1969: Année Érotique

James Kraus

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walks on the moon.

This year’s look back at 1969 brings to a close Auto Universum’s ten year celebration of the 50^thanniversary of the 1960s; the final year of an exciting, glamorous, stylish and ultimately tumultuous decade. An era that epitomized technological advancement, elegance and savoir-faire; tragically ending with the violence and mayhem of the Manson murders and the Altamont Free Concert.

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1968: The Times They Were A Changin’

James Kraus

38th Geneva Motor Show poster, 1968.

The calendar still said 1960s but by 1968, it seemed like a different decade. The world was a very dissimilar place than it was in say, 1966. Changes and undercurrents that had been brewing since mid-decade exploded. The U.S. suffered through a second year of mass racial unrest, two political figures were assassinated, rioting broke out at the Democratic National Convention, and college campuses sustained over forty arson attacks and bombing incidents. France suffered through the Mai 68 civil unrest with general strikes that brought the country to a virtual standstill, the Prague Spring came to a bitter end and Germany saw the first attack by what was to become known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. 

1967: End Of An Era

James Kraus

Opened in Montreal Canada on 27 April, Expo 67 proved to be the most popular World’s Fair of the 20th Century

1967 proved to be the pivot point in the 1960s. Around midyear, during the Summer Of Love, the decade began segueing from the elegance and avant-garde aesthetics of the early years to the more tumultuous cultural and stylistic trends associated with the end of the decade.

1966: A Year of Transition

James Kraus

Porsche poster celebrating success at the 50th Targa Florio, their sixth overall victory at the storied venue. A few months later Porsche introduced the open-top 911 Targa.

By 1966, the Suave Sixties were slowly morphing into the Swinging Sixties. Currents of change were coursing through the worlds of design, fashion, music and entertainment. It was to be the last full year of the classic sixties before profound mutations would transform the closing years of the decade.

1966 was a particularly fertile year for the Italian auto industry. The colourful and stylish Gianni Agnelli assumed control of the Fiat empire, commuting to corporate headquarters in his Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale.  

That Was The Year That Was: 1965

 James Kraus

Monaco Grand Prix poster, Michael Turner, 1965

The first year of the latter half of the 1960s was a halcyon time. Most financial markets were still hitting new highs and automotive sales were setting records. Nevertheless, signs were appearing hinting that the good times might be on the wane.

1964: Britain Conquers the Globe

by James Kraus

Goldfinger, Guy Hamilton, 1964

In 1964 the British Isles became the centre of popular culture. Beatlemania assumed international proportions with the band’s successful invasion of the United States and the release of A Hard Day’s Night. Meanwhile, cinematic MI6 Agent James Bond cemented his status as the free world’s favorite undercover operative with the debut of Goldfinger.

The Rover 2000 won European Car of the Year and the Morris Mini Cooper secured its premier victory at the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the storied event with which it would become inexorably linked. Last but not least, another sort of British mini exploded into worldwide popularity and acclaim: the miniskirt.  

A Toast to the 50th Anniversary of 1963

by James Kraus

Salon International de l’Auto, Geneva Switzerland, March 1963

1963 saw the Jet Age in full swing as the first Learjet took to the skies and a number of automobiles were launched that would become icons of the 1960s; one of which is still with us today. 

Where Were You In ’62?

by James Kraus

Pau Grand Prix, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, 1962

Auto Universum continues its decade-long 50th Anniversary of the Sixties series with a look back at 1962.

If you missed seeing Maurice Trintignant claim the chequered flag at the Grand Prix de Pau on Easter Sunday fifty years ago, you still had the chance to witness plenty of exciting automobile introductions, architectural presentations, product unveilings and cultural events that took place throughout the year.

The Sixties at Fifty: 1961

by James Kraus

1961 Porsche poster celebrating competition victories of the prior season

By 1961 the last vestiges of the fifties were ebbing and the currents of the sixties starting to more strongly assert themselves. The second year of the decade witnessed the first manned space flight, construction of the Berlin Wall and the first season of The Avengers.

It was a banner year for British sports car enthusiasts. Jaguar unleashed its dramatic new feline, the ‘E’ Type, dubbing it The Most Advanced Sports Car in the World.

Suddenly, It’s 1960!

by James Kraus

Heading for the biergarten in a new Ford Taunus 17M