Sports Cars
Despite a wide choice of attractive, often extremely potent models, the open sports car was in decline in the 1960s as the popularity of civilized, closed-top Grand Touring cars grew: Most of these sports cars were launched in the first half of the decade; many were conceived in the 1950s. Japan now joined the United States and Europe on the world market.
MG Midget, 1961
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 948 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 86 mph (138 km/h) |
Tiny, cute, and enormous fun to drive at speeds much lower than it feels, the Midget was a true fun car and was built—with engines up to 1,500 cc-into the 1980s.
Ferrari 250 California Spider, 1959
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 2,953 cc, V12 |
| Top speed | 145 mph (233 km/h) |
One of the most beautiful and desirable Ferraris ever made, now worth millions, the California Spider was a car of movie stars, and became something of a star itself.
Jaguar E-type, 1961
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 3,781 cc, straight-six |
| Top speed | 149 mph (240 km/h) |
With double-overhead-camshaft engine, all-disc brakes, and all-independent suspension, the E-type was a bargain compared with other 1960s’ supercars.
Maserati Mistral Spider, 1963
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 3,692 cc, straight-six |
| Top speed | 145 mph (233 km/h) |
Maserati fuel-injected its twin-cam six to get Jaguar-level performance, and commissioned Frua to design this understated and sophisticated two-seat body.
Lotus Super Seven, 1961
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 1,498 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 103 mph (166 km/h) |
The Seven was a 1950s design that refused to die, thanks to uncompromising, timeless styling and fabulous, seat-of-the-pants handling. Versions are still made today.
Lotus Elan, 1962
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 1,558 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 122 mph (196 km/h) |
Lotus cars were engineered for lightness, giving terrific performance. The fiberglass Elan sat on a steel backbone chassis and it went-and handled-superbly.
Austin-Healey 3000 Mk lll, 1963
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 2,912 cc, straight-six |
| Top speed | 121 mph (195 km/h) |
Introduced in 1953 with a four-cylinder engine, the “Big Healey” grew up into a comfortable 2+2 touring sports car. Its low build and swooping
Innocenti Spider, 1961
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 948 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 86 mph (138 km/h) |
Innocenti of Milan commissioned Ghia to style a more upmarket body for British Austin-Healey Sprite running gear, with a trunklid, roll-up windows, and a heater.
Mercedes-Benz 230SL, 1963
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 2,306 cc, straight-six |
| Top speed | 120 mph (193 km/h) |
The 230SL may seem like a sophisticated touring car, with its pagoda roof and automatic option, but a win at 1963’s grueling LiegeSofia-Liege proved its toughness.
MGB, 1962
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 1,798 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 103 mph (166 km/h) |
Britain’s best-selling sports car sold over half a million in 1962-80. Rugged, reliable, and long-legged, it was a perfectly proportioned, truly practical enthusiast’s car.
Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 1965
| Origin | USA |
| Engine | 5,360 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 147 mph (237 km/h) |
A stunning restyle in 1963 turned Corvette into Sting Ray, with ultra-modern lines oozing macho potential, fulfilled in the ultimate 375 bhp fuel-injected “L84” model.
Triumph TR4A, 1964
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 2,138 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 109 mph (175 km/h) |
Designer Giovanni Michelotti restyled the separate-chassis TR sports car for 1961, and Triumph added independent rear suspension in 1964.
Sunbeam Tiger, 1964
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 4,261 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 117 mph (188 km/h) |
Carroll Shelby helped Rootes develop the Tiger from the excellent Sunbeam Alpine. The new engine gave it all the power it needed to fly, winning races and rallies.
Datsun Fairlady, 1965
| Origin | Japan |
| Engine | 1,595 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 100 mph (161 km/h) |
Derived from the 1,500 cc predecessor of 1961, this MGB-beater from Japan was superbly built and tempted U.S. drivers to consider buying Japanese cars.
AC Cobra 427, 1965
| Origin | USA/UK |
| Engine | 6,997 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 164 mph (264 km/h) |
Designer Carroll Shelby had the idea to put the Ford V8 in the pretty British AC Ace-and topped it with this big block version, a road-legal race car with monstrous acceleration.
Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider, 1966
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 1,570 cc, straight-four |
| Top speed | 111 mph (179 km/h) |
Battista Pininfarina styled this exceptionally lovely roadster, which is also a joy to drive with a lively double-overhead-camshaft engine and all-disc brakes. It continued into the 1990s.
Fiat Dino Spider, 1967
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 1,987 cc, V6 |
| Top speed | 127 mph (204 km/h) |
Pininfarina styled this gorgeous Spider, which boasted a Ferrari V6 engine and five-speed gearbox; had it been called Ferrari, not Fiat, sales would have doubled.
Vignale Gamine, 1967
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 499 cc, straight-two |
| Top speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
Recognizable to millions of UK children as Noddy’s car, Vignale’s Gamine fun car was based on Fiat 500 running gear. But it was too expensive to sell well.
It is a quote. The Definitive Visual History Of The Automobile 2011
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