# Milestone American Cars



## DGS49 (Dec 8, 2020)

Like most Boomers, I trace the origins of civilization to my own personal first memories, discounting everything that came before as mostly mythical and irrelevant.  But with that said, I thought it might be interesting to compile a short list of the major American milestone cars - and non-milestone noteworthy cars - of my lifetime ("all of automotive history"), and to welcome others I may have missed and disputes about what I've included.  So here goes.


1953 Corvette.  I'll term this one noteworthy but not a milestone because nobody actually copied it.  The T-Bird sort-of did, but it was more of a luxury-sports car, and Ford quickly dropped the two-seater form because there simply was not enough market to support it.  To this day, it is America's only true mass produced sports car.
1957 Chevy.  One of the few cars of the era that continued to look stylish and "modern" for decades after introduction, even though it manifested the short-lived "fin" theme of the 50's and 60's.  It aged amazingly well.
1960 Corvair.  While this car was a technological breakthrough, it ultimately died on the vine and nobody tried to copy its rare but not unique formula of a rear, air-cooled engine, coupled with RWD.  Absolutely great in snow.  Its significance today is that it was GM's first real attempt to make a compact car for the masses, and that was part of a major movement.
1964 Mustang.  Nothing more need be said.  While it was not a good car, mechanically speaking, it created a class of cars ("sporty cars") that still lives more than fifty years later.
1964 Tempest GTO.  The first car to combine a big V8 with a "mid-sized" car, in violation of GM's overall design guidance, which is why it was originally created as an option package rather than a separate model.  It was the first "muscle car."
Seven Liter muscle cars: mid-sized coupes with 7-liter V8's, e.g.. SS 427 Chevelle, 429 Torino, Hemi Cuda, etc. These were the epitome of the horsepower wars that crashed to the ground when Americans were forced to confront the problems of air pollution and increasing fuel prices.
1980 Chevy Citation.  Brought FWD to the mainstream.  Combined efficient packaging with greatly improved traction, and made it theoretically possible to have a passenger car without a transmission tunnel - a promise never fulfilled.
1983 Pontiac 6000 STE.  GM's first attempt to make a moderately sporty FWD sedan.  Quite expensive in its day, and its performance was poor by the standards of any other decade, it was still a significant car in that it recognized that SOME PEOPLE might be willing to pay extra for a "European" driving experience in a sedan.
1984 Dodge Caravan and its siblings from Plymouth and Chrysler.  The first true minivans.  Introduced a whole new type of vehicle, combining FWD, a small platform, three rows of seats, and a potentially huge storage/hauling capacity in a 4-cylinder vehicle.  The ultimate soccer-mom vehicle.
1992 Ford Explorer.  While the Chevy Suburban might be said to be the first SUV, nobody knew that what it was until decades after it was introduced.  The Explorer was a huge hit, and convinced Americans that they needed 4WD (or AWD, I won't get into that argument) that you could turn on and off from the driver's seat - fuel economy be damned.
2012 Tesla Model S.  The first electric vehicle with range long enough to make it your everyday driver, no problem.
2017 Dodge Hellcat Challenger.  First mass-produced car with insane power (over 700 HP) AND A WARRANTY.  Note that the original 426 Hemi's of the 60's had only a 30-day warranty.
Help fill in the blanks, please.


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## JGalt (Dec 8, 2020)

'58 Edsel.


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## TroglocratsRdumb (Dec 8, 2020)

The Falcon was Ford's response to the Chevy Corvair.
Then Chevy came out with the Chevy II to respond to Ford's Falcon.
The Falcon eventually became the Mustang and the Maverick.


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## Gdjjr (Dec 8, 2020)

I'll take issue with Corvairs- they copied Volkswagen- I actually owned one for  short time, in, 67? maybe- it was a 60 model and while it was fun, it was a PITA- notice I said I owned it for a short period- LOL

And, the Muscle cars were shut down due to insurance- nobody would insure them- the emissions deal began just prior to their coming on the scene big time. They started in the early 60's with Chevy's 409, which was a truck motor a 348 derivative and an option as early as 58.
Ford came on the scene in 61 with a 390, which was a big brother to the 332, which was not very popular and was dropped when the 352 came out (same engines all) just different cubic inches. Then in 62 Ford came out with the 406, some with 3, 3 bbl carburetors and Chevy retaliated with a 2, 4 bbl 409, then Chrysler jumped in with the 426 Hemi (big brother to the original 332 Hemi) then Ford countered with the 427, then Chevy had a 427 and Pontiac jumped in there somewhere with a 421- then, in the late 60's Ford introduced a 427 overhead cam which was a killer in the horsepower market, but rules in racing had to catch up to allow it to be ran- it scared the rule makers because it had 7 feet of timing chain-

When the horsepower numbers exceeded 400 the insurance started going thorough the roof and doomed the Muscle Car- 

The emission thing became a big issue in the 70's, which by then Muscle cars were a thing of the past for mfg- 
Gas mileage was taking on a more important role and NASCAR relegated large cubic inch displacement to back yard relics, reducing cubic inch limits and at one point Ford even quit NASCAR- 

The battle for gas mileage began, IMO, some of the worse cars ever to come out of Detroit. Chrysler K cars- a Lee Iacoca (who ran Ford during the Mustang birth) idea, brought about the K car, a certified POS- but, they were competing with Japanese cars with 4 cylinder engines, in light bodies and trying "we have to do something"- and, just like the gov't, that attitude just about sank Chrysler- 

Interesting history, our love of cars, which were, in the not too distant past, a birthright, or passage into manhood for many, red blooded American boys (and some good lookin gals) -


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## rightwinger (Dec 8, 2020)

1963 Studebaker Avanti


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## DGS49 (Dec 9, 2020)

As for the Corvair, obviously there were cars with similar configuration off shore, but my focus is on American cars.  It was a HUGE development for GM, and for American cars in general.


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## rightwinger (Dec 9, 2020)

DGS49 said:


> As for the Corvair, obviously there were cars with similar configuration off shore, but my focus is on American cars.  It was a HUGE development for GM, and for American cars in general.


Sadly, it got a bad rap in terms of safety
Nothing was safe back then


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## P F Tinmore (Dec 9, 2020)




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## Dick Foster (Dec 9, 2020)

DGS49 said:


> Like most Boomers, I trace the origins of civilization to my own personal first memories, discounting everything that came before as mostly mythical and irrelevant.  But with that said, I thought it might be interesting to compile a short list of the major American milestone cars - and non-milestone noteworthy cars - of my lifetime ("all of automotive history"), and to welcome others I may have missed and disputes about what I've included.  So here goes.
> 
> 
> 1953 Corvette.  I'll term this one noteworthy but not a milestone because nobody actually copied it.  The T-Bird sort-of did, but it was more of a luxury-sports car, and Ford quickly dropped the two-seater form because there simply was not enough market to support it.  To this day, it is America's only true mass produced sports car.
> ...


I've had two cars from your list a Corvair and a goat. My GTO was a 66 however but I thought it better looking than the others. It ran like a scalded dog. It was a great car from the days when Detroit wasn't in the toilet. After 78 I swore off of Detroit garbage.


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## Polishprince (May 27, 2021)

The 1959 Cadillac Coupe  De Ville was a classy car, as the rear fins of the vehicle reached their greatest height.

The 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Talisman was also a high point as it came right before the massive downsizing of the entire caddy line.

My own favorite car I owned was my 1995 Fleetwood Brougham.  1996 was the last date for that tremendous line.


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## Canon Shooter (May 30, 2021)

TroglocratsRdumb said:


> The Falcon was Ford's response to the Chevy Corvair.
> Then Chevy came out with the Chevy II to respond to Ford's Falcon.
> The Falcon eventually became the Mustang and the Maverick.



The Falcon was actually a scaled down version of the Galaxie.

As for it eventually becoming the Mustang and Maverick, I don't believe that's true, as all three were available in 1970...


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## TroglocratsRdumb (May 30, 2021)

Canon Shooter said:


> TroglocratsRdumb said:
> 
> 
> > The Falcon was Ford's response to the Chevy Corvair.
> ...


well, the falcon chassis was used for the mustang and mavericks


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## P F Tinmore (Jun 13, 2021)

DGS49 said:


> Like most Boomers, I trace the origins of civilization to my own personal first memories, discounting everything that came before as mostly mythical and irrelevant.  But with that said, I thought it might be interesting to compile a short list of the major American milestone cars - and non-milestone noteworthy cars - of my lifetime ("all of automotive history"), and to welcome others I may have missed and disputes about what I've included.  So here goes.
> 
> 
> 1953 Corvette.  I'll term this one noteworthy but not a milestone because nobody actually copied it.  The T-Bird sort-of did, but it was more of a luxury-sports car, and Ford quickly dropped the two-seater form because there simply was not enough market to support it.  To this day, it is America's only true mass produced sports car.
> ...


I have had many cars. I had a 1954 corvette (same as a '53) It looked nice but the performance wasn't there.

I had a '55 Chevy stick six. It had overdrive which came with a 411 rear end. I had a closet full of trophies racing that car.

I had a '57 Oldsmobile convertible. It was my teenage bedroom car. Very nice ride.

I had a '62 Corvair convertible with studded snow tires. That car could go anywhere. I lived east of Cleveland in what they call the snow belt. When everyone else was stuck in the snow I would be flying by with my top down.

My favorite car was my '64 Corvair. It was the high performance model. (engine, suspension, 4 speed) I had wide racing tires, modifies carburetors, and headers with dual exhaust. It was very quick and responsive. I had it in a 4 wheel drift many times and it never spun out. I beat the piss out of that poor car it was so much fun to drive. A big tree fell on one day. It was the end of an era.






I have had many cars since but nothing this much fun.


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## Canon Shooter (Mar 7, 2022)

My best friend's parents had one of these:







We used to take it out into the parking lot of the Long Island Arena when it was covered in snow and ice and do donuts. We tried to flip it, but we never did...


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## Jarlaxle (Apr 3, 2022)

TroglocratsRdumb said:


> The Falcon was Ford's response to the Chevy Corvair.
> Then Chevy came out with the Chevy II to respond to Ford's Falcon.
> The Falcon eventually became the Mustang and the Maverick.


The Falcon was not a response to the Corvair-they were developed at the same time. (Both came out for 1960.)

The Valiant was head and shoulders superior to the Falcon, the Chevy II, or the Corvair.


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## Jarlaxle (Apr 3, 2022)

Canon Shooter said:


> The Falcon was actually a scaled down version of the Galaxie.
> 
> As for it eventually becoming the Mustang and Maverick, I don't believe that's true, as all three were available in 1970...


The original Mustang was a 1960 Falcon with pretty sheetmetal. It stands as proof that people are, by and large, really stupid.  Ford absolutely nailed the formula: sell sizzle, don't bother with steak. Overpromise but underdeliver. Don't bother with actual engineering: fancy styling and flashy advertising will have the cattle lining up to overpay for mediocrity!  The Plymouth Barracuda was, in all respects except hype, head and shoulders superior to the Mustang.


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## Manonthestreet (Apr 15, 2022)




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## jwoodie (Apr 18, 2022)

P F Tinmore said:


>


Correction- The 1964 4-4-2 nameplate stood for 4 speed trans, not 400 cubic inches (added in 1965).  I had a 1964 Cutlass with the HO 330 cubic inch engine and a 2.78 rear end.  It clocked 142 mph in a measured mile.


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## jwoodie (Apr 18, 2022)

P F Tinmore said:


> I have had many cars. I had a 1954 corvette (same as a '53) It looked nice but the performance wasn't there.
> 
> I had a '55 Chevy stick six. It had overdrive which came with a 411 rear end. I had a closet full of trophies racing that car.
> 
> ...


I had a 1963 Corvair.  A 50 pound bag of sand in the front trunk solved all the handling issues.  The only other problem was a tendency to throw its 90 degree fan belt, but that was easy to replace.


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## P F Tinmore (Apr 18, 2022)

jwoodie said:


> I had a 1963 Corvair.  A 50 pound bag of sand in the front trunk solved all the handling issues.  The only other problem was a tendency to throw its 90 degree fan belt, but that was easy to replace.


The 1964 had a different suspension. I had no handling issues. I had three years of hard driving on mine and never threw a fan belt.


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