The decade of the 1960s is sometimes called The Schizophrenic Sixties. By this time most Americans lived in cities. This was an era of wraparound sunglasses, bell-bottom pants, lava lites, day-glo colors, and skateboards. Bumper stickers on cars became common.
With regard to automobiles, Nick Georgano, in his book The American Automobile: A Centenary 1893-1993, reports:
“The post-war baby boomers were coming up to driving age by the mid-1960s and were increasingly likely to want a car different from their parents. Women had traditionally influenced their menfolk in the choice of a car, but were now actually buying cars for themselves, particularly young, professional women, such as teachers, accountants, and doctors.”
Shown below are some of the cars from the 1960s displayed in the Thunder Dome Car Museum in Enumclaw, Washington.
1963 Dodge 330
This car has a 426 cubic inch Max Wedge, 415 horsepower engine. According to the Museum:
“These cars were built to race in superstock.”
1964 Ford Falcon
This car has a 289 cubic inch engine with an automatic transmission.
1966 Ford Fastback GT350 SR
This car has a 427 cubic inch small block engine.
1966 Austin Princess Limo
This car has a 4-liter inline 6-cylinder engine. It can seat six in the back with the two pull-out seats.
1967 Ford Fairlane
1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee
This car has a 426 cubic inch Hemi, 425 horsepower engine with a Torque Flight automatic transmission.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport Z/28
This is a limited production car with a 302 cubic inch V8 engine with a Muncie M-21 close ratio 4-speed transmission.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro
This car has a 427 cubic inch V8 engine with a 3-speed automatic transmission.
More cars
America's Car Museum: Some cars from the 1960s (photo diary)
Car Show: 1961-1964 Automobiles (Photo Diary)
Car Show: 1965-1969 Automobiles (Photo Diary)
WAAAM: Automobiles of the 1960s (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: 1960s and 1970s Fords in the Classic Auto Museum (photo diary)
Museums 101: Automobiles of the 1960s (Photo Diary)
Museums 201: Chrysler automobiles of the 1960s (photo diary)
Museums 201: Plymouth automobiles of the 1960s and 1970s (photo diary)