America’s It Brand of the 1960s

1965 Pontiac 2+2 Sports Coupe.
Illustration by Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufmann.

James Kraus

The heyday of Pontiac neatly coincides with the 1960-1967 period most celebrated here at Auto Universum. Their glory days began with the formation of a young new team of executives who were granted control of the division in the late fifties.

The Debut of 1960s Star Designs

Auto Universum has added an exciting new Page: 1960s Star Designs. You can access it here, or hit its permanent tab on the menu bar above.

Timeless vs Of Its Time, Part II

James Kraus

First generation Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray.

In the first chapter of Timeless vs Of Its Time, we examined two American luxury cars, the 1961 Cadillac and Continental. Now we look at two sporting cars from the 1960s, The Corvette Sting Ray and the Porsche 911. The Sting Ray went on sale in the autumn of 1962, while the new Porsche made its public debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show just one year later.

Timeless vs Of Its Time

James Kraus

1961 Lincoln Continental and 1961 Cadillac Series Sixty-Two.

1961 was a banner year for the American luxury car buyer. Both Cadillac and Lincoln introduced their first brand-new designs for the new decade.

Image from the Past

Hertz drops Santa into a new 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible. Christmas, 1962.

A 1960s Classic: The Pontiac 8-Lug Wheel

James Kraus

1961 Pontiac Catalina with the original 8-Lug wheel; introduced mid-1960.

American cars of the 1960s were certainly not renowned for their braking prowess. Except for a handful of exceptions, disc brakes were not widely available until 1967 and the drum brakes provided were generally small in size and nowhere near up to the weight and power of the cars to which they were fitted.

The Colourful World of Mid-Century Motive Power

James Kraus

1964 Buick Riviera with optional 425 (7.0 litre) twin-carb Super Wildcat Nailhead V8 in aqua with black air cleaner accented in red. “465” was the torque output in ft/lbs.

Recently, Corvette fans have been excited by the appearance of red-painted valve covers on the new C8 Sting Ray; the first dash of colour in the Corvette engine compartment since the red plastic beauty covers of the 2013 C6 Z06. Unfortunately, GM chose a rather Ferrari-esque red rather than the traditional red-orange used on Chevrolet V8s since 1955 including such renowned versions as the fuel-injected 327, the 409, 396 and 427.

Image from the Past

Capturing a moment of 1966 America. Snapshot of Brian Wilson alongside his Sunfire Yellow ’66 Sting Ray with a ’66 Mustang and ’66 Lincoln Continental in the background. Just a few months after this photo was taken Brian’s Good Vibrations would be released and begin rising to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the Beach Boys’ third number one hit and their first million-selling single.

 

No, It Doesn’t Have Positraction

James Kraus

1964 Pontiac GTO Sports Coupe in Sunfire Red metallic. Equipped with optional triple dual-throat carburettors, four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox and Safe-T-Track.

Few things warm the hearts of Car Nutz like good punchy buzzwords. Favourites of American car fans include Muscle Car, Big Block, and today’s topic; Positraction.

The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado: General Motors’ FWD Debutant

James Kraus

1966 Toronado by Oldsmobile.

The 1960s were the final years of glory at General Motors. They had the lion’s share of the U.S. car sales, as well as a good portion of the European market via their Opel and Vauxhall brands. In the U.S, they built America’s only cars with four-wheel disc brakes, fuel injection, turbocharging and independent rear suspension. Before the decade was out, they would add another arrow to their quiver, the first American postwar car with front-wheel drive.

Is That a Big Block Under the Hood?

James Kraus

Plymouth 361 cubic inch (5.9 litre) SonoRamic Commando big block V8.

Pity the modern man. Increasingly put upon from seemingly every side, many seek solace in the days of yore when two adjectives in particular were highly prized: Muscular and Big. 

Image from the Past

1961 Chevrolet Impalas await new owners under a dusting of fresh snow.

Who Killed The Corvair?

James Kraus

1960 Chevrolet Corvair Deluxe 700 Series 4-Door Sedan.

It’s a standard misconception among the general public that Ralph Nader killed the Corvair, but the reality is that Ralph simply kicked a dead horse. Before examining who was actually responsible for the Corvair’s demise, let’s look at it’s gestation. 

American Muscle? Step Up To 1960s American Glamour.

James Kraus

Don Draper in his Starlight Silver 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

One of the few value segments of the vintage car market is what Auto Universum calls American Glamour. A lack of enthusiasm for refinement and elegance has kept prices subdued, a welcome state of affairs waiting to be exploited by those who with a taste for the good life. 

1960-1964 Super Stock Drag Racing in Vintage Colour

James Kraus

1963 Plymouth Belvedere. Image: George Klass Collection

As colour film ages, a phenomena known as curve crossover frequently occurs as fidelity of the three colour dyes age at different rates. This often results in an evocatively ethereal colour palette. Such is the case with these photos from the heyday of Stock Car drag racing in the U.S.

In the 1950s when 1/4-mile drag racing was gaining legitimacy, there was little interest in racing the family sedan. No official records were kept, nor was elapsed time recorded; the winner was the car with the highest trap speed. 

The 1960s New Look

James Kraus

The New Look: 1960 Chevrolet Impala

In the early decades of motordom, front grills stood tall and proud, reflecting the proportions of early radiators. Headlamps, originally housed in separate housings, began being integrated into the cars design in the late 1930s. Nevertheless, grills and headlamps remained separate elements with the exception of Peugeot, which placed the headlamps near the centre of the car, behind the grill. 

Things Go Better With Coke

James Kraus

Vintage scale model Coca-Cola cab-over delivery truck

The Coca-Cola Company adopted Things Go Better With Coke as their new advertising tagline in 1963. It then became a jingle, performed by leading pop acts of the decade including Jan & Dean, Tom Jones, Petula Clark and The Supremes.

At the same time, automotive designers were thinking that maybe things went better with a Coke shape. 

Was Someone at GM Design a Mannix enthusiast?

James Kraus

Mannix opening title sequence

Oldsmobile’s Toronado debuted in autumn of 1966 as America’s first post-war front wheel drive automobile. Just a year later CBS Television introduced a new prime-time detective series; Mannix, featuring Mike Connors as Joe Mannix, an operative of the sophisticated Intertect Detective Agency in Los Angeles. 

Image from the Past

Arriving at the ski lodge in a 1960 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Sport Sedan

The Swinging Sixties: A Rainbow of Wheels and Technicolor Tyres

James Kraus

1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 with Marina Blue metallic body-colour wheels and F70-14 special nylon Red Stripe Firestone Super Sports Wide Oval tyres.

The majority of today’s cars today come equipped with black tyres surrounding wheels (or wheel covers) of silver, grey or black. This was not always the case; brightly coloured wheels were a common automotive styling fillip beginning with the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen.