Although we love the sleekness of today’s modern cars, some of us still crave the classic design of vehicles from yesteryear. Unfortunately, many of these vehicles have either been scrapped or are sitting in a field somewhere collecting dust and who knows what else. But a true classic car enthusiast should still be able to identify these vehicles even though they’ve seen better days.
Although we love the sleekness of today’s modern cars, some of us still crave the classic design of vehicles from yesteryear. Unfortunately, many of these vehicles have either been scrapped or are sitting in a field somewhere collecting dust and who knows what else. But a true classic car enthusiast should still be able to identify these vehicles even though they’ve seen better days.
The 1967 GTO was the last model of the first generation. The 2nd generation came out years later, but unfortunately, GTO stopped production on this muscle car in the mid 1970s.
This 1969 was a third-generation compact vehicle and one of the smallest cars Chevy offered at the time. And while production ended in 1979, it had a brief comeback from 1985 to 1988.
The 1979 Chevy Camaro Z/28 was easily recognized by its door’s striped logo. It also had a cloth interior, and 4 speed manual transmission. But some models did have a 350 ci motor mated to an automatic transmission.
This 1969 Dodge Charger R/T would be worth over $50,000 if it were fully restored. The first models were used as car floor models in 1964, but they eventually conquered the road.
Manufactured from 1948 to 1950, the Willys-Overland Jeepster was designed to be a cross between a truck and a passenger automobile and had a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive.
Cadillac named their entry-level model Calais after the French town and resort. The Calais had an increased interior room and curved frameless side windows and was considered similar in style and engine to the Cadillac de Ville.
The Ford Bronco II was produced from 1984 to 1990 and was actually a smaller model of the Bronco that Al Cowlings used to help his friend OJ escape in that famous highway getaway that captivated viewers.
The 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL in the photo was once used as a police car but the 1963 model was also used in races at NASCAR back in the day. Ironically, European manufacturers also made a minivan with a similar name, but theirs is spelled Galaxy with a y not an ie.
The original list price of the C1 1960 Chevy Corvette was less than $3,900. At the time, this was considered pretty pricey, especially because some of the model had automatic windows that rolled up and down.
The Ford Mustang GT reared its beautiful head in the mid-1960s and was equipped with a 271-horsepower engine. The 2-door hardtop with short deck and long hood was the first of its model.
In 1955, the Nomad Bel Air made its debut and people were loving the two-door station wagon because of its elongated side windows and frameless door glass.
The 1957 Chevy Bel Air was equipped with a 245-horsepower engine mated to a three-speed manual transmission. The owner of this vehicle was unable to part with it but ultimately put it up for bid on eBay in 2012.
This is a 1960s version of the Chevy Impala. More than ten generations of this model have been produced since the late 1950s. But the more modern models don’t look nearly as classy as this version.
The Edsel Ranger were once unpopular because their front was described as an “oldsmobile sucking a lemon.” But over the years, it became such a rare commodity that some people have tried selling counterfeit versions.
Back in the day, advertisers used the “Peanuts” characters to market the Ford Falcon. The vehicle was also known for housing a 95-horsepower engine, which isn’t much these days, but was fairly decent in the 1960s.
The first-generation 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu was one of General Motors A-Body platforms and had an impressive 375 horsepower engine. It was later succeeded by the Chevrolet Malibu.
The 1972 Buick Skylark earned its name from a bird species known as skylark and was a second-generation passenger car with a two-barrel 350 V8 engine. The vehicle was succeeded in 1973 by the Buick Century.
The Ford Thunderbird received an exterior makeover which involved doing away with the hard edges and losing its tailfins altogether to look a heck of a lot slicker. And yet, it wasn’t considered a sports car.
This version of the Chevy Corvair was a first-generation model. But there were only two models before it was discontinued. And yet it was the only passenger car made in America that had an air-cooled engine in the rear.
! This 1966 Chevy El Camino is a second-generation model and came complete with automatic transmission and a 283 CI V-8 mated engine that was equivalent in size to a 375-horsepower engine.
This particular vehicle came from the mid 1950s and was the second generation of its make and model. But Buick also dubbed it the “senior” small car of its time.
This 1956 luxury model may not look as great as it once did, but a fully restored Cadillac Coupe de Ville would sell for over $35,000 in today’s market.
The Volkswagen Bus was dubbed the Volkswagen Type 2 but it went by many other nicknames including minibus. Unfortunately, this bus looks like it suffered a great deal of damage and the original owners never took the time to show it some love.
The 1970s Cadillac Sedan de Ville pictured here is a fourth-generation model. It was easily recognized for being 230 inches long, which made it one of the longest vehicles of its time.
The 1968 Pontiac Firebird would undoubtedly drive neighbors nuts because it made a lot of noise. But in all fairness, it did have a V8 engine that produced as much as 350 horsepower.
Although this car has spent a couple of decades in storage, if it was cleaned of its rust and the interior was fixed up a bit, it could be worth a lot of money. The 1967 Pontiac Firebird took its name from the GM Firebird, a ‘50s concept car.
Although this car has been sitting unused for over 30 years, it may be worth more than it seems. But when this car was first offered on the market, it was worth just $3,000, a small price to pay for a car of its kind today.
This is a third generation 1964 Chevy Impala. The redesigned 1965 model of the Impala sold over one million units, setting a sales record as one of the best-selling cars in the U.S.
The Ford F series truck has been in production since 1948 and this version is one of the first generation that was produced from 1948 to 1952.
This Pontiac Bonneville was made in its second year of production. The Bonneville was produced from 1958 until 2005 and it is one of the largest and heaviest Pontiacs ever built.
Although this car is missing on of its distinctive “bullet” tail-lights on the driver’s side, it’s still a great example of the craftsmanship that went into building the Cadillacs back in the day.
The Edsel Pacer was only manufactured in 1958. Despite the fact that it was one of the best-selling Edsel models that year, it they continue production on the car with a 303 horsepower engine.
In 1964, the Chevy Bel Air was available with a 425 horsepower engine. The Bel Air was produced from 1950 to 1975 and it has since become an icon of nostalgic 1950s culture.
1955 was a boom year for car sales and this Buick Roadmaster saw a surge in popularity in its sixth generation during that time. The Roadmaster was built from 1936 to 1958 and again from 1991 to 1996.
The Ford Thunderbird was part sports car and part luxury tourer. It was produced from 1955 5o 1997 and again from 2002 to 2005. This 1956 model has a top-end 215 horsepower engine.
This Buick Century is a 1955 model, but the Century was in production from 1936 to 1942, from 1954 to 1958 and from 1973 to 2005. The Century name has been used on six generations of cars in varying sizes.
Powered by a Rocket V8 engine, the Eighty Eight is a full-size car that was produced from 1949 until 1999. When it was first sold in the late ‘40s, the car was one of the best performing automobiles on the market due to its small size and light weight.
This Buick Special is identifiable by its three VentiPorts that signify that a V-6 engine is under the hood. The Special was typically Buick’s lowest-priced model and the car was produced from 1936 to 1958 and from 1961 to 1969.
The first car to bear the DeVille name from Cadillac was the 1949 Coupe de Ville, a two-door hardtop body style. This 1964 version was part of the second generation of Coupes, bearing some 1960s details.
These classic Chevrolet Series 3100 pickups were made during an era when Chevy focused on comfort, convenience and style. Their line of restyled “Advance-Design” trucks entered the market in 1947 and were sold through 1953.