Wild yet beautiful styling. To my eyes the entire early '60s Ford/Lincoln line was attractive. Styling is of course totally subjective but to me the Virgil Exner Mopars of that era looked like cartoon cars.
2:50 I think the carburetor spacer with coolant running through it is intended to stabilize the carb temperature. If as claimed they were cooling the crankcase they would have used an oil cooler.
Always a car nut, as a 14 year old I would watch Bewitched only for the Chevrolet commercials. I would lay on the floor in front of the TV waiting for the ads showing the exciting 65's. In those days the morning and evening newspapers would have full page ads for all the new cars which were introduced in September. I still remember the awe and excitement at seeing those gorgeous cars for the first time then spending endless hours in my room drawing my own versions. Now at 74 years old I crave for those exciting days.
To me, the "Chrysler" lineup and "Mercury" had the most futuristic designs and models. Who knew that by 1960, they would be toning down or doing away with the fins ?
1:30- L.L. Colbert couldn't forsee that 1957 would be a recession year- and that most new automobiles introduced weren't selling as fast as they should. And there was Ford's introduction of the *EDSEL* that October- one of the biggest blunders in planning and promoting a new car.
@Classic Annuals 4951== Thanks Thanks Thanks == Stainless STEEL all over*** Electric RAZOR GRILLES***Straight BACK styling***SIGNAL LAMPS go ON at dusk== HEADLIGHTS go ON at NIGHT while SIGNAL LAMPS go OFF!!! By the 1970s headlights and signal lights STAY ON TOGETHER☆☆☆☆
All manufacturers were PROUD to sponser so many 1955 tru 1972 tv SERIES and tv SPECIALS as NEVER heard was RECALL RECALL REALL!!! such as== DINAH SHORE """CHEVY""" SHOW*** FORD THEATRE***SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE*** KRAFT (food products) MUSIC HALL*** STEVE ALLEN PLMOUTH SHOW***G E TRUE***ALCOA PREMIER**ARMSTRONG CIRCLE THEATRE*** and many more all proud of U S A produced goods****
If you like Bob Hope, car salesmen and an orchestra playing elevator music...watch the first 8 1/2 minutes. If you want to see the 1960 Buick then skip to 8:35 and see the car.
Skip Hope’s corny jokes if you must, but treat yourself to what happens around 7:53 and forward with some good earbuds. Studio orchestras from this era were unmatched in their live playing. Add in a swinging, mid-century arrangement with interesting chord progressions and waves of harmonic tension followed by satisfying resolutions and you have a brief few moments of musical bliss. Elevator music you say?
I had a 1978 Mercury Cougar with a 351 Cleveland and it was a great car. When I was a kid, my dad had a 1968 cougar with a 289 engine and it was great car too.
Would have beem a great video. . . . .But for all the Talking Suites. Who wants to look at them let alone listen to them talking. Oh 1957 great, great year for Detroit. Though the glitches did appear later!
Thanks for posting this. Even though I was only a two-year-old girl in 1961, I remember a lot of these cars. I always thought the 61 Rambler Ambassador was beautiful, and the 61 Caddy. I'ts sad that Pontiac, Olds, and Plymouth are no longer. And the general public dressed up for events like this. I remember noticing that when I watched footage of the 1964 World's Fair. Now you go to an auto show and everyone's in jeans or shorts!
This is great! Really enjoyed it. If they had car shows like that now, I'd want all of those cars, but in reality, if I were to go to a car show in 2024, I probably wouldn't want any of them.
Actually, '61 was not the greatest year for many makes, although admittedly this footage was from the very beginning of the '61 model year, so they did not know yet. Chrysler products were not very appealing, and it was only to get worse the next year. In the luxury class, Caddy and Imperial would suffer drops in sales from 1960 (which itself was not a good year for car sales in general). On the other hand, the '61 Lincoln experienced a significant sales *increase* from the prior year-a very unusual occurrence for the debut year of a total redesign, especially from a marque which had suffered an identity crisis the decade prior. Speaking of Lincoln, its redesign was the most radical departure from styling norms, nearly all other cars looking like post-'50s carryovers. Its debut caused all other designers to start with fresh drawing boards, making the Lincoln the most influential design in the car industry after WW2. Despite that, this footage dedicates only about 5 seconds to the most influential car design of that year, compared to more than twice as much for all others.
