Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even so , the 1960s have to be the high water mark for automotive styling. No other decade comes close when you factor in the sheer number of stunning cars introduced within ten short years. Everyone was throwing their hat in to the ring - the Americans, Italians, Germans, Brits, even Aussies with the beautiful HK Monaro.
With that in mind - here’s ten to whet the appetite…
Jaguar E-type aka XK-E
The glorious E-type Jaguar coupe
When Enzo Ferrari called the E-type/XKE the most beautiful car ever made, nothing more need be said...except that it was a blast to drive, could top 150mph, sounded great, and had a proven race heritage - inspired as it was by the legendary Le Mans-winning D-type. In the case of the E-Type - racing really did improve the breed.
Soft top or hard top - not an easy choice for a lucky mid 'sixties buyer
Independent suspension, race-bred, inboard mounted rear disc brakes and a Le Mans winning, twin cam alloy six under a long shapely bonnet, meant the E-type was as stunning under the surface as it was on the outside.
1965 Mustang fastback & convertible
Mustang Fastback - the ultimate pony car
The work of Ford stylists John Najjar and Philip T Clark, the 1964 ½ Mustang was revolutionary. We should also mention Lee Iacocca - who’s long proclaimed himself the genius behind the car. It’s true the new Mustang uncovered a market no-one knew existed - an enormous market as it turned out.
The notchback body was the most practical, and biggest seller, but it's the fastback and convertible collectors pay big dollars for today
The most successful car debut in history, Ford sold over 400,000 Mustangs in the first year alone. Why? Styling - folks just had to own a car that looked that good. It had to be the styling, with plain jane Falcon underpinnings - they sure as hell weren’t anything special to drive. And when rivals thought things couldn’t get any worse, Ford released the fastback body - and it was even prettier than the hardtop and convertible. The Pony Car was born - leaving GM and Chrysler floundering to catch up.
1966 Lamborghini Muira
The 1966 Lamborghini Muira - the first rear engined supercar
Forget all the latest gee-whizz rich boy’s toys with their mosquito-on-steroids engine note - the ultimate supercar of all time is the first - the Muira. Stunningly beautiful, yet brutal and purposeful styling by the Italian master Marcello Gandini, with an interior that still looks ultra-cool 50 years later.
The Muira cockpit - Italian industrial design at its' finest. Has any supercar interior looked better in all the years since?
The bodywork was sublime yet simple: clamshells front and rear, two doors and a roof plus undercarriage. And it all came together around a mid engined chassis to produce the ultimate high speed road car.
So what if the front wheels of the SV model tended to lift off the road at 185mph - what other car could even get close to that speed, and look so beautiful?
1967 Maserati Ghibli
Rear view of the elegant, timeless Ghibli
Designed by the master himself - Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Ghibli was named after a famous wind - in keeping with recent Maserati tradition. And like all Maserati’s, the Ghibli went like the wind with the 450S race car heritage including a 4.7 litre quad cam alloy V8 under a long, curvaceous bonnet. With a top speed of 174mph - it had performance to match the looks.
Gentleman's express...Italian style. Form and function meet in perfect harmony in the inviting interior of the Ghibli
The Ghibli was as beautiful inside as out, with one of the truly great automotive interiors. Luxury, comfort, ergonomics and style - the perfect synthesis of form & function.
And although it’s got nothing to do with looks - the race-bred V8 has about the best note of any engine ever made.
1965 Buick Riviera
Elegance, class and clamshell headlights - the '65 Riviera
Harley Earl’s successor as head of GM design, Bill Mitchell has to be one of the great automotive artistes. And arguably his greatest achievement was the timeless 1963 Buick Rivera. It still looks modern, elegant, and graceful. The interior carries through the theme of good taste.
Every bit as stunning on the inside - there were few finer places to be in 1960s autodom than at the wheel of a Riviera
Take a look inside some other beautiful cars and you can’t help but be disappointed. Not so with the Riviera with arguably the most tastefully styled and executed interior of any US car ever made.
For mine - the 1965 Riviera is even nice than the original - who can resist those headlights hidden behind shiny, revolving clamshell grilles?
1968 Corvette Stingray
The 1968 Corvette Sting Ray - changed to Stingray for 1969 - styling perfection
Has there ever been a mass produced car that has more dramatic styling? Straight off the showroom floor, the ‘68 Corvette looked like a one-off show car. And the years haven’t diminished the drama of its design. It still looks better than any modern Italian supercar. We’re talking about the 68-72 chrome bumper models here, not the later ones with the droop snoot, polyurethane nose cone. As for innovation - the Stingray was the first ever T-top - a trend that was copied around the world as is still with us today in one form or another.
Space age styling inside as well as out - the Stingray even had fiber optic light monitoring, and was the first of the targa tops.
Hats off to Larry Shinoda and his team for having the talent, the vision, and the cajones to convert the Mako Shark II from show car to production car with few if any compromises to practicality.
1968 Dodge Charger
Surely the meanest, sleekest 4 seater muscle car ever built - the 68 Charger
Muscle cars are all about power, right? They’re meant to look mean, powerful and fast. On that criteria, the ‘68 Dodge Charger has to be king of the muscle cars - because none look as fast, as mean, or as powerful.
No idiot lights here - the functional instrument panel of the Charger was tailored to serious drivers.
The car looked like it was doing 105 through the traps when it was parked. Ok, so the interior was a bit of a letdown - but the sensational exterior more than made up. And if equipped with a 440 or 426 Hemi - these big muthas were as fast as they looked.
The Charger has to be number one for styling when it comes to the muscle cars. The rest can fight it out for second place
1967 Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird twins
'Coke bottle hip' styling at it's finest - the first generation Camaro
Bill Mitchell makes another appearance here - with these gorgeous twins. Ok, so the Pontiac version was just a madeover Camaro - but they did such a great job with that elongated nose that people came to love the Firebird as much as the Camaro.
With a dizzying array of options - the Camaro interior could be made to order.
Walk around either one of the twins at a car show and you’re witnessing styling perfection - you just can’t find a line that needs improving. Beautiful and muscular - mission accomplished Mr Mitchell.
1967 Ferrari 206/246 GT ‘Dino’
The 1968 Dino 206GT. No Ferrari script or lettering, as Enzo didn't want to put his name to a car with only 6 cylinders
Surely the most beautiful mid-engined car ever made. And the later Spyder version - with removable roof section and no rear side glass - is even prettier. The ‘Dino’ may not have been especially quick, but they were a blast to drive, and ushered in the era of the mid engined Ferrari. Few rear engined cars made since have come close to matching the Pinin Farina-styled Dino for sheer beauty.
The Dino from the rear - on twisting roads this was a view familiar to other drivers
1963 Studebaker Avanti
The plastic fantastic & swansong for Studebaker - 1963 Avanti
Ok - so the looks are not to everyone’s taste, but no-one can say this car isn’t a true original. Not a straight line anywhere, classic aircraft-inspired instruments, sweet small block V8 power, four seats and fibreglass body - there was nothing else like the Avanti. You could even order one with a supercharger making it a match for the new Stingrays. With its muscular looks and coke bottle hips, the Avanti was a precursor to the Mustang.
Timeless, functional, stylish - the Avanti cockpit was way ahead of its' time
When Studebaker ceased operations in the mid 60s, two Studie dealers bought the tooling and continued to produce the Avanti - with Chevy small block power. There was no shortage of willing buyers - the Avanti remaining in production for well over 40 years.
Honourable mentions:
Ford GT-40
1963 C2 Corvette
1967 Cadillac Eldorado
1966 Pontiac GTO
1963 Porsche 911
1968 HK Monaro
1965 Chevrolet Impala
1963 Alfa 105/115 coupe
1967 Ford Mustang fastback
About the author
Raph Tripp is a passionate classic car enthusiast and writer, and founder of TunnelRam.net. If you wish to publish this article in part or in whole, please credit Raph Tripp and tunnelram.net . This is an original Tunnel Ram production ©2020 Tunnel Ram. All images remain the property of the original copyright holders.