Cars of the ’60s that were downright embarrassing to be seen in
The ‘60s were the golden age of high-performance vehicles and muscle cars, it was a time of bold choices, and the last decade in which manufacturers were free to design cars without the constraints of federal safety and were the muscle cars .
Cars began to look more futuristic, and the use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber allowed designers to create some unforgettable designs, but the unforgettable wasn’t always good, here are some of what people consider the worst cars of the ‘60s.
1960 Marcos GT Xylon
The Xylon was, and still is, known as the Ugly Duckling, due to its appearance.
Built as a race car to compete in 750 Motor Club events, and every aspect of this ugly duckling was about saving weight for racing.
1962 Studebaker Avanti
This Avanti was manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation who named it “the fastest production car in the world” as the car broke the 29 United States Auto Club (USAC) and FIA world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
While many like the futuristic design of the car, it was highly criticised for its asymmetrical body shape and front grille design.
1964 Lightburn Zeta Sports
This doorless fiberglass body with disproportionate features, known as “washing machines on wheels”, was designed for the Australian market by Harold Lightburn and Gordon Bedson, for the industrial company Lightburn & Co. that was famous for manufacturing Lightning washing machines and cement mixers.
The car had many issues, one of them was the weak two-stroke twin-cylinder engine, and not having doors so the driver had to climb over the body sides to get in.
1966 Lotus Europa
A two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars, and designed by Ron Hickman.
The car concept was first a bid on the Ford GT40 project. That contract went to Lola Cars as Colin Chapman wanted to call the car a Lotus and Henry Ford II insisted it would be called Ford.
Chapman chose to use Hickman’s design, an extremely light and minimalist construction, with fixed side windows, fixed seats, no door handles, no internal door covers, and an aluminum dashboard.
1967 Matra 530
Despite its polarizing looks and the unnecessarily long hood for a mid-engine car, it was considered a good car for its mid-engine layout and fiberglass body.
This sports car built by the French engineering group Matra featured a targa top, pop-up headlights, and a unique mid-engine layout, with a lightweight fiberglass body fitted over a steel chassis.
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
This long hooded car was the first NASCAR vehicle to reach 200 miles per hour.
The original Daytona was designed to beat the competition in NASCAR racing.
The car gave a great performance, but the pointed nose cone and the 23-inch rear wing looked like an afterthought rather than original parts of the car’s body.
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