What is your favorite year for American automobiles?

[StevenGuthmiller]

47 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I've referred to them as "used bars of soap." 

However, I HAVE seen an improvement in colors in the last two years or so. It started five or six years ago with metallic reds and maroons showing up, followed by some very attractive metallic burnt orange/brick red tones. Blues started reappearing a couple years ago, and even a few greens, and now it's a rare day that I don't see at least one newer car with an attractive shade of metallic brown on it. Bright orange is pretty rare but not unseen, but yellow and gold don't seem to have come back around yet. Yellow (pale/light yellow, anyway) and gold were both very common car colors back in the '60s, but I can't remember the last time I saw a new one in those shades.

Some of the VW Beetles have come in some more interesting colors in recent years including some of the pale yellows and greens that you don't see anymore.

One of my biggest issues with color schemes on the new cars for the past 30 years has been interior colors.

The auto makers seem to be of the same frame of mind as Henry Ford back in the 20s.

You can have any color you want as long as it's gray!!

It occurred to me recently that the population of the US has become more depressed in recent years than ever before.

I think the dreary, dispiriting colors that we use for our cars and homes might have something to do with that.

Some people call gray "neutral".

I call it depressing!

Why would you want your car, something that many of us spend a great deal of time in every day, to reflect a gray, gloomy, overcast day?

The kind of weather that we all find melancholic.

It makes no sense to me.

I haven't bought a car with a gray interior since 1994 and I plan on never doing it again if at all possible.

 

 

Steve

 

[Rob Hall]

I have had a couple of cars in the past w/ gray interiors, (one light gray and one dark charcoal) but no more. I like light interior colors.  My current Jeep is two-tone black and cream inside (seats, headliner, pillars, lower dash, console and door panels a light cream color) with a sunroof...I esp. like the lighter colors living in a climate w/ a lot of cloudy days.     Having once had a car w/ a black leather interior in sunny Arizona wasn't such a good idea.    I don't really care for the gray kitchens in homes either, but that seems to no longer be the trendy remodeling color--matte black is taking it's place.    I have cherry wood in my kitchen, and wood throughout the house, like the natural color. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Rob Hall

[Bucky]

One good looking yellow shade recently has been the newer Dodge Challengers.

[vamach1]

1971 because  a few years car went from cool to lame and the good used ones were cheap due to high gas prices and rationing.  By 1972 compression was lowered, unleaded gas was just around the corner, and insurance rates were going up.  Big blocks were making their last stand before being detuned an only put in trucks and land yachts.  The 426 HEMI and Boss 429 and 454 and 455's were becoming dinosaurs so this was the last hurrah for decades.  In hindsight I wish I found a 71 Mustang instead of a 72 but back then at 18 owning a Mach1 was not so bad even if it was down on power a lot.  I still managed to get a lot of tickets anyway.  To be able to able to go in the garage and turn the key in a car I have had for almost 40 years blows my mind but I would not have it any other way.

[magicmustang]

1 hour ago, vamach1 said:

1971 because  a few years car went from cool to lame and the good used ones were cheap due to high gas prices and rationing.  By 1972 compression was lowered, unleaded gas was just around the corner, and insurance rates were going up.  Big blocks were making their last stand before being detuned an only put in trucks and land yachts.  The 426 HEMI and Boss 429 and 454 and 455's were becoming dinosaurs so this was the last hurrah for decades.  

1971. Agree entirely. Bought a new Dodge Charger that year. It was a 318 ci with a two bbl. carb, AC, auto trans, but I wish I still had it.  

[chepp]

Since the OP asked for one year, I'll choose 1968 only. It doesn't seem a popular choice among the other posters, though, but I don't know why. I'll agree with this:

1972coronet

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Posted May 17

1968 and 1970 ; to wit :

 

1968 : 

- Road Runner / Super Bee

- Charger 

- Hurst / Hemi Dart 

- 340 Dart / Barracuda 

- G.M.'s A-bodies ( not a bad one in the bunch ! )

- Javelin 

- Mustang 428 Cobra Jet *Coupe* 

- Cougar 

 

I'll add these, too:

Corvette (first year of the Mako Shark II inspired body)

Opel GT

Mustang GT California Special (and Rocky Mountain Special)

Ford Torino Cobra Jet

American Motors AMX (I'd pick this over the Javelin)

[Trendsetta68]

2 hours ago, chepp said:

Since the OP asked for one year, I'll choose 1968 only. It doesn't seem a popular choice among the other posters, though, but I don't know why. I'll agree with this:

1972coronet

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Posted May 17

1968 and 1970 ; to wit :

 

1968 : 

- Road Runner / Super Bee

- Charger 

- Hurst / Hemi Dart 

- 340 Dart / Barracuda 

- G.M.'s A-bodies ( not a bad one in the bunch ! )

- Javelin 

- Mustang 428 Cobra Jet *Coupe* 

- Cougar 

 

I'll add these, too:

Corvette (first year of the Mako Shark II inspired body)

Opel GT

Mustang GT California Special (and Rocky Mountain Special)

Ford Torino Cobra Jet

American Motors AMX (I'd pick this over the Javelin)

Nice choices ???

[Cpt Tuttle]

Opel is german though.

It's hard for me to choose but I think 1963? I can't think of a bad looking american car from that year, and we got the split window Vette, one of the most beautiful cars ever produced IMO.

[chepp]

4 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

Opel is german though.

Yes, you're right. But it has a lot of "American" in it as a foreign car:

Opel was owned by GM and about 70,000 of the 103,000 produced were sold in the U.S. at Buick dealers.

"American designers Clare MacKichan (a legend and the designer of the iconic ’55 Chevy) and Chuck Jordan were transplanted from GM’s home office to Opel’s Russelsheim headquarters to shape the GT’s body alongside Opel stylist Erhard Schnell. " Source: https://drivezing.com/opel-gt-german-corvette-sold-buick/

 

1963 is a very good choice of year. In addition to the first C3, I like these:

Buick Riviera -- first year

Pontiac Grand Prix -- first year

Dodge and Plymouth factory super stock versions

Ford Galaxie -- 1963-1/2 fastback roof

Studebaker Avanti -- first year (I'm not too keen on the styling but it's a significant car that deserves mention)

 

[Bucky]

Actually, there was a 1962 Grand Prix:

 

[Pete J.]

For me it would have to be 1969.  Not a lot of "new" models in that year but kind of the peak evolution of the muscle car era.  With Z/28 and ZL1 Camaros, Boss and CJ mustangs, GTO Judges and W30 442s and the SS396's it was a great year for a lot of cars.  The great cuda's would have to wait another year, but there was plenty of Mopar muscle around,  even American Motors was in the mix with Javelins and AMX's.  Just a year with a great assortment of cars available.  There were certainly great cars before 1969 but that was about the peak.  The number of great cars started to dwindle in 1970 and by 72 most were gone because of the unleaded fuel requirement that were imposed on new cars. At that time you just couldn't get the power out of unleaded fuel. 

[Cpt Tuttle]

On 2019-06-21 at 6:46 AM, chepp said:

 

 

1963 is a very good choice of year. In addition to the first C3, I like these:

Buick Riviera -- first year

Pontiac Grand Prix -- first year

Dodge and Plymouth factory super stock versions

Ford Galaxie -- 1963-1/2 fastback roof

Studebaker Avanti -- first year (I'm not too keen on the styling but it's a significant car that deserves mention)

 

Yes, they are pretty much my favourite cars of 1963 too and contributed to my choice.......alongside the Vette of course!

[chepp]

On 6/20/2019 at 10:28 PM, Bucky said:

Actually, there was a 1962 Grand Prix

Doh! You're right. Thanks for the correction -- it was new to me.

[Greg Myers]

Have all the years been checked off yet ? 

[Richard Bartrop]

The '60s were a good decade for styling, though when it comes to American cars,  GM's were easily the best of the bunch.   Bill Mitchell had an eye for line and proportion that was matched by few.  A tough choice, but if I had to pick one from that time.  I think it would be had to go wrong with the '65 Riviera.