Pop Culture

OfLuxury Cars

1950’s Cars

• The 1950’s cars were some of the most classic, unsafe and powerful cars created.

• Research & engineering teams worked hard at making the 1954 models safer, less expensive and easier to drive. 

• Many striking design changes were made to the 1958 models.

• For the first time in history, in the 1960’s the US imported more cars than they exported.

1960’s Cars

• Cars from the 1960s are the best. Not too modern, not too old. 

• 1965 was called the “the year of the stylist.” Engineering changes took a back seat to changes in overall appearance.

• 1966 models brought the first front-wheel drive car since 1937. People were shocked that someone would make a car that would pull by its front wheels!

• Continued improvements were made to electric cars in 1966. Ford showed off a lab model of a sodium-sulphur battery that was 15 times lighter than the average battery.

1970’s Cars

• The 1970s started optimistically for Detroit automakers as its popular muscle cars became larger and more powerful.

• But oil crises in 1973 and 1979 put an end to the mammoth power and ushered in an era of fuel-efficiency.

• British automakers abandoned exporting sports cars to the United States due to new stringent safety requirements.

• Japanese builders began their march for a majority share of the U.S. car market.

1980’s Cars

• Better-designed engines and electronic fuel injection brought some horsepower back to American-made cars while the Japanese reintroduced the economical two-seater roadster that revived the fun.

• Cars in the 80s were up and down. Sales were really struggling and manufacturers were forced to come up with new ways to entice buyers.

• 1983 car models came with great warranties. Chrysler introduced the 5-year/50,000 mile warranty on power trains, external body panels and maintenance.

• In 1987, Chrysler purchased one of the largest and oldest auto manufacturers in America: AMC. The purchase cost $1.1 billion. 

1990’s Cars

• American car manufacturers got back to making great cars and finally started competing with Japanese automakers again.

• There were quite a few great cars introduced in the 1990s. One of the all-time favourites was the Dodge Viper.

• At the start of the 1990’s the 3 top car manufacturers in Australia remained the same as the 80’s; Holden, Ford and Toyota.

• The 90’s saw the start of the Range Rover, adding comfort to the 4 wheel drive range; surprisingly it was a popular model leading to other manufacturers trying to match the Range Rover.

Present Day Cars

• Much like the 1999 models, the 2000 Camaro models saw very little change at all. The exterior had been redesigned in 1998, and the interior had received an update the year before that.

• While little changed in the interior or exterior design of the Mustang from its restyle year in 1999, the line-up itself did undergo a few revisions. First was the aforementioned omission of the regular Cobra models.

• Other than the slight changes mentioned above, the 2000 Firebirds were almost an exact replica of the 1999 models.

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