DAILY DIRT: The ’64 Ford Mustang triggered a revolution

Published On: August 18, 2025

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025: Daily Dirt

That period of muscle automobiles, pony cars, and extreme acceleration was unique. Welcome to The Daily Dirt’s Vol. 1,363: Three Thoughts for Today.

1. My late brother was a longtime stock car driver and later a car owner.

Throughout his career, my father worked as a technician and was an important member of my brother’s racing team.

Me? I’ve always loved racing and vehicles in general, but I have no knowledge how to even change the oil in my car, change a tire, or operate a normal transmission. I’ve never really understood why I’ve never been interested in a V-8 engine’s internal workings, and I don’t care; I’m just happy it works.

This leads us to today’s Daily Dirt, where I discuss my favorite period of street-legal cars and why, even after all these years, those iconic 1960s vehicles are still among the most well-liked American models ever made. The automotive culture of a whole generation and beyond was influenced by many of those iconic vehicles from the 1960s.

I’m sure the following discussion will make some people grin, especially those who grew up in the 1960s and came of age in the 1970s. The resulting models highlighted a significant era of American status and conduct. My list of favorite automobiles, whose ideas originated in the 1960s and are still popular now, is as follows:

Gold medal: Ford Mustang, especially from 1964 to 1970. The pony car fad was started by the Mustang because of its performance options, stylish style, and reasonable pricing. The original 1964 Mustang sparked a revolution in American automobiles and is likely the most iconic vehicle from the 1960s. It has been described as the iconic car of the 1960s by one writer, Andy Jensen of Zeroto60times.com. That observation is difficult to dispute. One of my friends’ elder sisters received a 64 pink Mustang as a graduation gift, and I still remember it now. That pink Mustang is still one of the most exquisite cars I have ever seen, even after more than 60 years.

Chevrolet Camaro, particularly the 1967–1969 variants, won the silver award. The Camaro added muscle to the first generation of muscle cars, which were often characterized as two-door coupes with strong V-8 engines built in the United States. Muscle vehicles frequently had a sporty appearance and were built for straight-line quickness.

Bronze medal: Although the Chevrolet Corvette first appeared in the late 1950s, it really came into its own in the 1960s, particularly with the introduction of the Stingray in 1963. One of the most well-known cars in the world, the Corvette is renowned for its nimble handling and even more nimble appearance.

Honorable mentions include the Ford Thunderbird, Plymouth Road Runner, Chevrolet Chevelle, Chevrolet Impala, and Pontiac GTO.

2. Did you know (Part 448)

That there was no 1983 Corvette. Instead, Chevy skipped a year and introduced an all-new model in 1984. However, there were prototypes of the 1983 car, and all but one was destroyed. It now resides in the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.
That the most expensive car ever sold at a public auction was a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 race car. In 2013, it sold for a staggering $30 million.
That a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am was one of the stars in the movie Smokey and the Bandit. Four were provided for the film all of which were badly damaged during production.
That Chevrolet originally planned to call the Camaro the Panther .
That the inaugural 1964 Ford Mustang was officially unveiled at the World s Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. That same day, the car also debuted in showrooms across America, and close to 22,000 Mustangs were purchased.