The 1960s decade was indeed the Golden Era for American automobiles. Subjectively it had some of the best automotive styling in American automotive history. Here's the 5 most beautiful American cars of the 1960s.
The the first two generations of Buick Rivieras were phenomenal and first Gen was most unique in the market at the time, I was there and the words and comments from people the first year was nothing but astonishment and praise and quite often bewildered until it was out for awhile, who and where made, I knew several people who thought it was a European design, the hidden eye Rivieras still look luxurious, classy, sleek and fast looking and as the 425 up through the 455 GS developed, we’re quite powerful and fast for heavy hardtops, they still turn heads to this day.
@@maxr4448 1966 Riviera should have been first on his list. Trying to fathom how he can view the rectangular box looking Continental as beautiful is mind boggling.
@@miltcamp4255 the '68 A bodies had the vent wings , '69s deleted them in favor of Astro Ventilation . I prefer the windows . Camaro and Firebird only had the windows for '67 .
In the 60's, we could get both DESIGN and POWER. I owned a 1968 BUICK GS-400 Convertable w/Chrome Mag wheels in Scarlett Red w/White Top and Interior. It was MY choice for 1968. Almost ANY car in the 60s was a masterpiece. When regulations came in in the 70s, design became secondary to regulations.
Glad you included the Avanti. It would have been all too easy to forget it since Studebaker folded for the last time after the 1966 model year. Beautiful Raymond Loewy design.
Bob Andrews, John Ebstein, and Tom Kellogg design. Loewy assembled the team, but Andrews, Ebstein, and Kellogg were the real talent. Sherwood Egbert, newly appointed president of Studebaker-Packard had drawn some suggestions and Loewy's team included many of the details Egbert had penned. Egbert had a plan to turn Studebaker-Packard's automobile operation around, and face-lifted Larks and Hawks designed primarily by Brooks Stevens proved relatively popular. Sadly, forty-three-year-old Egbert was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the Avanti's introduction and the board of directors forced him out. Could Studebaker have survived if Egbert's health had held up? Stevens had drawn proposals for thoroughly up-to-date replacements for the Hawk and Lark lines, and running prototypes were built. The Lark Wagonaire proposal used rear doors hinged at the rear after the fashion of the 47-'52 Studebaker sedans and the '61 generation Lincolns. The Scepter coupe was almost as great as the Avanti. One proposal (not built) was a compact sedan with a transverse four-cylinder engine front drive that closely resembled later designs for the Chrysler K-cars. Loewy's studios also designed new sedans and wagons based on Avanti themes, also made it to a couple of prototype pushmobiles. It is my understanding that the foundry at South Bend had cast a prototype block for an all-new V8 engine allowing displacements greater than the 304.5 cubic inch (5-liter) displacement limit of the production architecture. In the end, the S-P board of directors' decision not to allocate funds beyond profits from car production for further automobile development, and after closing the South Bend plant and producing enouth cars to meet contract bligations, Studebaker built their last car on 17 March, 1966.
I agree with some of the others, 68-70 Charger, 67-68 Camaro. Maybe also the 61-63 Thunderbird, early Riviera & Toronado. Anyone else like the 68-69 Javelin? I was a Ford guy but honestly there were some great looking cars from The Big 3 & AMC too. Back in 63 the first time I saw an Avanti it looked sooo advanced, but now I think the Gran Turismo Hawk looks more classic. Just my 2 cents worth
Our tastes are almost identical. The top of the list for me is the '62 and '63 Thunderbird Roadster. If I ever win the lottery that would be my first pick.
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP '70 to '73 so not under consideration in a '60s ranking. Also, _FEH!_ The design was polarizing at the time, but in the "love-it-or-hate-it" context, it just never worked for me. I found myself driving one in traffic and outward visibility to the rear was horrible. The '74 Riviera, a pimped-out LeSabre coupe, was a debatable improvement, but the Riviera should have taken a different direction than it did after the '69 models, maybe something closer to the Monte Carlo-Grand Prix path.
I agree 100% on both. The second gen Corvair was beautiful, Road and Track mag loved it. I would also remove the 69 GTO Judge , 66 67 GTO was way better
The '69 thru '71 Mark IIIs were all gorgeous, but I agree that the '71 is the best version. The "flat" wheel covers of the '71 are, in my opinion, classier than the cone-shaped wheel covers of the earlier models.@@alanblanes2876
Definitely would take the early 60's Thunderbird in style over the 69 GTO. I also don't get the love for the Avanti, which to me always looked off in some way. Do love the early 60s Corvette
My 2 pics. Out of 5: 1963 dodge custom 880 4 door hardtop 1965 Chrysler 300 4 door hardtop 1963 studebaker avanti fastest car in the world good call Thanks your channel is awesome!!!
At least all the 1960's cars look different unlike the 1990's through today where most vehicles(cars, trucks, and suv's) look like the same extremely boring style .
Here's my list of 5...1963 & 1966 Rivieras, they're both stunning in different ways. The 1961 Continental 1963 Avanti & last but not least the 1967 Eldorado
The Continental was a great looking car and the clean look suited it well. I'll still take the early 60's caddy. My dad had a 62 sedan deville and that car was like something out of an old sci-fi movie.
Great video and some iconic vehicles for sure. My all-time favorites were of the 1970 model year. 1970 was the pentacle year for performance. Regrettably, it was downhill for decades after that. The iconic Chevelle SS LS6 454 and the Camaro RS split bumper LT1 350 Z28 were my all-time favorite vehicles of that era. Both were very quick for their time. The second generation Carmaro is a love hate thing for many. For me, it was one of Chevrolets best designs. Thanks for taking me back in time. Sure, enjoyed it.
AGREED, except the split rear window is the MOST desirable model! Many moons ago, I got a ride in a Sting Ray. On the passenger side dash was a sign that read “Keep all hands and arms in side the vehicle at speeds over 140 mph”
Very tough to narrow down to top 5. I have a lot of opinions as to what vehicles were the most beautiful. I agree to this list, though. I have a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Coupe and I use to own a 1967 Mercury Cougar and I think those two were some of the nicest looking cars of the decade as well. They say the 2nd generation Corvair is the most beautiful, but I’m so split. I like both of the first and second generation Corvairs.
Back in 1970, I had a chance to buy a white 1963 Corvette convertible for $2,495. Being that I was barely 21 at the time, the cost of insurance stopped me from even considering the purchase of it. I later found a loaded (air conditioning, tan leather seats, tan vinyl top, brown metallic paint, and power everything) 1961 Thunderbird coupe with 25,000 miles on it. They were only asking $1,495 for it in 1977. It was owned by a bank president, and his wife, who only drove it to Minneapolis, and back. I bought a marina blue 1975 Pacer instead for $2,800, that was on the same used car lot. It ended up being my favorite car.
-The 1969 Pontiac LeMans/GTO was designed by Anatole "Tony" Lapine, who later moved to Porsche where he designed the 928 and 944. If you look at the rear end of a 928, you can see just a little bit of similarity.
My five would be in no particular order, 1.69 GTO 2.67 -69 Mustang. I just can't pick between them. 3. 68 Charger R/T S/E 4. 69. Firebird Trans Am And 5. The oft overlooked 68 - 69 AMX. Still, top picks. That Lincoln and old Vette are stunning. I'd throw in the Buick Riviera and the Olds Toronado as some fierce competition and there's certainly more. Designs back then were simply far, far superior. They just were.
Great choices. I would add the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, the 1966 Dodge Charger and the 62 Chevrolet Impala as honorary mentions. IMO, in addition to the basic shape of the car, the key to all the beautiful cars designed in the 1960's was the chrome trim and the wheels/hubcaps. Compare a fully optioned 1962 SS Impala to the bargain basement Biscayne model with very little chrome trim and body-color painted steel wheels with small hubcaps to see the difference.
The most beautiful os SO SUBJECTIVE. You did play it safe and picked cars most auto enthusiasts would agree with. No Riviera, Toronado or Eldorado surprises me. I, too, am a died-in-the-wool car nut since age 2. but I wouldn't pick any on your list. My personal list of the top 5 most beautiful cars of the 1960s would include: 1) 1968/1969 Dodge Charger. 2) 1965-1969 Chevrolet Corvair. 3) 1963 Rambler Classic/Ambassador 4) 1961 full-size Pontiac 5) 1965/1966 Chrysler
Whenever a see a second gen Vette my mind races to what could have been. A neighbor offered to sell his split window very low milage red Vette to my dad in the '70/'71 timeframe. My mom nixed it, and I was just a few short years from entering high school.
To me there isn't any 60's car as pretty as a candy red 68 shelby gt350. But that's what i ran around in as a kid, i'm sure everyone finds their picks have a connection to their past.
I'd swap out the Judge GTO you showed for either a 67 Eldorado or 65 Riviera but otherwise a great top five (and there could be several legit top fives from 60s American styling).
Nice list. I agree with your #1, more or less, but you can't lump all the C2s together, they're all unique... Anyway, here's my top 10... 1. '67 Corvette 2. '65 Corvette 3. '69 Corvette 4. '64 Corvette 5. '63 Corvette 6. '68 Corvette 7. '66 Corvette 8. '60 Corvette 9. '69 Camaro 10. '67/'68 Camaro ...and some honorable mentions... Every Impala from the decade, 1st gen Corvairs, 1st and 2nd gen Chevy II (nova), all the Chevelles and all the chevy trucks. Yeah, I'm a Chevy guy... there were other good looking cars, but I honestly think the 60s Chevrolets all looked better than everything else... except maybe the 50s Chevrolets.
.....ever think that your bow tie is choking your neck and cutting off oxygen to your brain? ......" I used to be all messed up on drugs until I got a Chevrolet"....."but now I'm all messed up on Chevrolets"........
lol, reading the comments is reading my mind... I can't get it down to 5. Impossible task. I paused before you really began and started making a list. You and I only agreed for top 5 on two cars, and one kinda. The Lincoln Continental, and the 2nd gen Corvette, I prefer the 67-8 Mustangs to the first iteration. The rest of the cars are all fantastic, and are on my list but lower than top 5. My list is like 30 cars long, but to round out my top 5. The 1963-5 Buick Riviera, and the second generation Corvair.
@@trwsandford cor....now your asking lol. I'll have to really think about it. Judge I think is the only one id keep and possibly mustang, camaro *not just because my daughter is named that. Gto, I also like the thunderbird 67 or maybe the that 300 chrysler (not the new one obviously- I can't quite remember the name of it - loads of luxury.) Dammit - I know loads but it's 2am so I can't think straight lol Thanx for asking though. I mean I could be cliché and have the charger and challenger with its derivatives such as the Plymouth version, (ok they were 70 though) or super bird/Road runner .... Man there is so much to choose from. I swear this dude uploaded this just to create savage debate in the comments. Im in uk btw
There were so many good looking cars in the 60's. Other honorable mentions in my opinion, are the 63-65 Buick Riviera, 61-63 Ford Thunderbird, 68-70 Dodge Charger, 66-70 Oldsmobile Tornado, 67-70 Cadillac Eldorado.
My top 5 1960s cars? 1961 to 1964 Lincoln Continental 1963 to 1967 Chevy Corvette 1965 to 1969 Corvair 2 door hardtop 1967 to 1970 Cadillac Eldorado 1964 to 1968 Ford Musyang.
Good list except for the GTO Judge. I was never a fan of the decals that became a fad of the late ‘60s. Certainly the Mustang belonged on this list, but I thought Mercury’s ‘67-‘68 Cougar cousin was much more stylish, particularly the XR7.
What! No 1965 Chevy Impala? Not even the SS model? Or the 63 Riviera? Whose opinion is this? The guy whose voice is computer generated in these videos. However, I do like his videos.
@@bobcarlino7280 thank you, we wanted a car name but "Mercedes" and "porsche" (pronounced 'porscha' in this case) But thats usually for "posh" types and just wouldn't suit our working class hero background type personality. So my wife geniusely suggested "Camaro" and I just fell in love with the name and it suits her to the ground. Appreciate the comment. Thank you
Should've done a top 10 or even a top 20 list. There's enough Iron for both lists. These cars however were truly revolutionary designs when first built and introduced. Good job, and a nice try.
Really enjoyed this. Those photos of the 63-67 Corvette.....wow. GM had so many good designs for years and years during the 50s 60s It's strange because GM designs since then have gone downhill at least until around 2010. Now it is just SUV designs everywhere which are not really very interesting.
My 1960s top picks styling wise are (casual order): - 1967 and 1968 Buick LeSabre and Wildcat 2 door hardtop fastbacks - 1967 and 1968 Pontiac full size 2 door hardtop fastbacks (especially the long tail Bonneville) - 1966-69 Oldsmobile Toronado - 1968-69 Oldsmobile intermediates 2 door hardtop (actually went on to 72 but this is a 1960s standing 😅) - 1965-66 Mustang fastback (the 67-68 model looked too stubby without the short trunk, and from 69 onwards that car became an utter mess: from 1969 aggressive yes, but not beautiful) Yes it is almost a GM monopoly bar the Mustang, but after all GM styling in the second half of the 1960s was simply spectacular. 😅
I've always been a B.O.P. and Cadillac guy, just because they always had the best lookers. Sure, Chevrolet had some much faster cars but I always thought most chevys looked dull compared to their cousins.
@@mikehunt9894 This, especially the front ends were particularly dull at Chevy (like, the most generic front ends imaginable, from the mid 1960s to the entirety of the 1970s)
Except for the 61 Plymouth and Dodge, I cant think of one that I DIDN'T like. Anyone remember the 67 AMC Ambassador DPL 2 door hardtop and the 67 AMC Marlin? And the 68 Javelin SST? Even AMC was making beauties back then. I think 1967 was the top year for styling as a whole.
