3.23.2012

Car History And Evolution From 1960 - 1980

By Mick Car


The general circumstances of economy of this time has been responsible for the rise and fall in recognition of the automobile and the one time when it waned drastically was throughout the Great Depression as well as the World War after which, the automobile industry enjoyed a great deal of recognition. This period encouraged the auto manufacturers to a great extent and they concentrated on offering the maximum possible benefits by means of their vehicles. Accordingly, they built automobiles not just to suit the whims and fancies of the ultra rich, but also to cater to the common man who had to save up very hard to own a automobile.

Car Production Over The World

Till the end of 1950s, car manufacture was monopolized by several countries like England, France, Italy, America, and so on. But 1960s saw a drastic change in the market as European producers began adopting greater technology that resulted in innovative models. Meanwhile, Japan also started successfully manufacturing automobiles in a major way, beginning with its Keicar.

It was throughout the sixties that the use of steel unibodies came to be utilised extensively by the European auto market. The newer models also experimented with alternate materials appropriate for the body like fiberglass. 1962 saw the birth of the Elan by Lotus, which had a fiberglass body panel which was fitted with a central load bearing hollow element made of steel. Named the Backbone chassis, this supported the engine and the suspension and also contained the transmission. Fiberglass reinforced plastics had been also utilised in Italy for various of the vehicles manufactured in this period. USA too adopted this 'body on frame' structure for automobiles created there.

Muscle Cars In America - Ford Mustang And Chevrolet Camaro Z28

The 1960s also saw the emergence of pony vehicles and muscle automobiles in America, exactly where efficiency of vehicles mattered probably the most. The Ford Mustang was an additional popular vehicle of this period and enjoyed a great deal of fanfare till Chevrolet released its Camaro Z28 in 1967, to compete with it. Ford in turn accepted the challenge and brought forth the Mustang Boss 302 and the Mustang Boss 429 in 1969, which again was lapped up by people in general.

Important Automobile Models Following World War II.

Some of the other post-war cars of this period include the Morris Minor (1948-1971), the Chevrolet Impala, the Mini (1959-2000), , the Jaguar E type (1961-1975), the BMC ADO16 (1962-1977), the Ferrari 250 GTO (1962-1964), the Dodge Charger (1966-1972), the Pontiac GTO (1964-1974), and the Pontiac Trans Am (1969-1980).

Chevrolet Corvette

Chevrolet came out with its Corvette in 1954, which signified the American icon of becoming a true sports automobile.

Oil Crisis And Impact On Car History

Japan emerged as an incredible force in the automobile industry with its first sports vehicle, the Datsun 240Z, which was extremely popular in North America. This proved to be a booster for the Japanese automobile market in general and paved the way for many such automobiles in the future. The 1970s also was a period of important modifications for the American Automobile business on account of the 1973 oil crisis as well as the automobile emissions control act. Moreover, the tiny imported vehicles like BMW, Toyota, and Nissan were preferred towards the big American ones and combined using the stagnancy in any sort of innovation in this field, the American automobile business began to experience a fall.




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