This early decade de Ville was one of the last models to rock those taillight fins! And who could forget that bus-sized steering wheel? Plus, we couldn't have a classic car list without a pink Cadillac. Thanks, Elvis and the Freeway of Love!
This was the pinnacle of convertibles. Even the sedan models had "convertible roof" styling. America just couldn't resist the open road!
Ford's response to the Corvette was the 1961 Thunderbird, but it was still marketed as a "personal car" instead of a sportster. Eventually, this segment became the personal luxury car.
The second generation of the Corvette became the most classic, with its fastback design and unique divided rear window. Thanks to its enduring popularity, Chevy even brought back the Stingray nameplate for its latest iteration of the Corvette.
It might not have been the first James Bond car, but it's surely the most famous thanks to Goldfinger. Can you name another 1960s car that has ingrained itself so deeply into popular culture?
The 911 is still a current offering from Porsche, but it just doesn't quite live up to this classic 1964 design. The styling was just as home in your driveway as it was on the racing courses of Le Mans.
The full-sized Bel Air was completely restyled for the 1965 model year. The popular "bubbletop" design became boxier, then a growing trend for the traditional family car.
It's the car that started a movement. The Mustang was small and light but featured a powerful engine. Thus, the pony car was born. Costing around $2,400 in 1965, the Mustang would be about $19,000 in today's dollars—quite a bit cheaper than 2023's base model.
The CJ-5 (the original SUV before SUVs were cool) remained largely unchanged over the course of its 30-year run before being replaced by the modern Wrangler. You can still see the resemblance.
It might seem large compared to today's compact cars, but the '65 Continental was actually the smallest Lincoln yet. It promoted its "agile" size by showing advertisements where a woman easily parallel parks.
Chrysler's response to the success of the Mustang was this sporty two-door. The fastback design had a unique rear window that wrapped around the edges of the passenger cabin.
The '65 might be the smallest of the Mustang Cobras that were produced, but the Wimbledon white and racing stripes remain a classic design well into the modern today.
This cute little Italian roadster was the perfect car for puttering down a sunny beachside drive. While it was famous in car circles for its distinctive dovetail rear design, you will more likely remember Dustin Hoffman's running out of gas in The Graduate.
This classic sedan, which also came in convertible iterations, features that distinctly Buick "sweepspear" design feature. It's that rub strip that runs the length of the vehicle from nose to tail. Look for it again in the Buick Riviera.
Oldsmobile's Toronado competed directly with the Ford Thunderbird in the newly minted personal luxury car segment. The distinct sporty styling won it Motor Trend's coveted Car of the Year award in 1966.
While it was introduced earlier, the '66 was the first year the Pontiac GTO was released as a standalone model. As tailfins from the 50s faded away, these Coke bottle design influences (arches around the back wheel well) replaced them.
Chevy's Mustang competitor pulled out all the stops for its '67 debut. It wouldn't best the Ford in sales until 10 years later, but a rivalry was born.
Mercury's '67 Car of the Year award-winner occupied a space in between the Mustang and the Thunderbird, featuring an "electric shaver grille" that concealed hidden headlamps.
The Pontiac Firebird was the Camaro's cousin and released around the same time as the Mercury Cougar. With signature Coke bottle styling, the Firebird gave rise to the now-famous Trans Am performance package.
There are fewer automobiles that conjure up images of flower power and Hippie culture than the Volkswagen Type 2, affectionately called "VW Bus." This counterculture icon is actually an updated model from one produced during 1950-67. The major difference is a unified windshield instead of the older divided one.
GM joined Ford in the personal luxury car market with the '63 Buick Riviera. But it was the second generation of the car that modernized the Buick sweepspear and featured a unique horseshoe-shaped gear shift.
The second gen Chevelle SS truly embraced the car's inner hotrod. The Coke bottle styling of the body featured a distinct "kick-up," a high-rising flair where the trunk met the cabin body.
The Torino covered all areas of automotive needs. The fastback and convertible designs competed with the likes of the pony cars, but it also featured a stain wagon design for the more practical, family-minded driver.
The British sports classic set the bar high when it came to beauty and performance. If you could afford a sports car during the 60s, this is the one you would get. Even Enzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car ever made.
The Cutlass Supreme was Oldsmobile's cousin offering to the Chevy Chevelle; however, they were more luxurious with plush bench and bucket seats and a high-performance V8 package.
Famously produced by the Germans beginning during World War II, The Beetle saw its greatest success in the U.S. during the 1960s. Essentially unchanged since its introduction, the Beetle is the best-selling single automobile design in history!
The Charger was introduced in '66, but the second generation redesign was where sales really increased. The 1969 model, in particular, would become iconic a decade after its production thanks to The Dukes of Hazzard.
While it was originally introduced as a full-size car in 1960, redesigns saw it downsize to an eventual compact offering, like the 1969 version. It was then that the "Swinger" moniker adopted for the 2-door hardtop (a replacement for the discontinued 2-door sedan).
The performance-built mid-size car from Plymouth came on the scene in 1968, but 1969 was the year it won Motor Trend's Car of the Year award. The Air Grabber option was an important introduction to the model lineup that year.
1970?! What gives?! Before we get tons of emails to the editor, remember that models are released before their actual model year. So this 1970 Challenger actually came out in 1969, just beating the decade cutoff, and giving Dodge its competitor to the Mustang and Camaro.
