The sixties inaugurated a renaissance in car design and operation. Still, the day will come, I believe, when we'll have an electric automobile capable of a 12 second quarter mile that could outdo the 1960's explosion of awesome rides. A lot of revolutionary ideas were tried out in the decade of the sixties. Cars that were made during the sixties were innovative, attractive, and fast.
During the early 60's, the compact car was introduced. Among the products of car makers efforts at coming up with a cheap, drivable, efficient ride were Plymouth's Valiant, Dodge Dart, Chevy Nova and Corvair (rear motor), Buick Skylark, and more. I owned a '61 Pontiac Tempest outfitted with 3 on the floor along with what was in reality a half-sized V8 engine. It was candy red in color and a great little car. My aunt had a Corvair that had a wonderful sports feel and unusual rear engine. Darts and different Mopars stayed running endlessly and their upkeep was a breeze.
During the 60's, auto makers opened up the world of choice, by creating a size range of small, medium, and large vehicles, to cover all the different needs of the American consumer. The public waited expectantly each year to see what was new on cars, from push button transmissions and fins, to bullet lights and radios that had 8 track or cassette players. Even record players were included with some models. Automobile AC's became more efficient as well. Both large and small block V8 engines just kept growing.
The auto maker war of the muscle car competition with each other was started by the introduction of the 1964 389 deuce GTO. Among my other preferences were the 421-equipped '64 Pontiac Grand Prix, the pre-'67 hemi-outfitted Belvedere and Coronet, along with the fine '62-'64 Impalas by Chevrolet. A '62 Ford Galaxie equipped with a 292 fuzz buster was awesome, along with the '66 Galaxie model. You can't forget about the line of Corvettes introduced in the 60's, with the '66 Stingray my Corvette of choice. Naturally the '64 1/2 Mustang initiated the pony car stampede.
1967 can be seen as a turnaround year. The '67 Mustang GT outfitted with a 390 was a bit sluggish yet oh so racy. The GM entry, which was the 1967 Camaro, was very fast and very cool. '68 unleashed the Dodge Scat Pack comprised of the Dart GT, Challenger, and naturally the Coronet Super Bee and R/T. That '68 Charger R/T outfitted with hemi or 440 block was among my top choices ever. It resembled an enormous Manta Ray. That 440 made quite a sound. The GTO Judge, Buick's Grand Sport, and Hurst Olds 4-4-2 were completely awesome as well.
I can remember that my best pal purchased a Super Bee with a 383 and I bought a 440 Coronet R/T. Next, in an effort to outmatch me, he bought a '60 Mustang Mach One (rated at just 335 hp). I was able to find a rare 1969 Police Interceptor Mustang myself. It had a Super Cobra Jet 428 engine which ran with about 410 hp. The transmission cooler, gears, cam, air shocks and much more were included right out of the factory. This was an awe inspiring car. All black with no markings and without a hood scoop, this car had a sleek, foreboding look.
The 70's also produced some great muscle cars, but in my opinion, the 60's cars were still the most outstanding.
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