was set to become a success. With Chevrolet already reaping the rewards from the Corvette, Plymouth were all too aware that they had to release their own muscle car – and soon. By combining features of other classic cars of this era, Plymouth focused on creating an automobile that simply performed well both on the street, and on the books.
1968 Dodge Charger – While Dodge already had a long history in the production of powerful, sophisticated engines and transmissions, they were sitting on a stockpile of ‘old man cars’’. However, this image was well and truly shaken off with the release of models such as the powerful 1968 Charger, which were in turn embraced by revheads who were looking for performance on a budget.
While the appeal of classic cars vary depending on who you talk to, it’s no secret that classic car enthusiasts all speak the same language, and all share the same passion for the vehicles of a bygone era much like the swinging sixties. Instead of trying to go it alone and buy one online or at auction, it makes sense to work with someone who shares that same passion – but where do you start?
Your Guide To Everything Classic Cars
Finding a fellow vintage auto enthusiast can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack, but rest assured that Classic’s Garage understands the thrill more than most. Having spent forty years collecting anything and everything from matchbox cars to hub caps, he’s successfully followed his passion to source, collect and stock beautiful and low mileage classic automobiles from around the world. With extensive experience in the automotive industry, it was only a matter of time before Wayne expanded on his love of vintage, iconic vehicles to share his knowledge and passion with the public.
Although his passion is for automobiles built before 1978, with a particular love for Buicks, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Oldsmobiles and even Fords, Wayne is just as passionate about the stories of the owners. Just like the cars, he has found that his fellow classic car enthusiasts all have wildly different attractions and logic behind their passion or hobby, and this often translates into how the car is presented. If it’s even remotely different, rare or just plain unusual, Wayne will overcome the relevant logistical and geographical challenges of bringing the cars to his showroom in Australia.
Classic’s Garage is a showroom conveniently located at Seventeen Mile Rocks, that specialises in the restoration and sales of vintage automobiles. If you’re on the hunt for Brisbane classic cars – quite simply, Wayne is your man. If you would like to arrange a viewing or inspect any other of our classic vehicles, please get in touch with us today.
