35 1960s Dream Cars That Just Weren’t That Good

Cameron Eittreim November 18, 2020

4: Ford Mustang

Few cars have changed an industry as the Ford Mustang did. The car was compact and fun to drive at a time when cars were waterlogged land yachts. The Mustang had a lot of hype behind it and it became the king among 1960s dream cars. However, the original design was not all that good. The car was prone to rust and the reliability was not all there as the car got older. Step into the V6 variation of the car and things tended to get a lot worse.

Still, there are some noteworthy features you could point to. For starters, the Mustang was the original pony car and it came in the iconic convertible version. The Mustang was also iconic with a new generation of drivers who appreciated the freewheeling design of the car. It remains one of the auto industry’s most desired dream cars.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

3: Chevrolet Camaro

It doesn’t take a lot to tell that the Camaro has become iconic as one of the most loved dreams cars of the automotive market, but the car wasn’t all that great. Chevy was quick to throw something together on the heels of the Mustang debut, but the Camaro was not well-planned. You could say that the Mustang caught GM off-guard because of the entirely new market segment. Pony cars had not been produced yet and this was a first of its kind car.

1967 Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car via RM Sotherbys — Photo Credit: RM Sotheby’s

There are a lot of things that make the Chevrolet Camaro stand out, the first of which being the noteworthy design. You don’t get more iconic than the original design of the Camaro; step into the SS and it stood out even more. But the Camaro had a lot of work that needed to be done and the second generation was even worse.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

2: Plymouth Duster

For Chrysler, finding a car that could captivate the market was never an easy thing to do. The Duster had a lot going for it, but it also had a lot of drawbacks to it. Chrysler didn’t plan out the design the way that the company should have, and as such the car suffered for this. The Duster had the Hemi V8 but reliability was scarce at best. A lot of what you can get with the Duster was found on other sports cars at the time.

Sales managed to meet expectations but the Duster was never the massive hit that the Camaro or the Mustang was. Hence why those two models are still here today and the Duster and Plymouth have become dream cars that are merely relics of the past.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

1: Chrysler 300F

The big sedan Chrysler released in the ’60s was supposed to incite excitement with potential buyers. A string of styling changes made the 300F look a lot different than anything else on the market. But this wasn’t enough to propel the oversized thing to a sales success. Marketed as a sports sedan, the 300F had a lot of hype in the media, and its performance was great on paper.

The car also had some innovative interior advances which made it easier to live with. Yet sadly this was not enough to sell the 300F. Consumers were looking for something more out of a vehicle, and what this one brought to the table wasn’t enough to justify the price. Decades later, the 300C became a smash hit for the company.

<< Previous

35 1960s Dream Cars That Just Weren’t That Good

4: Ford Mustang

3: Chevrolet Camaro

2: Plymouth Duster

1: Chrysler 300F

POPULAR