Car designers had explored just about every wheel configuration by the dawn of the 1960s. These even included wheels arranged in a diamond pattern, both as a shortlived production car, a Sunbeam, and several prototypes, the Vannod, the Voisin, and the Gordon. Pininfarina X 1960 Pininfarina’s X, though, pushed the parameters out further by using […]

Introduced to the public on October 14, 1965, the luxurious Toronado was America’s first front-wheel drive car since the Cord 810, 30 years earlier. Its clean styling was a landmark-rated by William Mitchell, studio chief at the time, as one of the best-looking General Motors cars ever. Oldsmobile Toronado 1965 Heavily flared wheelarches suggested enormous wheels,

Arotary engine is any power unit that dispenses with a crankshaft to eliminate reciprocal motion, giving nearperfect balance. German engineer Dr. Felix Wankel perfected the technology for road transport and, in 1964, the first car of its kind went on sale thanks to NSU, a German maker of scooters and economy cars. NSU Wankel Spider

It was 42in (106cm) tall and, at 0.29, its drag coefficient made it highly aerodynamic. Most people thought the Lotus Europa’s compressed appearance was madcap, but suspected there must be a good scientific reason. Lotus Europa 1966 They were right. It was the first proper production road car with a mid-mounted engine, bringing the Formula

The Jaguar E-type was derived from a racing car, and designed by an aerodynamics expert, not a “stylist.” Its stiff chassis and independent suspension gave a smooth ride and brilliant roadholding. Jaguar E-Type 1961 It also became a symbol of 1960s freedom. At the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the E-type emerged from a large wooden packing

The shimmering blue Ikenga made its public debut in London’s Harrods department store in October 1968. It was the dreamchild of Brooklyn-born, 29-year-old David Gittens, and 30,000 people flocked to admire it. Ikenga 1968 Gittens’ work as an advertising photographer brought him to London in 1964, and a casual chat one day about the tarnished

Goldenrod still the world’s fastest conventional “car” was built by Californian brothers Bill and Bob Summers who dreamed of an assault on the World land speed record. Goldenrod 1965 Bob built a scale model and mapped out its layout to demonstrate how his car could become the fastest vehicle on earth. Chrysler was so impressed it agreed to

The Ford Mustang might have become another esoteric oddball in the footnotes of motoring history, but for the intervention of brash Italian-American Ford product planner Lee Iacocca. When Iacocca first saw this prototype in 1962, his instinctive grasp of America’s unfolding demographics cut in immediately. Ford Mustang 1 1962 The market craved a sporty car,

Automotive writers are often obliged to report guilelessly on concept cars, relaying the manufacturer’s future visions at face value and seeking to maintain the industry’s credibility. Ford Gyron 1961 For once in 1961, though, Ford was not asking the world to believe it would be marketing a two-seater, two-wheeler gyroscope car any time soon. In

In 1962, Henry Ford 2 began negotiations to buy Ferrari, in order to sprinkle some much-needed racing stardust on the increasingly dull company his grandfather had founded in 1903. Ford GT40 1964 Victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race was the main aim. Why Enzo Ferrari recoiled at the eleventh hour is still unclear, but Ford decided to