The Most Significant Cars of the 1960s

Society was changing in ways that would have huge ramifications for the automotive industry.

1965 Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is one of the industry’s greatest successes. Lee Iacocca’s brainchild was designed to be stylish, sporty, and affordable by using chassis and drivetrain components from the Falcon and Fairlane to keep costs down. Ford hoped to sell 100,000 in the first year. Instead, it sold 22,000 on the first day and hit 100,000 sales in less than five months. Designed to be optioned as anything from an economy runabout to a personal luxury coupe to a fire-breathing V-8 track star, the Mustang’s cultural significance extended deep into pop culture with starring roles in car-themed films like Bullitt and Gone In 60 Seconds. Its success caught the industry off guard, and other automakers rushed to field competitors, known in deference to the Mustang as pony cars. Its rivals are mostly gone, but the Mustang remains in production, and 60 years later it is still pursuing its original mission goals …

https://www.motortrend.com/features/most-significant-cars-of-the-1960s-list/

(photo credit: MotorTrend)