The Finest Vintage Cars of the 1960’s Golden Age

The 1960s is known as the golden age of cars. This decade saw the creation of American muscle cars, European luxury cars, and bountiful sports cars. Below are some prime examples of vehicles to come out of the 60s.

1968 Dodge Charger R/T

The 1968 Dodge Charger saw a move away from the elegant look of the first generation to embrace Richard Sias’ design consisting of a profile that resembled double-diamond coke bottle-like, with curves around the rear quarter panels and front fenders. Folding bucket seats also replaced the standard fixed back seats.

The R/T kept these designs as well as incorporating two bumblebee-like strips into its design. It became a popular muscle car not just because of its power and design, but also because of the door gripping car chase scenes when it featured in the 1968 movie Bullitt.

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

The Road Runner was developed by Plymouth to market a cheaper basic trim model to its upscale GTX. The original Road Runners were two-door that had a B-pillar between the rear and front window, later in the same year, Plymouth launched a two-door hardtop Road Runner without the B-pillar. To keep the price of the Road Runner down the car didn’t offer much, for example, there was no AM radio, power steering, front disk brakes, or air conditioning. But what set the Road Runner apart from others was its unique engine.

The Roadrunner engine was a 4-barrel Carter Carburetor 383 cu in B-series V8 that rated at 335 bhp at 5200 rpm and 425 lb-ft at 3400 rpm of torque. Who needed air conditioning when the Road Runner had such a monstrous engine under the hood that could produce all the wind you wanted?

1969 Ford Mustang 428 Mach 1 Cobra Jet

1969 saw the introduction to the world of the Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet. The 428 cu in Super Cobra Jet V8 with a 4-barrel Q-Code carburetor had max power of 335 bhp at 5,200 rpm and max torque of 440 lb-ft at 3,400 rpm.

The mustang 428 was only available as a fastback, with no convertible models. The fastback featured high-back bucket seats and teak wood grain details. The addition of a noise-canceling material muted the shake and rumbling of the V8 so that you could only fully experience it with your windows rolled down.

1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake

The Shelby Cobra is a sports car produced by both the British and the Americans.  These iconic cars featured Ford’s mark III 437 cu in the FE engine. The engine was mated to a single 4-barrel 780 CFM Holley carburetor that made 425 bhp at 6000 rpm and 480 lb-ft at 3700 rpm of torque. The combination provided top speeds of 164 mph in the standard model.

Some of the Shelby Cobras were fitted with Ford’s more economical 428 cu in engine. These cars were intended for road use and not racing.