Famous Cars of the 1960s
The 1960s was a time of change; there was the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Movement which demanded equal rights, and Elvis blasted into Britain! Things were changing rapidly, and this was no different for the world's automobiles. The cars of 1960s belonged to a distinct decade of automobile history as economy, muscle and pony cars were created. Let's take a look at these popular, and famous cars from the 1960s...
Economy Cars
The 1960s strengthened the positions of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler as the “Big Three” of car manufacturers in the USA. These firms dominated the market in the USA but also the global market, taking 48% of world sales of automobiles. More compact economy cars began to dribble from the big firms, seeing GM produce the Corvair, Ford the Falcon and Chrysler the Valiant. GM was perhaps the most efficient in terms of creating these smaller economy cars – they created the Oldmobile F-85 which was a compact sedan, coupe and station wagon which has a V8 engine from 1961-1963. In 1964 the F-85 was upgraded to an intermediate sized car.
Muscle Cars
Muscle car was a term used to describe the middle-sized car produced with a large and powerful engine. It usually came with a special trim which was intended for much faster speed. They differ from sports cars which were smaller and two-seated. These high performance muscle cars were extremely popular during the 1960s where speed and power was everything. As the national highway system grew and fuel became cheaper, the trend towards these cars grew. Some of the most well known and popular muscle cars were the Barracuda, Superbird and Firebird.
Pony Cars
Pony cars are based around the Ford Mustang Classic, one of the most famous cars in the history of automobiles. It was built from 1964 through to 1973, and its popularity boomed. Many car manufacturers tried to replicate the sporty characteristics of the car but found it hard to match the qualities of the magical Mustang Classic. Some of the most famous pony cars include the Yenko Cameros, the Hemi Cudas and the AMC Javelin.
If you are a classic car enthusiast and are considering rebuilding one of these fabulous cars from the 60s then it is important to sort out all the extra details before you hit the road. Keep in mind that you can find special insurance policies for your classic car; you can compare car insurance online for a range of quotes.
Famous Cars of the 80's
In an era that produced some interesting cars, few of them could be called subtle. This article takes a look at some of the most memorable cars form the 80’s.
A decade where greed was good and excess was equally as important; the 80’s produced some cars that will never be forgotten. A decade where people were obsessed with style, it began with the question, “Who shot JR?” and ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The vast majority of 80’s cars were designed using set-squares and were surprisingly OK. Here’s a look at some of the top cars from the 1980’s:
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
In the 80’s many of the cars seemed to have big wings and the Sierra RS Cosworth was no different. The Sierra RS Cosworth was a super saloon with a 2.0-litre DOCH four cylinder and a Garrett turbocharger that produced 204bhp that was fed to the rear wheels. Just over 6,000 of these amazing cars were produced until the 224bhp RS500 special edition was released.
Peugeot 205 GTI
In 1984 the 205 GTI ‘pocket rocket’ was introduced, a 1.6-litre 105bhp four cylinder which doesn’t sound much but was plenty, especially in such a lightweight body. The 205 GTI was good to those who could handle it, however, it tended to be a little nasty with lift off oversteer sending many Pugs off the road backwards. Another version was released, a 1.9-litre 130bhp model that had disk brakes all-round.
Today there are still quite a few 205s available, and you can expect to pay anything from a couple of hundred quid for a heap up to £3,500 for a mint example.
VW Golf MKII GTI
A discreetly powerful car, the Golf MKII GTI had a 1.8-litre four cylinder engine with twin headlights and a red-rimmed grill. Popular with those that were of a good social standing, the MKII GTI offered superb handling with great feedback through the wheel . Extremely sought after today, you can expect to pay decent money for a good example of this 80’s classic as well as the car insurance to go with it.
Ferrari Testarossa
A low and wide car, the Testarossa was given the nickname, “redhead” because of its red-painted cylinder heads. With a 4.9-litre 390bhp flat-12 engine, the Testarossa was a unique car, with its engine being mounted over its gearbox making its handling tricky. Over 10,000 of these wonderful cars were built although there were a few revisions to its production between 1984 and 1996.
Famous Cars of the 90's
Although it was only two decades ago, the 90's was an exciting time for car manufacturing and we often like to cast our minds back to the time when so many interesting cars were produced. Although the early 1990's were not a particular good time for car sales, in recent years many people have been looking at the cars produced during the decade and have been buying them extensively. If you have a love of cars and in particular cars from the 90s, read on...
Ford Focus – starting its production life in July 1998, the Ford Focus quickly became a popular small family car. The first generation of Focus' were produced between 1998 and 2004, and were available in a variety of engine sizes including: 1.4L, 1.6L, 1.8L and 2.0L. The Focus also came with a number of different transmission options: 4-speed automatic, 5-speed manual and a 6-speed manual (SVT).
Ferrari 456 – a front-engined grand tourer, the 456 was produced from 1992 until 2003. An overdue replacement of the 412, the 456 quickly became the company's premium 4-seat V12. The 456 was available in a variety of body styles, most notably the 2-door 2+2 Coupé, 2-door Spyder, 4-door Sedan and a 4-door Estate, all of which had a powerful 5.5L V12 engine.
Alfa Romeo 156 – a compact executive car, the 156 was introduced at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the 155. Assembled at the Fiat Group factory, over 680,000 156’s were produced between 1997 and 2005, becoming a huge success for Alfa Romeo. Available in two body styles, a 4-door saloon and a 5-door estate, the 156 was also available with a number of different engine sizes including 1 1.6L straight-4, 1.8L straight-4, 2.0L straight-4, 2.5L V6 and 3.2L V. The 156 was also available in diesel and came with the choice of two engines: 1.9L straight-4 or 2.4L straight-5.
Land Rover Discovery – first introduced to the UK in 1989, the first generation of the Discovery was based upon the chassis and drivetrain of the upmarket Range Rover, however, its lower price was aimed at a larger market segment. The first generation of Discovery was the only one which featured four-cylinder engines.
That's all for now but we do intend to revisit our love for cars so check back soon if you like cars too...
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