Almost every car fanatic, no matter how many cars they own, has a favorite genre of collector car. Maybe it’s the big prewar classics, or the pony cars of the 1960s, or JDM cars of the 1990s. Mine has long been American personal-luxury coupes of the 1960s. I’ve collected images of the big names, but I’ll leave out the full-size bucket seat models such as the beautiful Pontiac Grand Prix or the Chrysler 300; to count for this list, the basic body can’t be shared with anything else in the model lineup. So, which American personal-luxury coupe is your favorite?
1963-65 Buick Riviera
I’ll start not only alphabetically by make but with my personal favorite car, the 1963-65 Buick Riviera. This is my ’63 street-parked on a date night with my wife, and nobody will ever convince me that it isn’t the best-looking American car of the 1960s. It took me too long to buy one (I got mine in 2022), and it’s still one of my “rightest” decisions, even though I had to put in a metric ton of garage hours to get it reliable. While many prefer the clean grille and clamshell headlights of the 1965 Riviera, I have long preferred the rear-end treatment and, yes, the exposed headlights of the 1963-64 cars. Bonus for me? The 1963 Riviera is a little less expensive than the others because nobody wants a Dynaflow (Turbine Drive) transmission. It’s not that bad, folks…the big 401 up front has more than enough power to pull a torque-converter gearbox, and besides, just look at the thing. I do often.
1966-69 Buick Riviera
Because the first-generation Riviera was (and is) almost universally admired, a lot of people forget that the second-generation Riviera (1966-70) is not only more modern but within a coin flip of being just as attractive. It’s hard to argue that the new-for-1966 body wasn’t the smoothest of the E-body trio, but stylist David Holls’s design carried over the Riviera’s front “W” motif in a way that made the car look not only like a Riviera but also completely fresh and new. The lines were still creased yet softer, and the hidden headlights from the 1965 cars were updated to fit the grille’s horizontal themes. I’ve pictured the 1966 model above because while the 1968-69 cars are very attractive, most enthusiasts feel that the heavier front bumpers ruined some of the litheness of the 1966-67 cars. The 1970 Riviera is and always will be polarizing: They look pretty good in the flesh, but pictures don’t seem to flatter their heavier rear styling. No matter—they’re not 1960s cars anyway.
1967-69 Cadillac Eldorado
The 1967 (to 1970) Eldorado was Cadillac’s first crack at a personal-luxury coupe, and as most CC readers know, it shared front-wheel-drive components with the Oldsmobile Toronado. While the Toronado was aggressive and sleek, the Eldorado wore a formal cut, with Bill Mitchell’s favored creases channeled through designer Chuck Jordan’s eye. If the Eldorado isn’t on your list of prettiest Cadillacs, it’s like saying the Beatles are overrated; everyone will immediately think you’re being unnecessarily controversial for the sake of iconoclasm. The big debate is whether the 1967 or 1968 looks best; many prefer the 1968 model’s fender-cap-mounted parking lights rather than the bumper-mounted affairs on the 1967. Unlike the Riviera and Toronado, whose post-1967 editions perhaps lost a bit of their luster, the 1969 and 1970 Eldorados with their exposed headlights were nearly as sharp as the originals.
1960 Ford Thunderbird
It’s generally accepted that the four-seat Thunderbird founded the personal-luxury-coupe category in 1958, and the Squarebird (1958-60) sold spectacularly well, even though its styling is perhaps among the least universally loved of this whole group (save for the 1967-69 Thunderbird). Be that as it may, it looked great for its time, and more importantly, it was comparatively small for a luxury car at 205.3 inches. The best styling was saved for the interior, whose high console and plush bucket seats were only matched by the space-age dashboard. Ford sold over 90,000 T-Birds in 1960, a staggering number that set the standard right at the start of the 1960s for the personal-luxury field.
1961-63 Ford Thunderbird
Next came the third-generation 1961-63 “Bullet Bird,” which should have picked up where the Squarebird left off, but somehow, sales never quite lived up to that tremendously successful 1960 model year. Today, however, this generation is widely considered one of Thunderbird’s best. My 1963 T-Bird is pictured above, and while several cars on this list top my glitzy Ford in my personal esteem, I’ve long held an affinity for this styling cycle; it’s my favorite Thunderbird, although another specific T-Bird (see below) is climbing the charts. If you want a Bullet Bird, it’s a good time to buy the best one you can afford; they are almost criminally underpriced in the collector car market, especially coupes. But as you might have figured out from my experiences with this car (if you’ve kept up with them here on CC), the 1961-63 cars are no fun at all to work on. Still, they look great, ride very well, and have some of the best interiors in automotive history, even if they are a bit lethargic when it comes to accelerating, turning, and stopping.
1964-66 Ford Thunderbird
The fourth-generation “Flairbird,” which ran from 1964 through 1966, brought back some of the Squarebird’s sales success, and my personal favorite of the bunch is this 1965 Special Landau painted in Ford’s beautiful Emberglo Acrylic Enamel paint. Underneath, the Flair Bird was little changed from the previous generation, but its squared-off styling fit the mid-1960s zeitgeist a little better than the Bullet Bird did. Also, the interior might be Ford’s best ever, especially considering the coved rear seat and aircraft controls on the dashboard (and the 1965 model got Ford’s excellent front disc brakes as standard equipment). This Special Landau sold on Bring a Trailer for a ridiculously low $11,750 back in 2022, and when that happened, I immediately wished I could have a do-over in buying my 1963 T-Bird. While I still like the styling of the 1963 model better, this particular car is very close. I’m still envious of whoever ended up with it.
1967-69 Ford Thunderbird
Perhaps the most misunderstood car on this list is the fifth-generation “Glamour Bird,” which was in production from 1967 through 1971. This 1967 Four-Door Landau might be a big reason for that, as it’s not a personal-luxury coupe at all; however, the styling of all models is not uniformly appreciated among fans of this type of car. The fifth-generation T-Bird reverted to a separate body-on-frame design based on the Galaxie, but it still maintained a much nicer interior than most other Fords, in addition to styling that looked like nothing else on the dealer lot. In my opinion, Ford lost the plot a little after 1966, but this particular Landau that I spotted on the side of the road a few years ago changed my mind a bit, and I’ve softened on the styling over the years. Furthermore, sales were fairly strong, at least for 1967 and 1968, but I’d be surprised if this car got the most votes.
1966-69 Oldsmobile Toronado
My vote for second-best personal-luxury coupe is the first-generation Oldsmobile Toronado, the 1966-67 models in particular. In total, I’m certain I’ve spent days of my life ogling these Oldsmobiles, fascinated by every surface detail. The 1968 and the 1969 cars still looked good, but they gained GM’s aggressive chrome front bumper that stylists latched onto in the late 1960s. The 1969 Toronado also lost those unique shoulder-less quarter panels of the earlier cars, so it loses marks for that in my notes. We’ve said a lot about the Toronado over the years here on CC, and the general consensus is that its main selling point is its completely unique styling, as the front-wheel drive layout was not dynamically a game-changer (although it undoubtedly helped in snow and ice). Like most of the other cars in its field, it is big and inefficient, but a lot of artwork is.
1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The final entry on our list of 1960s personal luxury coupes is the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, which was produced in fairly limited numbers from 1962 through 1964. This is my bronze medalist, and it’s in a virtual dead-heat with the Toronado for silver. The famous Loewy styling of 1953 barely shows through in this startlingly successful update by Brooks Stevens; it looks right at home as a 1960s piece of industrial design. Being a little shorter and narrower than the rest of the field helps in terms of maneuverability and storage ease, which might sway my high opinion of it as well. Although the original 1953 coupe is a knockout, this is my favorite Studebaker. I’ll take any of the 289s with a four-speed, please.
There you have it. We’ve presented nine 1960s personal-luxury coupes for your consideration:
- 1963-65 Buick Riviera
- 1966-69 Buick Riviera
- 1967-69 Cadillac Eldorado
- 1960 Ford Thunderbird
- 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird
- 1964-66 Ford Thunderbird
- 1967-69 Ford Thunderbird
- 1966-69 Oldsmobile Toronado
- 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
I like them all (with some reservations about the Glamour Bird), but which one of these glamorous coupes, from an era we’ll never see again, do you like best?
Related Reading
1963 Buick Riviera: All The Maintenance The Factory Recommended (And My Modern Maintenance Schedule) (by me)
CC Outtake: 1967 Buick Riviera GS – Stunning (by Don Andreina)
Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Cadillac Eldorado – “A Classic Made In A Modern Manner” (by Aaron Severson)
1960 Ford Thunderbird: The Last T-Bird Until 1983 With A Stick-Shift (by me)
Deciphering The Build Sheets Of A 1960s Ford Thunderbird And Lincoln Continental (by me)
Car Show Classic: 1965 Ford Thunderbird Special Landau – What Might Have Been (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau – Am I Mellowing With Age? (by me)
1966 Oldsmobile Toronados In (Almost) Every Color: A Masterpiece In Any Tone (by me)
1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk: A Supercharged Example Of One Of Studebaker’s Most Elegant Cars (by me)
What a great idea for a thread!
It’s surprisingly hard to pick a favourite.
I can instantly dismiss the Cadillac – pretentious – moi?
I know Fords are crap, but the Bullet & the Flair look like that inside & out. I vacillate…
The Buicks were very styling-influential and GM engineering was generally good then, but somehow they slid off my radar. Anything with a nose like a parachute offends my aerodynamic sensibilities, I think.
But the Toronado has it all, really. If it had some modern rubber (compound and dimensions) and brakes not off a Lloyd, it might actually be rather good, too. Dante Giacosa must’ve been aghast at the non-packaging, mind.
But the antediluvian Studey does have real charm, dressed like that. And an oddballness designed for we contrarians.
So the bottom of the list are also top of the list, if you get my drift.
Ha ha, most people seem to like my ’63 Thunderbird, but not all! When I bought the car, I went over to visit my now-retired body shop friend and drove the T-Bird to show him. Under his breath he muttered, “What an ugly son of a bitch.” He was (and I assume still is) a blunt fella, but I was a little surprised that not everybody thought the car was as good looking as I did.
My wife acquired a 1961 Bullet ‘Bird last summer.
My cousin had it (who passed), and for some reason, pulled the 390 and tore it down. Somewhere between his tear down and our acquisition, quite a few parts were lost. I basically received a short block and a set of refreshed heads.
The body and interior are in very good, original condition Odometer shows 51K ,miles and the title states it’s accurate.. I decided to start from scratch on building the engine since I had no clue why it was pulled and tore down.
Boy…you aren’t kidding about not being easy to work on. I could make several lists about discoveries made, but I degress.
I have gotten the 390 built and I decided to upgrade the brakes to a dual circuit master cylinder (wife’s car). I’m working on it as time and money allow, but hopefully; the old girl will return to active street duty in the spring.
Good luck getting it back on the road, Clint. If I may suggest something, you may want to consider Rare Parts’ upgraded idler arm for a 1964 Thunderbird. It’s very expensive, but if you feel any play in the steering linkage, the car will be a little frightening at higher speeds. It’s a notorious weak point on these cars.
I’ll take a Riv followed closely by a third!
As if choosing a winner wasn’t hard enough in this field of automotive sculpture, might have added the Studebaker Avanti, Continental Mk III, and downsized Grand Prix. They would seem to fit the stated criteria, mainly having unique bodywork.
I thought about adding the Avanti, but I’ve always thought that it was a little too racy to be a personal-luxury coupe. I have to say that I didn’t even consider the Mark and the GP, although the Mark III would have made a lot of sense as an Eldorado competitor. On the other hand, both the Mark III and the Grand Prix feel like 1970s personal-luxury coupes that arrived a little early. The GP spawned the Monte Carlo and then that kind of car was off and running.
I’ll pick the ’63-’64 Riviera as my first choice. I too like the exposed headlights. The ’66 and up Rivieras, while nice are less distinctive from the rest of the full size GM 2 door hardtops-many of the design cues were shared. The ’66 Toronado is also a favorite even though GM was negligent in providing less than adequate brakes on the first year version. The eggcrate grille on the ’67 isn’t nearly as attractive even though it’s a minor change. T-birds-I’m in the minority, but I like the ’58-’60 “Square Birds”. Certainly no more over the top than many of the contemporary cars of that generation.
My favorite PLC on this list is the 1967 Thunderbird. I like the base hardtop the best, with just a few essential options like AC and power windows, seat and locks.
Next would be a 66 Town Hardtop, then a 63 Landau.
I admire all of the cars on the list, but Thunderbirds have always been my favorite.
I’m the sporty type and would choose the 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird.
The Studebaker Hawk was a very attractive alternative but it didn’t carry as much cachet with the ladies and it’s components were mired in the Fifties. The Eldorado was also a very striking vehicle but my dentist owned one and it carried a posh country club vibe that I did not want to be associated with in the rebellious Sixties.
Given the identically profligate exteriors and paradoxically intimate interiors, these practically ludicrous concoctions – or PLC’s – are not hard to distinguish best to next.
First is the ’63 Riv, so good that one surely felt that one already now lived on that exotic bit of the French coast just by considering the purchase of the thing. The severly elegant ’67 Eldo is millimetres off its bumper, though, losing out only by being just too profligate in its proportions: and third is the ’66 Toro, perhaps not actually a beautiful car, but striking as lightning, and hard not to stare at to this day.
Who on this decreasingly green earth knows what a personal luxury car might actually be – GM and others would doubtless just answer “profitable” – but in this field of poor packaging and superlative looks, the rest from the ’60’s are just also-rans.
Agreed! Hard to decide on the order though. The Riv looks best in light metallic colors or silver. The Eldo has to be black, especially with the black seats with black and white houndstooth inserts. The Toronado looks best in turquoise, or maybe that rusty red metallic. In the wrong color, I would shuffle the order.
Of the Thunderbirds, 61-63 is best… streamlined. 1960 is worst.
Of the listed choices, I’ll take the Eldo. I think it’s the most beautiful Cadillac ever sold, and easily in my Top 5 of all GM cars.
But if the category is 60s PLC with bespoke bodies, I’m with rudiger, picking the bespoke G-body (or A-Special?) 1969 Grand Prix.
Flare Bird, Bullet Bird, then the Hawk (without vinyl if possible). The Bullet is prettier but I loved the Flare Bird as a kid.
As for the rest; cars without vent windows are not worth driving.
My ’63 Riviera has vent windows, too. 🙂
Ahh, I missed that. It is a very nice car too!
So many beautiful choices. I remain a T-Bird loyalist because T-Birds were the only one with convertible’s. My family bought new a 1960 convertible, 1963 hardtop, 1966 Town Landau. Starting in 1967, the last two Birds were my teenage rides. For the last twelve years I have owned a 1966 T-Bird convertible that I love, but if I had to give it up I would be shopping for a 1963 Bird conv. If I was going hardtop my first choice would be a 1968 Eldo as I was very happy with the front wheel drive on my new 1976 Eldo conv. Next on my list would be a 1965 Riviera or 1966-67 Riv. I am a Buick fan having owned a 1998 Riviera.
The ’63-’64 Riviera, by a substantial margin. It just oozes good taste and it has the dynamic qualities that make it more than a pretty face. That’s important to me; the Riviera was a genuine American GT. It’s a complete package, equally excellent outside, inside, and all the greasy bits underneath that sublime hood and under the rest of the body. No pretense.
I can appreciate aspects of the rest but struggle with certain aspects of all of them. The original Toronado’s styling is of course bold and ground-breaking, but its front end is a bit too long for my taste. And I find its interior to be a letdown, especially the dash and steering wheel. And its FWD was a useless affectation.
The ’67 Eldorado is trying a bit too hard, and some of its design elements don’t quite click with me.
The ’58-’60 TBird was groundbreaking, but not in a good way. Its styling is just too incoherent and parochial for me. It needed a bit of Pininfarina influence.
The Bulletbird works so much better and is decidedly my favorite of all the ‘Birds, but let down by its ponderous handling and other dynamic qualities. It is the best of what is essentially late ’50s American Googie/Mid Century Moderne styling. I can’t warm up to the Flairbird and any of its successors.
I don’t see the Gran Turismo hawk as “a 60s piece of American design”. Its early ’50s proportions, shape, and other elements were all-too obvious and it didn’t really fool anyone in that regard at the time. I think it was seen for what it was, a very well done make-over of the ’53 coupe, and one that appealed to those that didn’t need the whiz-bang impact of an all-new design. It appealed to those that also liked European cars, which tended to have much longer design cycles. Its name (and marketing) certainly seems to support that. Sitting in one brings all that home: its interior has some really superb aspects but it also feels a bit cottage industry built, which in essence it was. It is the American Bristol, and I really appreciate it for that, but it is clearly in a very different league than the Riviera.
I pretty much agree with you Paul. I don’t think of the Gran Turismo Hawk as being particularly 1950s, but if you are going to go that route, you’d have to say that the ’58-’60 Squarebird is also 1950s. I agree that the Gran Turismo Hawk is a well-done makeover of the classic ’53 Studebaker Coupe. As such, it lacks the originality and purity of design of the ’53.
As much as I love the Toronado, I agree that the nose is a bit too long. If they could have chopped 4-6 inches off that front overhang, it would have been perfect.
I was thinking of that Studebaker/Bristol thing too!
The ghoul Avantis got close.
1st gen Riviera. Probably a 64 since that was the first year for the Turbo 400 transmission (I believe)
69 Grand Prix overall for a 60s PLC though.
That is correct on the transmission, Dan. I feel bad for excluding the 1969 Grand Prix now that a few people have mentioned it; I personally never really liked the design and I didn’t even think of it. I knew I’d miss one or two.
TBH, the downsized ’69 and ’70 Grand Prix never really worked for me. It was the ’71 and ’72 models that hit the sweet spot as far as mid-sized Grand Prix personal luxury coupes go.
Either of the Buicks. The first-gen was definitely unique but the second-gen was not only a stunning design, but evolved into the almost as nice ‘68-72 GM intermediates. I also like the Studebaker, but Paul is correct; it’s a 1960’s car by build date only.
The GT Hawk. I normally think that what’s under the skin is what matters, but the GT Hawk’s styling trumps its long-in-the-tooth chassis.
As time has passed, the early Riviera gets prettier and prettier. I also like the bullet birds, but not quite as much as I used to. But mine has to be a 61-62 because the extra side creases and trim of the 63 ruin it for me.
I think the 68-69 Mk III belongs here, but it’s another car I don’t like quite as much as I once did. A Hawk might be the most attractive to own because of its simplicity and strong parts availability.
Having driven a 65 Riviera for 30 years, I’m a little partial to it. The Eldorado, Toronado and TBirds were all in the running though, along with first generation Cougar. I always feel special in the Riv.
There’s really not a bad choice in this group. It was peak PLC that was typically overshadowed by the go-go musclecar era. When performance died in the seventies, brougham led by PLCs were the hot ticket, but smogging and big bumpers made them nowhere near as desirable (especially when the stacked rectangular headlights fad came into vogue).
With that said, there are specific features of each car that could sway a buyer one way or the other. The Eldorado has the best rear end of any car, ever. Someone else mentioned the availabilty of a Thunderbird convertible through 1966. The first Toronado has that strong Cord vibe, but I’d be hard-pressed to deny any sixties’ Riviera (althouth the 1968-69 cars have a less than great front end).
Overall, I’d probably go with a 1967 Riviera due to the new 430 engine that replaced the old nailhead and the availability of front disc brakes.
The exterior visuals of the ’66-’67 Riv and the ’61-’63 “Bullet” birds are my favorites. Both designs strike me as quite clean and destinctive; what more could one want? I do own 1 of each, but in 1/24th scale!! That did make them re$onably affordable!:) DFO
For me, the Riv in a walk. ’65 please, I prefer the hidden headlights. And GS package while we are at it… I could probably be talked into a ’67 as well. None of the others light my fire at all.
Ford is not my flavor, but I admire anyone who can keep a bullet bird looking and functioning well. There’s a lot to go wrong and little of it is easy to access!
1967 Riviera GS. My best friend has a gorgeous one in turquoise metallic and I’m insanely jealous. It also has maybe my favorite instrument panel ever. He came close to selling it to me years ago and regretted that it didn’t happen, can’t say I blame him though. A ’66/7 Toro or ’63/64 Riv would be a very close tied-for-2nd duo. Do like ’60 T-Birds very much also, b ut myst be in dark green Ivy metallic!
My dream car would be a ’65 Buick Riviera GS in dark blue with the dual-quad Nailhead. Who cares if it sucks gas like a B-52? I will add my vote for the first-generation Riviera as the most beautiful American car of the 60s and certainly on the list for the most beautiful of all time. I do prefer the hidden headlights, which make the front of the car look both sinister and elegant. Plus, the interior and dash are also spectacular. The second-generation Riviera lost that distinctive interior, though I like the rolling-drum speedometer it shared with the Toronado. It’s also gorgeous, but bigger than it should have been.
I like them all so it would probably be easiest to go through my dislikes to find the one I’d pick. I won’t concern myself with dynamic qualities because in this class of car I could kinda care less about 0-60 and I’m not the type of collector who is precious about modifications like converting drums to disc, so…
1963-65 Buick Riviera – right off the bat this might be my off the cuff pick, as there’s little to dislike… I will say though I vastly prefer the 65 front end with the clamshells(I think it’s the most clever hidden headlight mechanism ever) BUT I don’t really like the rear end of the 65s! So right there I don’t entirely like any given year. Plus I will say there is something a bit too anodyne to them, maybe because they are so highly regarded, maybe because it’s styling for 63 was so groundbreaking it had a lot of cues recycled into a ton of other cars and effectively watered it down I don’t know…
1966-69 Buick Riviera, 1966-69 Oldsmobile Toronado and 1967-69 Cadillac Eldorado are tough in that I think I like this trio the most equally in different ways and similarly my dislikes mostly line up. First off I plain dislike the 68-69 styling of the Toro and Riv, total dealbreaker for me in those years. All three have bland interiors, yes there is the trick speedometer mechanism but overall you open the door and you’re greeted with a dash and often bench seats that look like any other full size GM. Styling wise I think the Toronado is interesting but the car is too big for it, and I don’t feel that way about the Riviera or Eldorado which I think the styling suits the size well. So I think I can narrow it down to the two and because I do prefer a sportier package and RWD I will say can narrow this trio down to the 66 Riviera
1960 Ford Thunderbird – my kneejerk pick actually was going to be this because there are some things about it I really like more than others(mostly the interior but I think it has excellent proportions hidden in its styling, which…) the styling is to say the least… busy… there are all sorts of cool elements but there seemed to be no design restraint, and in fairness that was 1958 design in a nutshell, and by comparison the squarebirds styling isn’t nearly as bad as others in 59-60, but that’s grading it on a curve.
1961-63 Ford Thunderbird – the anthesis to the Squarebirds, clean…. Maybe too clean. I have some serious likes about these(once again the interior and possibly the coolest and most convincing jet afterburner rear end ever) but I have to be honest the element that defines its name is my least favorite part, that pointed heavy chrome front end. It lacks Thunderbird character for me, as it highly resembles the 61 Continental (as it would) and the oval headlight pods on both that year are a little too cutesy(which is why I prefer the 62 Continental to the 61).
Plus yes these do suck to work on and I like working on cars! People accustomed to modern cars often crow at these old large PLCs having so little interior space for their size, which I think they miss the point, however for me how a car can be so big, with such a long nose with such a wide hood could have less working space than a FE powered Mustang?!?!
1964-66 Ford Thunderbird – much the same as the bullet and squares(again love the interior, maybe even the most in this range. Also love the wide taillights that went from rocket age to space age). I don’t really like the front end of the 64-65, which on one hand I feel looks more properly aggressive compared to the bullitts but the point in the middle is still there and now looks like a duckbill. I like the 66 front end the best. These also started the descent into brougham with the landau which I ironically mark as the beginning of the end for the glamorous tbirds
1967-69 Ford Thunderbird – I don’t like anything about these
So I guess to narrow the Tbird brackets I think I’d go with the Squarebird as my complaints aren’t quite so long
1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk – I actually have a lot of good things to say about these so I feel like kicking a sick puppy airing my dislikes, but it’s chassis and running gear are primitive the Studebaker V8 is a boat anchor, for which the superchargers were a band aid, the styling while a very clever and well executed tailoring of the same suit, it ultimately fools no one. For that reason I’m out
So that narrows it to three: 63-65 Riviera, 66-67 Riviera, 60 Squarebird… for the ultimate 60s PLC… I pick…
The 1966 Dodge Charger 😆
“How a car can be so big, with such a long nose with such a wide hood could have less working space than a FE powered Mustang?!?!”
I know! It’s almost like all the different engineering departments never talked to each other…EVERYTHING is in the way of something. Even pulling the radiator is a massive ordeal. The Riviera is two hoses, two lines, a few bolts to remove the upper plate, and it’s out. The Thunderbird has bolts everywhere, even a few underneath, and getting to the trans cooler lines is almost impossible. Even pulling the lower radiator hose is something that will have you gnashing your teeth. And somehow, the fan is so close to the radiator that there has to be a special 1961-63 only fan clutch. It’s nuts.
I’d pick the first generation Riviera. I’ve wanted one since I was a little guy of 5 or 6 when they came out.
It might be influenced by the number of Buicks floating around my family growing up.
Thinking about the criteria for your list, it occurs to me there aren’t any MOPAR products. I can see the Chrysler 300 as not qualifying for several reasons including the basic body uniqueness requirement.
Anyone have insight as to why Chrysler didn’t have anything in this category at that time?
Easy choice for me as we had a 65 Thunderbird when I was in high school and to this day it is one of my most enjoyable automobile memories. Just a beige on beige standard coupe but it was well built, quiet, and the interior was fabulous, including the Thunderbird script across the passenger side of the dash, the aircraft-style controls, great lighting, flow-through ventilation, and ribbon speedo. The front disc brakes and the sequential turn signals were first introduced on the 65 and made it all the more special. The single thing we disliked was the terrible gas mileage – mostly single digit on premium. Oh, and the plaid vinyl trunk trim was ugly and there was a small but persistent rain leak into the trunk. As a teenager, I kept that car waxed and polished and the reward was frequent access as Dad had two more cars but I had to pay for the gas, not easy on my busboy wages.
My second favorite Thunderbird is the Bullet Bird, even the 63 though for many it was ruined by the new side trim crease and hash mark chrome treatment. I liked all three years of different side trim, grilles, and taillights with the 62 my favorite.
Actually as a kid I was fascinated by and in love with every Thunderbird from 55 through 66 (my Dad’s best friend had one of the first of the new 58s in northern Indiana) – and was crestfallen when the 67 was introduced.
I test drove 60, 61, and 62 T-Birds when I was looking to buy my first car in 66 but simply could not come up with enough money. The white 61 was a gem and drove like new, the broken mechanism for the swing-away steering wheel being the sole fault. The white 60 had no brakes, a scary discovery during the test drive, and the turquoise 62 was perfect but way overpriced.
I liked the first years for Riviera and Toronado but not as much as the 63 Grand Prix in our town, a stunning example in dark blue that remains memorable to me.
Add the Avanti, remove the 1960 Thunderbird. Add the 1969 Grand Prix and remove the 1967-69 Thunderbird. I think the “Squarebird” is baroque and hideous, like the Lincolns of the same period.
The best lookers? The 1966-69 Riviera and Toronado.
I’ll take the minority position and the Toronado, partly for the styling and partly because I had a Corgi diecast model with with working pop up headlights, and possibly Golden Jacks and removable wheels. I might be confusing it with the Hillman Hunter rally car which definitely had Golden Jacks. The Toronado also gets points for innovation with the FWD power pack that went on to power motor homes
’63-’65 Riviera is my first choice as well. I’ll take the Bullet Bird second, and the GT Hawk third, Brooks Stevens best model update.
The Studebaker G.T. Hawk is a very strong contender, and perhaps my favorite, followed by the Buick Riviera of those years. My only complaint with the Studebaker, was all their management-led cost-cutting failed to make it ‘luxury’ enough by not offering more options and accessories like the other PLC contenders did with theirs. For example, Studebaker never offered power windows, power seats, power antenna, or cruise control, or a genuine leather interior option on the Gran Turismo Hawk. These options were a high profit marketing tool for their manufactures, and of importance to the buyers of these cars at the time, and the sales results proved this. As for the Avanti, it’s too compact (it was built on a Lark convertible chassis) to be a personal luxury car and was more along the lines of a Maserati 3500GT at 1/3rd of the price, and would have sold well, had there not been all the well-publicized production issues on getting it to market.