Muscle Cars

1960s muscle cars are a product of the Classic Car Era. They evolved from the pent-up consumerism that exploded after World War II. Overnight, it seemed American consumers opted for bigger and faster cars. Muscle Cars appeared at a time when Detroit was trying to stop the invasion of imported cars led by Volkswagen and included Fiat, Renault, Datsun (now Nissan), with new, light-weight models like the Corvair, Falcon and Valiant.
The term muscle car generally describes a mid-size car with a large, powerful engine (typically, although not universally, a V8 engine) and special trim, intended for maximum acceleration on the street or in drag racing competition. It is distinguishable from sports cars, which were customarily considered smaller, two-seat cars, or GTs, two-seat or 2+2 cars intended for high-speed touring and possibly road racing.
Muscle cars are high-performance automobiles, principally referring to American models produced between 1964 to 1971. During the period these vehicles were interchangeably (and more commonly) described as supercars. The term "Muscle Car" was spawned by the horsepower race. Most give credit to John Z. DeLorean and the Pontiac GTO. The 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO ignited the muscle car boom by giving the small-car, big-engine make an identity of its own.
The project was technically a violation of General Motors policy limiting its smaller cars to 330 cu. in. (5.4L) displacement, but it proved far more popular than expected, and inspired a host of imitations, both at GM and its competitors - well-known 1960s muscle cars brands like Barracuda, Superbird, Cyclone, Camaro, Firebird, Super Sport, Road Runner, Mustang,Toronado.
Also, as the national highway system grew and gasoline became plentiful, Americans wanted more power, more speed. And in 1964 Detroit bowed to consumer pressure by putting big block V-8's on mid-sized chassis.
The general trend towards factory performance was a reflection of the importance of the youth market. A key appeal of the 1960s muscle cars was that they offered the burgeoning American car culture a selection of vehicles which were priced just within reach of young people with strong street performance that could also be used for racing. The affordability aspect of these 1960s muscle cars was quickly compromised by increases in size, optional equipment, and plushness, forcing the addition of more and more powerful engines just to keep pace with performance. A backlash against this cost and weight growth led in 1967 and 1968 to a secondary trend of "budget muscle" in the form of the Plymouth Road Runner, Dodge Super Bee, and other stripped, lower-cost variants of these 1960s muscle cars.
Even though the sales of true muscle cars were, compared to total Detroit production standards, modest they had considerable value in publicity and bragging rights. They also served to attract young customers into showrooms who would then buy the standard editions of these mid-size 1960s muscle cars. Models such as the AMC Rebel Machine, the COPO (Central Office Production Order) Chevrolet Chevelle, and Super Cobra Jet Ford Torino were factory upgraded to be turn-key drag racers. The fierce competition led to an escalation in horsepower that peaked in 1970, with some models of 1960s muscle cars offering as much as 450 gross horsepower.

Rambler - An interesting But Sad Story

Cheap and easy to repair, the new Rambler was a hit in the recession-racked year of 1958, when American Motors was the only domestic car manufacturer to show a profit. In 1960, Rambler produced over 450,000 cars, and became number three in sales among domestic brands.
Ramblers were the first cars to use Unibody construction throughout their model lineup. The primary advantage of this technology was a stronger structure without the need for a separate chassis. With less squeaks and rattles, the overwhelming majority of contemporary automobiles, with the exception of trucks and some SUV’s, owe their design to some form of this 1960s cars' original unitized body construction innovation.

In another safety milestone, Rambler was the first to offer seat belts as an option in 1950, and the first to provide them as standard equipment by the end of the decade.

By 1962, the introduction of compact cars by the big three automakers had decreased Rambler’s market share.
Rambler introduced some of the most attractive designs of any manufacturer during the mid 1960's. AMC Rambler Limited Edition Extra puts added emphasis on this period with tests of the again redesigned Classic and Ambassador series for 1966, and the introduction of the Classic-based Marlin for 1965.
The unsophisticated Marlin was an attempt to capture a piece of the “personal car” market dominated by the Ford Thunderbird, and Buick Riviera. Unfortunately, Rambler’s attempt to compete with the “Big Three” met with limited success. Their 1960s cars were not selling well. The Rambler name was falling out of favor in a market dominated by flashiness and horsepower. A new image was in the works, and by 1968 the Rambler name, for years a symbol of economy, was shown the door - ending a saga of 1960s cars known for gas saving.

1962 Mercury Comet

The Mercury Comet was the everything car for Mercury. Introduced in 1960 on a stretched Falcon frame, the Comet had to be Mercury's compact, intermediate, and pony car entry at the same time. The planned 1961 Edsel Comet compact car was relabeled the Mercury Comet and sold more cars in its first year than all models of Edsel ever produced.
The Comet was developed as a compact car for the Edsel line. But with the Edsel brand eliminated before the 1960 model year, Ford released the Comet as a separate model, that was sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers.

1960 Valiant

Chrysler had its Valiant. It was conventional in layout, but actually was extraordinary in its new features.The Valiant was sold as separate brand in the first year, but subsequently displayed Plymouth logos. The first generation was launched in 1960 and lasted until 1962. It consisted of a unibody car. It was restyled in 1963 then totally redesigned in a style reminding of European cars of the time. From 1963, Dodge used the Valiant as a base for its Dart models.
Only survivor of the Detroit compacts, the Valiant lived up to 1976 when it was replaced by the Volare and its Dodge clone the Aspen. From its creation the Valiant and its various immitations had found a market, but although profitable, did not suffice to stop Plymouth from its of 1960s cars.
In fact, the paradox is that the success of the Valiant led Plymouth to make another costly mistake. Assuming the mood for smaller 1960s cars, it downsized its whole fleet. Unfortunately, the majority of customers still wanted larger cars, and Plymouth lost more market shares.

1960 Ford Falcon

Ford responded with the Falcon, 1960s cars that were its entrance into the compact car race. The Falcon was an uncomplicated little car that was available in two-door or four-door sedans, and station wagons. The styling gave hint that they were Ford products, but was remarkably simple and attractive. Ford said it was “the world’s most successful new car.” Its sales took off for the stratosphere from the first day. Ford’s little Falcon was a true success story of 1960s cars in the annals of automotive corporate history .

1963 Chevrolet Corvair Testudo

Chevrolet introduced the radical Corvair which featured an aluminum 6 cylinder rear engine layout. The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 500 Deluxe came with a Basic Corvair Engine , one-barrel carburetor, and three-speed manual transmission Chevy may not have "copied" the VW 1960s cars but many of the basics of the air cooled rear engine, compact transaxle and suspension were similar with the main difference that the Corvair was larger, inside and outside and was an "American size compact". The Corvair would represent several production firsts for Chevy including: their first (only) rear air cooled engine, first unitized body, first production car turbo, and fully independent suspension for each wheel-front and rear.
Early in the year of 1960 a "sporty" Monza model was offered with bucket seats, full wheel covers and full vinyl interior. This sporty 1960s cars were to really "drive" Corvair sales and attract the interest of enthusiasts in the coming years.
Even during this early period the Corvair was developing a following and was considered one of the "sportier" compacts, sometimes being referred to as a "poor man's Porsche".
As part of the 1962 model year, Chevrolet introduced a new line of 1960s, the Chevy II. The initial Corvair had been positioned as an economy car, but it was much more successful with the plusher trim and sportier image of the Monza model which sold well in 1961.

Economy Cars in 1960s

The 1960's saw the American automobile industry consolidating into the Big Three: (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) and American Motors. These firms not only dominated the domestic market with the sales of the 1960s cars, but the global market as well. In 1960 American companies built 93 percent of the autos sold in the United States and 48 percent of world sales .
In the mid 1950s, however,led by Volkswagen and soon followed by Fiat, Renault, Datsun (Nissan), and Hillman, imports began to nibble their way into the rich American market. The growing presence of imports disturbed Detroit, and the Big Three responded with their own small 1960s cars. GM produced the Corvair, Ford the Falcon, and Chrysler the Valiant.
GM introduced three new smaller cars in the U.S. as 1961 models: the Buick Special, Oldsmobile F-85 and Pontiac Tempest.
Oldsmobile F-85 was a compact sedan, coupe and station wagon powered which had a V8 engine from 1961 to 1963. In 1964 the F-85 was upgraded to an intermediate sized car. The Cutlass was initially the top model of the F-85 line but became a separate model by 1964 with the F-85 nameplate continued only on the lowest priced models through the 1972 model year. Subsequently, all Oldsmobile intermediate 1960s cars were Cutlasses.