17 Muscle Cars From The 1960s That We Still Love
When it comes to art, most of the time we reserve it for museums and prestigious libraries and universities, but the cars on this list were designed by people who thought different. The cars on this list are some of the most decorative cars that you have ever seen.
These decorative cars are the culmination of what it means to ride in style. Some of these cars are classy, sleek and sophisticated and others are outlandish and loud and full of color and personality. Either way, if you appreciate art, you will appreciate the cars on this list.
1937 Delahaye 145 Chapron Coupe
Delahaye first designed the Chapron Coupe as part of a countrywide challenge to come up with a French manufactured vehicle that could race and compete with Italian sports cars.
During its creation, Delahaye came up with the idea for a supercharged engine which was a 3.5-L 6-cylinder engine at that time. Produced by Chapron, there were only 2 of the 145 vehicles made in 1937. Due to conflict and war in the late 1930s and 1940s, Delahaye was never able to race the Chapron Coupe.
Mercedes-Benz SSK
Designed by Ferdinand Porsche during his time at Mercedes-Benz before going to start his own manufacturing company. The SSK, which stood for "Super Sport Kurz," was a 2-door roadster built in Germany from 1928 to 1932.
The body of the SSK was based on the Model K which had a shorter body length that allowed it to be more agile for racing and handling. Only 40 SSKs were built during its 4-year production span. Out of those roughly only 4 or 5 exist still today.
Nash Statesman
Developed and produced by Nash Automobile from 1950 to 1951, the Statesman was a full-size, mid-level automobile that was designed to be both sturdy and reliable.
From the front, the Statesman was shorter and therefore lighter and easier to handle. Buyers had the option to buy the Statesman at three different trim levels; the Statesman Super, a top of the line Statesman Custom, as well as a fleet-only model, built and designed only for commercial and institutional use.
1935 LaSalle
The LaSalle was an American brand that was part of the luxury automobiles division of General Motors Cadillac and was produced from 1927 to 1940.
The idea behind the LaSalle was that it was a companion to the Cadillac that came at a lower price point to make it more appealing to buyers. Eventually, General Motors decided that they would combine the LaSalle models into the Cadillac lineup and the LaSalle name was discontinued in 1941 to fully become Cadillac.
1935 Bugatti Aerolithe
Built and designed by Jean Bugatti, the Aerolithe was a lightweight 2-door car produced for only one year in 1936. Aerolithe, meaning "meteorite" came from the French phrase "Rapide come one aerolithe" which meant "Fast as a meteorite" and it debuted at the Paris International Motor Show.
Due to its odd shape it initially lacked audience attention and interest and only four were built. The Guild, a Canadian car restoration team, created an exact replica from 2008 to 2013 that they keep on display for visitors.
1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster
As part of the redemption the Auburn Automobile Company after its sales took a nosedive in 1924, Errett Cord and James Crawford came up with the design for the Auburn Speedster. It was released in 1925 and got its name from the engine that was being used in it.
It was advertised in the late 1920s and into the 1930s as a racing car with the comfort of a closed car and quickly became popular among the public as sales increased overall for the company. Its iconic feature, the boattail, would soon be copied by other manufacturers and put on models including the 1963-1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the 1971-1973 Buick Riviera.
Chrysler Airflow
Ultimately an overall commercial failure, the Chrysler Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining in its body design. It would go on to disrupt the car industry and forever change the trajectory of how cars were built from then on out.
Engineers Carl Breer, Fred Zader, and Owen Skelton wanted to find the most efficient shape for a car that would also allow it to be aerodynamic as well. The Airflow was what they came up with.
Lincoln-Zephyr
Considered extremely modern when it was introduced to the public in 1935, the Lincoln Zephyr was the lower-priced mid-size entry to the Lincoln lineup. The name "Zephyr" came from the Greek word zephyrus, meaning "god of the west wind" and the car was named after it due to its steamboat aerodynamic presence which differentiated it from Lincoln's previous models that were criticized for being too wind resistant.
Car production came to a screeching halt following the war. Once Lincoln started producing cars again in 1942, they decided to drop the name "Zephyr" and just stuck with Lincoln.
1929 Vauxhall Hurlingham
Manufactured by the Vauxhall division of General Motors from 1927 to 1930, the Vauxhall was a lower-end luxury car sold as a coupe, sedan or limousine.
A car for almost every buyer at any price point, the Vauxhall was easily customizable and whether you wanted a family car or a coupe, the Vauxhall had a model and style just for you. The last model, the Vauxhall 80 gave buyers the option to buy more speed with 62 bhp, a 15% increase from the Vauxhall 20-60 models.
1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
The Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic was a streamlined coupe based on the 1935 Aerolithe design by Jean Bugatti. Because most of the car was made with Elektron, an extremely lightweight and durable material, it was also very heat resistant and could become flammable.
To combat this, Bugatti engineers used a technique discovered by plane pilots and designers and put the rivets on the car externally thereby creating a seam that the car eventually became known for.
1954 Buick Wildcat II
One of the more radical trim levels of the Buick Wildcat, the Buick Wildcat II was a futuristic model designed under Harley Earl.
The body of the Wildcat II was mostly made out of carbon-fiber and a vinyl-ester resin and was fitted with woodgrain on the interior for a more luxurious feel. The Wildcat II was equipped with a V6 engine and Buick kept a few operational models for themselves that they still own today.
Toyota AA
The Toyota AA served as Toyota's first passenger production car and was built in 1935 in Japan. The AA was a 4-door sedan whose body was made primarily out of metal on metal with the rear doors opening backward.
It originally had the body design of the DeSoto Airflow with only a few minor tweaks made so Toyota could make it their own. Following the AA model was the AB model which had a convertible cloth roof and rear doors that opened conventionally.
Hudson Commodore
Hudson Commodore's were the largest models in the Hudson Motor Car Company in 1941 during the Commodore's production run from 1941 to 1952.
Buyers interested in the Commodore had the option of buying it in a convertible, sedan or coupe model and eventually a 2-door pickup model was introduced in the second generation in 1946. Over the course of its production time, over 50,000 units were produced before sales dropped due to competition.
1935 Stout Scarab
An American minivan, the Stout Scarab was one of the world's first production minivans and one of the world's first cars with a fiberglass body shell and air suspension.
Designed by William B. Stout who was an engineer and journalist himself, the idea of the Scarab was for it be an office on wheels. Sold in small batches, the Scarab started at $5,000 which made it out of reach for most buyers as the average car price at the time was roughly $1,345.
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Lago Speciale Teardrop Coupe
Considered one of the world's most beautiful cars, the Teardrop Coupe was a limited production entry made especially for the richest car buyers in the market. The Teardrop Coupe was capable of coming to an abrupt stop from 100 mph and was highly competitive on the racetrack.
It had a 6-cylinder engine that produced 140 bhp, won the Spa 24 Hour Race in 1948, and is considered one of the most valuable cars in the world because it combines both on the road performance and art-deco elegance.
Volvo PV 36 Carioca
The Volvo PV 36 Carioca was a 4-door saloon luxury car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1935 to 1938. Built in Sweden, the car's design was heavily influenced by North American body style trends such as the Chrysler Airflow.
An expensive car, only 500 units were produced over its 3-year production run starting at 8,500 kronor. While it wasn't one of the fastest cars on the road, the Carioca had a modest 3.7-L engine and a 3-speed manual and was ideal for the everyday driver looking for a luxury experience.
1938 Phantom Corsair
The Phantom Corsair was a 2-door sedan manufactured in Pasadena, California under Rust Heinz and Maurice Schwartz. Despite having only two doors, the Corsair could hold up to 6 passengers and even had on-board beverage cabinets.
On the outside, the car had unique features such as flush fenders and running boards, doors that lacked handles and were instead opened electrically using push buttons, and skirted wheels. Due to the accidental death of Rust Heinz in 1939, the car never made it to full production and only one exists.
