Vintage Photos Of Fastbacks Of The 1960s And 1970s

Text by Patrick Bell.

Fastbacks are the feature today, and we have a fabulous amount of fantastic photos for you to flip through.  So find yourself a comfortable place to sit and we will move forward.

We begin with a 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback 2+2 in a nice neighborhood on a nice day with a nice lady posing along with it.  The fender emblem marks it as a V8 model, which in 1965 were all 289 cubic inches in various states of tune.  The Mustang was in the first wave of 1960s fastbacks, a style that has never gone completely away.

These folks were out in the desert with a 1967 Dodge Charger with California license plates.  The vinyl roof was a new option for this year, which was the second and last year of the initial Charger style.

The building looked like a former car dealer showroom, but it is difficult to determine what its use was at the photo time.  Front and center was a 1965 Shelby G.T. 350 Fastback named the ‘Asphalt Angel’.  On the other side of it was a 1965 or 1966 Ford Mustang Hardtop, and beyond it may have been a 1961 Chevrolet Impala convertible.

This shot shows the front end view of the first Dodge Charger.  It was a 1966 model and looked sharp in dark red.  A red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible was one row back, and further back were three trucks with a 1951-1953 Chevrolet Advance Design 3600 or 3800 pickup on the left, an International Loadstar in the center, and a 1961 or 1962 Ford, likely a F-350 to the right.  A photo search indicates this location was the Christchurch Airport in New Zealand, so we’ll need some help with the remaining vehicles that were likely native to NZ.

Rambler’s first fastback of the 1960s was the 1965 Marlin, which was offered through 1967.  This one was equipped with one of the two optional V8’s and wire wheel covers.  I just learned from the original sales brochures that power front disc brakes were standard on the 1965 models but reverted to optional in 1966.  It is hard to tell what these two fellers were doing; the best I can tell is the one in the front was cleaning out the curb feelers.  Photo notes say ‘Golden Hills’ in May of 1968, so the location was likely in California.

Here was a rare one, a 1968 Mercury Cyclone GT 500.  It was a regional sales promotional car connected with the ‘Drive-away’ program.  A customer would buy a new one and take delivery at a race track on race day; he or she would get the privilege of driving a lap on the track before the race.  For this Cyclone, it may have been done at the Atlanta 500 in March of 1968.  It had been modified with Jardine Headers (or at least a decal) and the customary wheels and tires.

In the background were two other Ford products; a black over light blue 1969 LTD 4 door hardtop, and a white 1970 Country Squire.

We have a trio of blue cars in this shot that were overlooking the Chicago skyline in 1967, per image notes.  The fastback was the center car, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe, with a 1965 Impala Sport Sedan in front of it, and behind a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 4 door sedan.  I see the Prudential Plaza in the center of the skyline, and I will take a guess and say the building in the left foreground is the Shedd Aquarium.  I am sure that the same scene would be barely recognizable today.

A sharp looking red 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback.  This was the first year of a three year cycle, and it was the best seller of its two companions; a hardtop and a convertible.  And 1967 was the best selling year of the three.

This 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hardtop Coupe was the least expensive 2 door Oldsmobile offered for the year, and it was very basic with the only option I can see being the wheel trim rings.  It was available as a 250 cubic inch six cylinder model, or a far more popular 350 V8.  Behind it was a 1969 Ford Custom, Custom 500, or Galaxie 500.  An online search suggests the building was the Bancroft Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.  I can’t confirm that, but the building does look very similar.

American Motors second 1960s fastback fling was the Javelin of 1968.  This new one pictured at a dealership was a 1970 SST with either the 360 or 390 cubic inch V8’s with dual exhausts, Rally Stripes, and Turbo Cast Wheel Covers.  To the left was an Ambassador SST 2 door hardtop, also a new 1970 model.  Passing by on the right edge was a 1963 Plymouth Savoy 4 door sedan, and across the street was the local Chrysler Plymouth dealer.

Out for a neighborhood cruise in a close to new 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS Coupe.  The SS package included a Turbo-Fire 350 cubic inch V8 with 300 horsepower, power disc brakes, special suspension, and various trim pieces.  This one also had the Exterior Decor group, full wheel covers, and a California license plate.  To the left was a 1967 Pontiac Catalina, Ventura, or Executive, and in the driveway across the street, a 1966 Dodge Coronet 440 4 door sedan.

We are now on Main Street in Tonopah, Nevada.  Ahead was a 1968 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe from Washington State that was clearly showing its fast back.  Across the street was a 1957 Buick station wagon heading a long line of parked cars.  The Mizpah Hotel towered above them in all its splendor.  Built in 1907 during the silver boom, it and a neighboring five story building were the tallest buildings in Nevada until 1927.

Here was another special edition Ford connected to a race track; “The Going Thing”.  A 1969 Mustang SportsRoof was made to resemble a factory drag team car, and was at a promotional event at Thompson Drag Raceway in Thompson, Ohio.  A man saw it and told a friend about it, and he ended up buying it, and still had it as of ten years ago.  It was equipped with a 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet V8 with the 4 speed transmission.

Now we are at a Ford dealer looking over a new 1970 Torino GT SportsRoof.  The GT’s standard engine was the 302 V8, with two 351’s and three 429’s available.  This one had one of the optional engines per the call out on the lower fender behind the wheel, along with the Laser stripe.  The rear view shows the fastback shape.  To the left in the upper image was a new Thunderbird, and behind the Torino was a 1967 Mustang Hardtop.

Posing in the driveway was a 1970 Mercury Montego Cyclone or Cyclone Spoiler that had the typical look for well used muscle cars of the era.  It was de-trimmed and appeared to be a repaint, and had the normal wheel and tire upgrade, plus traction bars.  Both models had the 429 V8 as standard equipment, so there was plenty of go fast in these cars.

The muscles had weakened by the early seventies, and this 1973 AMC Javelin AMX had a 304 V8 per the image notes.  Two 360’s and a 401 were available, but insurance and gas costs forced most people to shop for miles per gallon, not miles per hour.  In the background looks like a 1969 Buick Electra 225 4 door hardtop.

The premium full size fastback Buick for 1968 was this Wildcat Custom Sport Coupe.  The only engine available was the 430 cubic inch V8, and this one also had the Chrome Road Wheels.  It was wearing a Michigan license plate registered in Genesee County, the home of Flint.  In spite of that, I believe this was a promotional photo.

The Ford Mustang SportsRoof from the 1971-1973 era was one of the more extreme fastback designs.  Rear visibility was almost non existent without the use of outside mirrors.  This one was a 1971 or 1972 basic model, and the only option I see were whitewall tires.

The Dodge Dart Sport was an apt name for the sporty model, and this 1974 model looked good with a Canopy Vinyl Roof, ‘Up and Over Stripe’, bucket seats, body side moldings, and full wheel covers.  The license plate may have been a Texas issue, which could be the location as well.

Ford restyled their intermediate line for model year 1972, and this Gran Torino Sport SportsRoof was the sporty model with the ‘GT’ hood.  It also had the standard wheel trim rings and the optional Laser Stripe.  Engine choices ranged from a standard 302 V8 up to a 429 V8.  On the other side of it was a 1973-1977 Ford F-series pickup, and in the background a white 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 or 500/XL 4 door hardtop.

Ford’s Maverick was introduced in mid 1969 as a 1970 model and replaced the Falcon as their compact.  This one could have been a 1970-1972 model, but since the license plate appears to have been a 1970 Illinois issue, I will call it a 1970.  In its first year, this 2 door sedan was the only body style available, and 170 and 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder engines were the only two offered.  It did have the Accent Group, which included the bright window moldings, 14 inch wheels, tires, and wheel covers, and interior carpeting.

AMC took another stab at a fastback with the 1974 restyle of the Matador Coupe.  This one was a 1977 or 1978 Barcelona II, which was also a stab at the personal luxury coupe segment that was so popular at that time.  It did not do well, so 1978 was the last year for the Matador.  And these were rare when new, and very rare now.  Connecticut was where it was from, and apparently belonged to ‘MICKE’.

The paint was faded, but this 1971 Dodge Demon 340 sat straight and level, even with a light trailer load.  It was at least eight years old going by the 1979 or 1980 Chevrolet Malibu Classic Sport Coupe in the driveway.  The Demon also had the Rallye Wheels with snow tires on the rear.

Ford shrunk the Mustang for 1974 and called it the Mustang II.  The featured one could have been either a 1974 or 1975 model, and was a Mach I edition.  In 1974 the only engine available for the Mach I was the 2.8 liter V6, while in 1975 the 302 cubic inch V8 came back and was added to the list.

We will finish with a Dodge Charger that was a 1973 or 1974 SE model, which had been their luxury oriented trim since 1969.  The Formal Vinyl Roof and Deluxe Wheel Covers were standard on the SE, along with the 318 cubic inch V8, with options up to a 440.  The owner had added one? fog lamp and oversize white lettered tires.

Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

 

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