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Curbside Classics Archives
1960s Archive
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![In the mid-1960s, Pontiac was riding high on its sporty image. The full-size Pontiac Catalina was a big hit, and the muscular midsize Pontiac GTO was a great success, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1965-Pontiac-Catalina-2plus2-Fontaine-Blue-Mecum-Auctions-S87.1-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 421 HO – 2 Plus 2 Does Not Equal GTO")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 421 HO – 2 Plus 2 Does Not Equal GTO
Posted on July 10, 2025 | 21 CommentsIn the mid-1960s, Pontiac was riding high on its sporty image. The full-size Pontiac Catalina was a big hit, and the muscular midsize Pontiac GTO was a great success, […] -
![Between 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Hurst-Olds-AC-Mecum-Auctions-F233.1-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference")
Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference
Posted on June 18, 2025 | 18 CommentsBetween 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […] -
![Ford’s first stab at a mass-market intermediate muscle car, the 1966 Fairlane GT/GTA, hadn’t been any too convincing, but things had perked up with the arrival of the hot […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1969-Ford-Cobra-SportsRoof-Meadowlark-Yellow-Mecum-Auctions-T197.1-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1969 Ford Cobra 428 CJ – Ford’s Road Runner Fighter “Eats Birds For Breakfast,” But Doesn’t Sell")
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1969 Ford Cobra 428 CJ – Ford’s Road Runner Fighter “Eats Birds For Breakfast,” But Doesn’t Sell
Posted on June 4, 2025 | 18 CommentsFord’s first stab at a mass-market intermediate muscle car, the 1966 Fairlane GT/GTA, hadn’t been any too convincing, but things had perked up with the arrival of the hot […] -
![For 1967, Plymouth got into the midsize Supercar game by installing the big Super Commando 440 engine in the intermediate Plymouth Belvedere, creating a muscular new high-performance model called […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1967-Plymouth-GTX-hardtop-Bright-Red-Mecum-Auctions-F160-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Plymouth GTX — A Hemi Killer On The Street")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Plymouth GTX — A Hemi Killer On The Street
Posted on May 29, 2025 | 14 CommentsFor 1967, Plymouth got into the midsize Supercar game by installing the big Super Commando 440 engine in the intermediate Plymouth Belvedere, creating a muscular new high-performance model called […] -
![It only took Ford until 1967 to stuff a big block engine in the Mustang, but the 390 Mustang didn’t offer the performance to make up for its clumsier […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1969-Ford-Mustang-Mach-I-Candyapple-Red-Mecum-Auctions-F248.1-side-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Ford Mustang 428 Mach 1 – Faster Than A Hemi")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Ford Mustang 428 Mach 1 – Faster Than A Hemi
Posted on May 25, 2025 | 27 CommentsIt only took Ford until 1967 to stuff a big block engine in the Mustang, but the 390 Mustang didn’t offer the performance to make up for its clumsier […] -
![Any automaker can create performance models by discreetly offering its most powerful engines in the smallest, cheapest cars that will accommodate them, but to put those models (and their […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1968-Plymouth-Road-Runner-coupe-Buffed-Silver-Mecum-Auctions-S103.1-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner 383 – As Hot As It’s Been Made Out To Be?")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner 383 – As Hot As It’s Been Made Out To Be?
Posted on May 23, 2025 | 33 CommentsAny automaker can create performance models by discreetly offering its most powerful engines in the smallest, cheapest cars that will accommodate them, but to put those models (and their […] -
![As automotive conversation pieces go, few speak louder than the 1969 AMC SC/Rambler, a preposterous limited-edition Rambler, concocted by American Motors and Hurst-Campbell, that offered giant-killing performance in a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1969-AMC-SCRambler-A-paint-scheme-Mecum-Auctions-F133-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 AMC-Hurst SC/Rambler – “By George, It Is A Fast Little Car”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 AMC-Hurst SC/Rambler – “By George, It Is A Fast Little Car”
Posted on May 22, 2025 | 31 CommentsAs automotive conversation pieces go, few speak louder than the 1969 AMC SC/Rambler, a preposterous limited-edition Rambler, concocted by American Motors and Hurst-Campbell, that offered giant-killing performance in a […] -
![Dressed in bright orange (“Carousel Red”) and festooned with decals; offering flashy looks, high performance, and a lengthy list of gimmicks; and bearing a name inspired by a popular […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1969-Pontiac-GTO-Judge-RAIV-Carousel-Red-Mecum-Auctions-R309-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV – Here Come “The Judge”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV – Here Come “The Judge”
Posted on May 20, 2025 | 33 CommentsDressed in bright orange (“Carousel Red”) and festooned with decals; offering flashy looks, high performance, and a lengthy list of gimmicks; and bearing a name inspired by a popular […] -
![If there was one cardinal rule for Dodge Division in the 1960s, it was, “Whatever Plymouth had, Dodge dealers wanted.” Not long after Plymouth introduced the Road Runner, a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1969-Dodge-Super-Bee-Bright-Green-Fast-Lane-Classic-Cars-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 383 – “Lives Up To Its Decals”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 383 – “Lives Up To Its Decals”
Posted on May 12, 2025 | 24 CommentsIf there was one cardinal rule for Dodge Division in the 1960s, it was, “Whatever Plymouth had, Dodge dealers wanted.” Not long after Plymouth introduced the Road Runner, a […] -
![With 1,288,557 cars sold in just two and a half model years, the original Ford Mustang was the definition of a mass-market success. Car Life magazine compared it to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1967-Ford-Mustang-GTA-390-Wimbledon-White-Bring-a-Trailer-13-front-3q-left-low.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback – All The Toppings, Not Enough Mustard")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback – All The Toppings, Not Enough Mustard
Posted on May 11, 2025 | 37 CommentsWith 1,288,557 cars sold in just two and a half model years, the original Ford Mustang was the definition of a mass-market success. Car Life magazine compared it to […] -
![From the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, the Dodge Monaco was the senior trim series of the full-size Dodge line, but the original 1965 Monaco was a hardtop-only personal […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1965-Dodge-Monaco-Art-Speed-front-3q-left-high.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage M/T Review: 1965 Dodge Monaco – “As Rugged As It Is Rich”")
Vintage M/T Review: 1965 Dodge Monaco – “As Rugged As It Is Rich”
Posted on April 28, 2025 | 26 CommentsFrom the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, the Dodge Monaco was the senior trim series of the full-size Dodge line, but the original 1965 Monaco was a hardtop-only personal […] -
![Between 1964 and 1966, Ford was so busy selling Mustangs that they scarcely seemed to notice that they were falling behind in other segments of the performance market. In […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1966-Ford-Fairlane-GTA-Mecum-Auctions-T123-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA – “Genuine Imitation Supercar”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA – “Genuine Imitation Supercar”
Posted on April 26, 2025 | 28 CommentsBetween 1964 and 1966, Ford was so busy selling Mustangs that they scarcely seemed to notice that they were falling behind in other segments of the performance market. In […] -
![Pontiac was riding high in 1965, but the division’s big flagship Bonneville was in danger of getting lost in the shuffle. In August 1965, Car Life tested a Bonneville […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1965-Pontiac-Bonneville-Vista-4HT-Clasiq-Auctions-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Vista – “Excellent Within Reason”")
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Vista – “Excellent Within Reason”
Posted on April 21, 2025 | 47 CommentsPontiac was riding high in 1965, but the division’s big flagship Bonneville was in danger of getting lost in the shuffle. In August 1965, Car Life tested a Bonneville […] -
![Even before their test of a 1967 Ram Air GTO appeared in print, the editors of Car Life had gotten their hands on the redesigned 1968 Pontiac GTO. Their […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1968-Pontiac-GTO-Ram-Air-AutoHunter-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1968 Pontiac GTO Ram Air – “It’s The Wildest”")
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1968 Pontiac GTO Ram Air – “It’s The Wildest”
Posted on April 14, 2025 | 24 CommentsEven before their test of a 1967 Ram Air GTO appeared in print, the editors of Car Life had gotten their hands on the redesigned 1968 Pontiac GTO. Their […] -
![The Buick Riviera got a facelift for 1968, arguably a step in the wrong direction for one of GM’s most handsome cars. Car Life tested the new model in […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1968-Buick-Riviera-Mecum-Auctions-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1968 Buick Riviera – “Lots Of Sound, Well-Styled Automobile”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1968 Buick Riviera – “Lots Of Sound, Well-Styled Automobile”
Posted on April 12, 2025 | 18 CommentsThe Buick Riviera got a facelift for 1968, arguably a step in the wrong direction for one of GM’s most handsome cars. Car Life tested the new model in […]
