To think that the hideous Arts and Scientology (!) design disaster tried to emulate tasteful design from classic Cadillac periods made me laugh. The philosophy when launched through today has always looked haphazard, pre-dented, and without any continuity of design (other than purely hideous). The design was cheap looking and made the cars look frumpy and thick bodied when Cadillac needed svelte looking products that were actually evocative of classical periods to offset its infusion of professional grade Chevrolet frosted SUV's and trucks.
@@laserwizard2 You can thank US governmental regulations for today's styling restrictions.. Designers hands are tied for the most part.. Don't hate the designers
The first car I paid for was '68 Black Cougar "Dan Gurney Special"...$2,828.00 out the door! The nice & thick burgundy interior shamed Mustangs! It was pretty cool!
My girlfriend's father owned one. He knew nothing about cars, so I figured it was a pooch with a 2V 289. Turns out the Roman numerals on the front fenders spelled out a number much higher than 289. In fact it was a 390 4-barrel and we had many adventures in it.
As mentioned by Hans, the ‘66 Thunderbird was the tops in my view. To see a 66 Bird at night on a dark road, would invoke images of a UFO… with the red floating bar of full width tail light. A real sight to be seen. Then it had the sequential turn signals too. The 67 was a follow on design of the 66. Lastly when you stepped on the brake, the faces of the people in the car behind would light up red….. no need for the high mount center brake light.😊
Fully agree. One could argue that the interior of the 1967 Thunderbird is the top of the heap of attractive high end interiors of all time. It would be great if such good materials, so brilliantly executed could happen again.
AGREE. The T bird takes it. All of these cars are far better looking than the cars made in the last two decades. Size matters when it comes to true style and luxury.
The similar '60 DeSoto taillights were also quite attractive, the last pretty DeSoto. All Chrysler products overall styling went to Hell in a handbasket for '61.
If one wishes to buy a 60's era classic Grand Prix, try to find a John Delorean designed '69 SJ with four on the door. These are the Holy Grail of GP's, a tastefully styled exterior and interior luxury muscle car with few ever rolled off the assembly line do to the salesmen invariably recommending the automatic. These have been "rediscovered" and after a lull, prices are moving up again.
@@billolsen4360 A person I know has a 67 GTO convertible and these things seem to be very rare. Another friend who passed away, many years ago. Was a true pontiac enthusiast and build even racing engines in the past. I admit Pontiac had some of the most outstanding styling i have ever seen.
Riding home late at night as a kid, I’d be perched on the edge of the front bench seat and tell my Dad the make and model of all the cars ahead of us on the freeway. Fantastic time when an 8 yo can distinguish individual models by the warm glow of their red taillights! True excitement when we came up behind a Thunderbird or Buick Electra with full width tail lamps. Sequential taillights on the new Ford Mustangs and some Audi’s take me back!
My favorite tail lights: 1. 1966 Ford Thunderbird 2. 1966/1967 Lincoln Continental 3. 1966 Cadillac DeVille 4. 1967 Buick Riviera Best wishes from a US car enthusiast from Germany! :) I appreciate Your videos very much and I'm impressed of Your amount of knowledge.
@@tholmes2169 The mechanism was very basic. I wasn't even good at shop class, but I could figure those out. You can get electronic replacement versions now.
Excellent choices for your top ten. The '67 Eldorado is just so cool it just blows my mind. I will be 67 years old tomorrow and I am very glad I was around when most of these vehicles were produced and on the road. What an amazing time for automotive design. Thanks, Mike in Denver.
1966 Chrysler 300...the curves in those lights are amazing! *I have a 66 Chrysler 300 2 door hardtop,buckets,console,440 TNT factory! I love looking at it's rear end!
Our family had a 1967 New Yorker. The taillights wrapped around the fender and formed a kind of side marker, one year before the were mandatory. I thought those were unique. The front end mimicked the look with the parking lamps.
YESSSS totally agree -- surprising Adam didn't 't include more full-width taillights besides the 1967 Thunderbird. Also: 1967 Buick Electra 1970 Chrysler 300 1970-71 Thunderbird -- big improvement over the 1967-68 1972 Dodge Monaco
Here’s one for my Grandma… The 1963 IMPALA Sport Coupe always looked sleek and beautiful walking up Grandma’s driveway… I had no idea she was so pretty…but she was..!! She had great taste, but she also read the room…and always looked JUST TREMENDOUS!
I don’t really have a favorite. As a kid I was always looking forward to the next year’s changes in style. I could name the make and year of cars passing by on the highway from the grille or the tail.
Yeah, being able to distinguish between model years of cars started disappearing or getting much more subtle in the 1980s. If I had to guess the main reason why, it probably had to do with keeping design costs down. As the years went by, it became pretty much impossible to tell the differences between model years. And, even if somehow one could distinguish between model years of vehicles, the fun of it, along with that wondering about how that new or updated design was going to look, was long gone.
I think that most of the viewers would agree that modern car brands/models aren’t as distinctive as their older predecessors. You could identify them a block away. It’s even getting tougher to distinguish different models within certain brands as design elements are shared to the point that model distinction is lost. (I’m looking at you Mercedes). It speaks volumes when once upon a time tail light design was more interesting than many entire cars today.
Excellent job on top pics! I agree with your number one, 67' Eldie. I also love the 67' Riviera taillights, the 65' Chrysler New Yorker, and the 60' Desoto Adventure.
Tail lights are one of the biggest facets of a car's character, and used to change nearly every model year. This - of course - was back when you could identify a car at 50 yards. Today, they're mostly exactly the same, brand by brand, model by model..... the same stretchy amoeba shape - more on the side of the car than on the tail - that looks like every other car. I seriously can barely tell one car from another.
68-70 Dodge Charger, 67-70 Mercury Cougar, 66-67 Pontiac GTO, 63-67 Corvette, 67 Ford Galaxie, and 64 Ford Galaxie have by far the best looking rear ends.
The '62 Meteor and full-size Merc taillights were similar to the last sparrow-strainer Imperial gunsights of that year. The rest of the cars were almost identical to the corresponding Fords. Note, the Meteor wagon taillights were not that great.
Pretty much any Cadillac from the 50’s,60’s and 70’s. Also the impala from 1958 through 1977. The 55 Chevy has a beautiful rear end(the whole car is just beautiful)
One thing Cadillac had going in the 1940s through the 1970s was elegant styling consistency. design morphed mostly slowly until it shifted dramatically.
Good call on that Olds custom 98. Those quad taillights really were stunning . Just 2 taillights was an awesome look also. The Pontiac 65 with the hidden taillights, #1 ,gets my vote.
Still a "Carnut" since '51& having 'bout 80 vehicles, and since we're talking tail lights, loved them on my '68 Cougar & '70 T-Bird! However, the most dramatic example I've seen & with only one light needed, was a local biker who took that Polara wedge tail light, wrapped into a "Sissy Bar" with black pleated leather for his Harley!! Extremely cool!!
I remember, back then, it was fun to drive at night. Especially around town. The myriad of easily distinguishable taillights were just awesome, for a kid.
I think the 68 Monaco full width design was much more interesting than the 67....and one of my favorites is the 64 Olds Starfire, a beautiful silver treatment between the taillamps and those red lenses had a very unique chrome design placed over them. Nice job, though, Adam!
So many bulbs in the taillights of that 67 Thunderbird. Growing up when they were common on the roads I never saw one that didn't have at least one bulb burned out.
It made it easier to differentiate the various models of the full size Chevrolets....the lower trim Bel Air and Biscayne models would have two taillights on either side...move up market to Impala or Caprice, you would get 3. Overall, as a kid I was always mesmerized by the sequential turn signals used on the Cougars and Thunderbirds.
If you're in the Phoenix area, the Martin Auto Museum (Thunderbird Rd, Glendale) has a few hundred cars that you can actually sit in, including a 70-ish T-bird and a Superbird. Very nice place.
Your selections are excellent, although my favorites would include the 1966 and 1967 Buick Electra 225. The rear end styling of this model was, in my opinion, supremely elegant.
The small, or thin, taillights of the mid to late 1960s are my favorite!!! Like the '69 Lemans. Pontiac got that right throughout their lineup. Thunderbird/Cougar should get an honorable mention, for their mechanical sequential turn signals.
Awh man Adam, all are so beautiful...makes me so nostalgic for the 1960's autos! I will say my favs are: 1968 Park Lane, and the1960 Lincoln.... agree on the entire interior of the 1967 Thunderbird, I call it the "Montblanc"!
Excellent list. If purely iconic comes into the equation ... the twin dual round Corvette tail lights and the twin triple vertical Mustang lamps certainly come to mind. You knew what it was just by the lights even far away
As a Wisconsin kid I always have place in my heart for AMC's. We had a bunch of them. So I would like to give a nod to the Marlin. All model years had basically the same rear. Since they didn't make this list, they would certainly make it in if you did "The Most Sinister Rear Ends of the 60's". Fun video.
I agree the ‘67 Eldorado is #1. My college roommate’s father had one. One day he came to town for a business meeting and took us to lunch. We were living in the fraternity house. He told the pledges to notify him when his chauffeur arrived.
A great list, Adam. I was (somewhat admittedly, as I own one!) disappointed not to see the '67-'68 Cougar on this list. Nice clean rear, very symmetrical and clean, sequential turn signals with grilles that match the front of the car. And while I like the '65 Grand Prix rear end, I somehow think the '64 has a blt cleaner rear design.
That was an exquisite line up of fine automobiles, Adam. It just took me back to when these were common place. The Canadian Grande Parisienne in my memory had more tail lights across the back than the Grand Prix but I could be mistaken. They were absolutely beautiful especially cars especially with those awesome hidden headlamps. As you said, the halcyon of American styling. The bejewelled 64 Ford tail lamps could be an honourable mention.
My all time favorite tail lights from the '60's is no contest...1968 Buick Wildcat. The way they light up the whole back of the car, curve and then wrap around the corners. Plus the detailed, horizontal chrome banded bezels.....absolute perfection.
I gotta say that the 1964-66 Imperials have some of the best overall styling in ANY full size US luxury car. Those sword shaped tail lights in conjunction with the trapezoidal continental spare hump are nothing short of diabolical looking! Those 64-66 Imperials were truly evil looking cars.
Hey man! I really love you videos! They are always straightforward and bring up really interesting topics that aren't the same old stuff we've all heard forever in the automotive world! I would really love to see you do a podcast series. You would be one of the most high quality car podcasts out there by far. There are car podcasts out there, but they are either too goofy, dumbed down, overproduced or just not very interesting. If I could just listen to you behind a mic on a streaming service on my way to work man that would make my year. I'm sure many others agree.
Wow! The1962 imperial taillamps are simply BOLD. I Love that design. It’s my personal favorite of those presented. It simply stands out from the pack. It’s no shrinking violet. It’s just “gaudy” enough to grab attention without crossing over into excess.
There is much to be said for the what I call the "iconic" taillight treatments, ones that also identify the model and year as well as the mood instantly: 1965-68 Mustang, 1960-64 Ford Galaxie and Thunderbird huge, circular "jet" taillights, 1961-67 Continental, 1967 Camaro, 1968 Firebird, 1968 Barracuda, 1965 Cadillac, 1967 Cadillac (even the 1969 "Lantern" taillights, 1968 Charger, 1966 Tornado, 1968 GTO, all the Corvettes, and I even find the 1963 Tempest taillights arresting -- odd, I know, but they always caught my attention. I'll bet most will know all these taillights be heart. In truth, a very difficult Top 10 list to construe but no objections to anything on your list per se.
When you showed the CTS as an example of 67 Eldo influence I could only think ",OMG, how far we have fallen."
First generation CTS tail lights also very similar to 1948 - 1955 Cadillac tail lights..
The CTS looked like the '67 after an allergic reaction.
To think that the hideous Arts and Scientology (!) design disaster tried to emulate tasteful design from classic Cadillac periods made me laugh. The philosophy when launched through today has always looked haphazard, pre-dented, and without any continuity of design (other than purely hideous). The design was cheap looking and made the cars look frumpy and thick bodied when Cadillac needed svelte looking products that were actually evocative of classical periods to offset its infusion of professional grade Chevrolet frosted SUV's and trucks.
@@laserwizard2 You can thank US governmental regulations for today's styling restrictions.. Designers hands are tied for the most part.. Don't hate the designers
Exactly
I always liked the first gen Cougar tail lights.
The first car I paid for was '68 Black Cougar "Dan Gurney Special"...$2,828.00 out the door! The nice & thick burgundy interior shamed Mustangs! It was pretty cool!
Beat me to it. I owned a ‘67 XR7. Maybe the most stylish car I ever owned.
@@Primus54 Have a '68 Cougar now.
@@jimlubinski4731 I am so jealous! Congratulations! 👍👍👍
My girlfriend's father owned one. He knew nothing about cars, so I figured it was a pooch with a 2V 289. Turns out the Roman numerals on the front fenders spelled out a number much higher than 289. In fact it was a 390 4-barrel and we had many adventures in it.
I always liked the 1965 Impala taillights. Three floating circles per side.
That's one of favs that he missed. You see the idea in 60 Lincoln he showed and the 68 Charger that he didn't.
My very first car… ‘65 Impala SS. Bought it in 1970 after turning 16, paid $450 for it. 😊
Yes, much preferred to the 66 models.
68 Impala fastback. Stunning.
@@mammothscott1455 1966 was a bland strip on Impala.. 1965 triple rounds are more iconic.
1967 Cougar was cool. In those days you could tell a car by the taillights
Plus Sequential
Had a Jamaican Yellow '67 for almost 20 years. Absolutely loved those tailights, as well as the rest of the design. Wish I could have kept it...
Similar to the T bird, the motors went out & became a rare commodity.
Agreed!!! 👍
For a long distance.
As mentioned by Hans, the ‘66 Thunderbird was the tops in my view. To see a 66 Bird at night on a dark road, would invoke images of a UFO… with the red floating bar of full width tail light. A real sight to be seen. Then it had the sequential turn signals too. The 67 was a follow on design of the 66.
Lastly when you stepped on the brake, the faces of the people in the car behind would light up red….. no need for the high mount center brake light.😊
I really like the divided sequential tail lights on the '65, and I really liked the afterburner style tail lights on the 61-63 birds.
Of the vehicles presented, the 1967 Thunderbird and 1967 Eldorado taillights are in a category of their own. Utterly exquisite.
Fully agree. One could argue that the interior of the 1967 Thunderbird is the top of the heap of attractive high end interiors of all time. It would be great if such good materials, so brilliantly executed could happen again.
I agree. These two cars are heads and tails superior to the others.
1968 Dodge Monaco with the thin center back-up light. My dad had a yellow 67 Delta 88 Custom.
The Eldorado was the best of the best. Stunning from the front and rear.
AGREE. The T bird takes it. All of these cars are far better looking than the cars made in the last two decades. Size matters when it comes to true style and luxury.
Sequential taillights do it for me....I can still remember tailing a 67 Thunderbird and when I saw it turning it blew my mind!!!!
Those sequentials really spoke "luxury," but softly.
Weren't the first sequential lamp in the '65 Thunderbird ??? @@billolsen4360
I like the tail lights of the ‘60 Chrysler. The boomerang.
Big miss on this list, along with late 60’s 442, 67-8 Cougar.
The similar '60 DeSoto taillights were also quite attractive, the last pretty DeSoto. All Chrysler products overall styling went to Hell in a handbasket for '61.
I'm glad you mentioned Pontiac. The 65 Grand Prix is a stunning vehicle. I love full size Pontiac of the sixties.
You really just could not go wrong with Pontiac during the decade of the 1960s.
Yep you got it brother
My favorite was the 1963-64Pontiac Grand Prix and!!!.@@CJColvin
@@mikeweizer3149 Awesome brother
If one wishes to buy a 60's era classic Grand Prix, try to find a John Delorean designed '69 SJ with four on the door. These are the Holy Grail of GP's, a tastefully styled exterior and interior luxury muscle car with few ever rolled off the assembly line do to the salesmen invariably recommending the automatic. These have been "rediscovered" and after a lull, prices are moving up again.
The 67 Pontiac GTO tale lights are something to be admired.
Indeed! Pontiac just kept rolling out beautiful cars in the 1960's. Hard to choose which one was the best looking.
@@billolsen4360 A person I know has a 67 GTO convertible and these things seem to be very rare. Another friend who passed away, many years ago. Was a true pontiac enthusiast and build even racing engines in the past. I admit Pontiac had some of the most outstanding styling i have ever seen.
1968 Charger! Love the round lamps and small round marker lights!
Riding home late at night as a kid, I’d be perched on the edge of the front bench seat and tell my Dad the make and model of all the cars ahead of us on the freeway. Fantastic time when an 8 yo can distinguish individual models by the warm glow of their red taillights! True excitement when we came up behind a Thunderbird or Buick Electra with full width tail lamps. Sequential taillights on the new Ford Mustangs and some Audi’s take me back!
My favorite tail lights:
1. 1966 Ford Thunderbird
2. 1966/1967 Lincoln Continental
3. 1966 Cadillac DeVille
4. 1967 Buick Riviera
Best wishes from a US car enthusiast from Germany! :) I appreciate Your videos very much and I'm impressed of Your amount of knowledge.
I completely agree. I came up with the identical list in the same order!
agreed 100%
I absolutely loved the 66-67 Charger. Also very partial to the 67-68 Cougar. Lots of great taillights in the 60s.
I loved those too
My vote goes to the '69-'70 Charger's mean-looking taillights.
The ‘67 Polara/Monaco tail lights were the first ones that came to mind before I started watching.
The 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix trips every trigger for me. That was a beautifully executed gorgeous car.
The “sequential” taillight feature on the Cougar, T-Bird and Imperial were an ingenious, attractive and functional feature.
Neat feature but beware a used one where a so called mechanic worked on them. I’ve seen some really horrible splicing jobs done on these.
@@tholmes2169 The mechanism was very basic. I wasn't even good at shop class, but I could figure those out. You can get electronic replacement versions now.
@@jimlubinski4731 Oh I agree, but my buddy bought a 66 T Bird circa 2000 and someone butchered them but good. Haha
That feature is undergoing a renaissance lately.
The 67/68 Shelby had cougar tail lites w/0 the chrome on top just the red part. Many converted these to be sequential like cougars
Excellent choices for your top ten. The '67 Eldorado is just so cool it just blows my mind. I will be 67 years old tomorrow and I am very glad I was around when most of these vehicles were produced and on the road. What an amazing time for automotive design. Thanks, Mike in Denver.
Happy birthday, Mike!
Did u grow up in Denver like me?
1966 Chrysler 300...the curves in those lights are amazing!
*I have a 66 Chrysler 300 2 door hardtop,buckets,console,440 TNT factory! I love looking at it's rear end!
1960 Chrysler boomerangs and the similar '60 DeSoto wedges were magnificent.
Yep, and the 67-68 Imperials. I'm partial because I also own a 66 300 coupe...and a 68 Crown Coupe!
Our family had a 1967 New Yorker. The taillights wrapped around the fender and formed a kind of side marker, one year before the were mandatory. I thought those were unique. The front end mimicked the look with the parking lamps.
1966 Chrysler 300 tail lights also similar to 1974 Pontiac Grand Am tail lights, those wrap over vertical twin strips.
Love those zig zags. And you could see the lamp from the side, especially useful if someone had their turn signal going.
Absolutely agree with your number 1 pick. The 67-68 Eldos are some of the most beautiful cars to ever come out of Detroit.
Loved how their rear side windows disappeared into the sail panel behind instead of just (ho-hum) rolling down.
The '67 T-Bird also introduced rear quarter window that retracted back into the daily panel.
Cars were so beautiful then! Absolutely works of art!👌🏾💎
The Eldorado was always my favorite - From way back . Class with performance .
No wonder Elvis liked them ! Super design -
The 1965 Buick GS had amazing tail lamps as well in my opinion. Any horizontal full width tail lamp of the 1960’s era were beautiful!
YESSSS totally agree -- surprising Adam didn't 't include more full-width taillights besides the 1967 Thunderbird. Also:
1967 Buick Electra
1970 Chrysler 300
1970-71 Thunderbird -- big improvement over the 1967-68
1972 Dodge Monaco
Weird that no impala made your list. The most well known rear end of the 60’s.
The 1959 Impala was shown with specific naming.
Yes, the Impalas with taillights integrated into their bumpers.
But if did that would been the 1960 and 65 Impala.
Here’s one for my Grandma…
The 1963 IMPALA Sport Coupe always looked sleek and beautiful walking up Grandma’s driveway…
I had no idea she was so pretty…but she was..!!
She had great taste, but she also read the room…and always looked JUST TREMENDOUS!
66 Riv does it for me.
The 1967 Plymouth Fury VIP Tailights they make the whole back of the car. Beautiful lite at night.
My father had one and I agree. It's one of the most beautiful cars ever in my opinion.
Those big round taillights on the '63 Galaxie are hard to beat. Also '67 and '68 Mustang.
I don’t really have a favorite. As a kid I was always looking forward to the next year’s changes in style. I could name the make and year of cars passing by on the highway from the grille or the tail.
Yeah, being able to distinguish between model years of cars started disappearing or getting much more subtle in the 1980s. If I had to guess the main reason why, it probably had to do with keeping design costs down. As the years went by, it became pretty much impossible to tell the differences between model years. And, even if somehow one could distinguish between model years of vehicles, the fun of it, along with that wondering about how that new or updated design was going to look, was long gone.
67 Cougar, 63 Impala, 67 Mustang - just a few examples of the many excellent taillights from the 1960's.
Too many great looking taillights to pick the top ten for me.
I think that most of the viewers would agree that modern car brands/models aren’t as distinctive as their older predecessors. You could identify them a block away. It’s even getting tougher to distinguish different models within certain brands as design elements are shared to the point that model distinction is lost. (I’m looking at you Mercedes). It speaks volumes when once upon a time tail light design was more interesting than many entire cars today.
Believe it or not, I still think that the 1960's "Heckflosse" tail fin Mercedes were so distinctive. Today's MBs look like every other car.
Agree on the Eldo...I'd include 1963 Riviera for its European minimalism and '64 Imperial -- a badge so huge they had to shift the licence plate 😊
Excellent job on top pics! I agree with your number one, 67' Eldie. I also love the 67' Riviera taillights, the 65' Chrysler New Yorker, and the 60' Desoto Adventure.
My all time favorite tail light treatment was on the 1960 full size Mercurys. I think the whole tail end is so elegant.
You're right, I had forgotten about those!
That canted squished egg looking thing ?
Excellent choice
Tail lights are one of the biggest facets of a car's character, and used to change nearly every model year. This - of course - was back when you could identify a car at 50 yards. Today, they're mostly exactly the same, brand by brand, model by model..... the same stretchy amoeba shape - more on the side of the car than on the tail - that looks like every other car. I seriously can barely tell one car from another.
Great video. There are so many more, first gen Cougar, first gen Charger, Shelby Mustang, 64 Pontiac, 65 to 67 Cadillac etc. Loved the video. Thanks.
66 GTO. 67 Corvette. 69 cougar. 66 Caprice.
68-70 Dodge Charger, 67-70 Mercury Cougar, 66-67 Pontiac GTO, 63-67 Corvette, 67 Ford Galaxie, and 64 Ford Galaxie have by far the best looking rear ends.
yes my same list
Yes the ‘66 Caprice. Gorgeous.
Alot of cars of the 1960s have very beautiful styling
I love the 1963 Olds 98. The lights blend in with the sculpted side panels, plus you can see them not only from the rear but also from the side.
sequential cougar & thunderbird are my favourite .
63 Impala and 67 Sport Fury seem to be missing from your list. Thanks for the video.
The Chrysler Turbine. I know it wasn't in production but THAT was special.
I've always thought the '63 Mercury Meteor tailights were very cool as they integrated both a cylindrical and a wedge-ish shapes.
The '62 Meteor and full-size Merc taillights were similar to the last sparrow-strainer Imperial gunsights of that year.
The rest of the cars were almost identical to the corresponding Fords. Note, the Meteor wagon taillights were not that great.
We love our 65 impala SS
Beautiful classic
Pretty much any Cadillac from the 50’s,60’s and 70’s. Also the impala from 1958 through 1977. The 55 Chevy has a beautiful rear end(the whole car is just beautiful)
One thing Cadillac had going in the 1940s through the 1970s was elegant styling consistency. design morphed mostly slowly until it shifted dramatically.
Not necessarily the taillights per se, but the rear view of the C2 Corvette is truly amazing.
Good call on that Olds custom 98. Those quad taillights really were stunning . Just 2 taillights was an awesome look also. The Pontiac 65 with the hidden taillights, #1 ,gets my vote.
That was an 88.. By the way, Oldsmobile Ninety Eight was always spelled out.. Delta, Delmont and Dynamic 88 used numerals.
I like the cat's eye taillights on the '60 Valiant
Still a "Carnut" since '51& having 'bout 80 vehicles, and since we're talking tail lights, loved them on my '68 Cougar & '70 T-Bird! However, the most dramatic example I've seen & with only one light needed, was a local biker who took that Polara wedge tail light, wrapped into a "Sissy Bar" with black pleated leather for his Harley!! Extremely cool!!
I remember, back then, it was fun to drive at night. Especially around town. The myriad of easily distinguishable taillights were just awesome, for a kid.
When I was dating my wife, her folks had a '69 4-door Bird - what a great car. That 429 pulled that barge around with real alacrity!
I think the 68 Monaco full width design was much more interesting than the 67....and one of my favorites is the 64 Olds Starfire, a beautiful silver treatment between the taillamps and those red lenses had a very unique chrome design placed over them. Nice job, though, Adam!
So many bulbs in the taillights of that 67 Thunderbird. Growing up when they were common on the roads I never saw one that didn't have at least one bulb burned out.
The styling from back then was amazing. Kinda makes me sad comparing them to what is currently being offered.
65 Impala, 66 Electra, 67 Mustang, 68 Bonneville.
The 1963 thru 1967 Ford Galaxie STAR tail lamps are awesome. I also look the beautiful simplicity of the 1968'&9 Road Runners
It made it easier to differentiate the various models of the full size Chevrolets....the lower trim Bel Air and Biscayne models would have two taillights on either side...move up market to Impala or Caprice, you would get 3. Overall, as a kid I was always mesmerized by the sequential turn signals used on the Cougars and Thunderbirds.
Good choices, my personal all-time favorite was the 1968 Charger.
If you're in the Phoenix area, the Martin Auto Museum (Thunderbird Rd, Glendale) has a few hundred cars that you can actually sit in, including a 70-ish T-bird and a Superbird. Very nice place.
I love how the power windows switches are located in the center on the the thunderbird
Love your channel. Always informative and thorough, with a touch of dry humor. I look forward to every installment. 👍
Your selections are excellent, although my favorites would include the 1966 and 1967 Buick Electra 225. The rear end styling of this model was, in my opinion, supremely elegant.
The small, or thin, taillights of the mid to late 1960s are my favorite!!! Like the '69 Lemans. Pontiac got that right throughout their lineup.
Thunderbird/Cougar should get an honorable mention, for their mechanical sequential turn signals.
I enjoyed this tail light compilation.. I would add 60 chrysler tailights which carried over to the 61 chrysler wagon.
I'm in love with your #1 choice. The El Dorado.
Ive always been a fan of the big Chryco 'fuselage' C-bodies from 69-72. Dad had '69 300 coupe jade green 440 back in the day
'69 Charger RT.
Awh man Adam, all are so beautiful...makes me so nostalgic for the 1960's autos! I will say my favs are: 1968 Park Lane, and the1960 Lincoln.... agree on the entire interior of the 1967 Thunderbird, I call it the "Montblanc"!
1960 Chrysler 300 deserves an honorable mention.
Excellent list. If purely iconic comes into the equation ... the twin dual round Corvette tail lights and the twin triple vertical Mustang lamps certainly come to mind. You knew what it was just by the lights even far away
I loved the taillights on my 66 Buick Wildcat. They were big and had a really cool glow to them when you turned them on or hit the brakes.
As a Wisconsin kid I always have place in my heart for AMC's. We had a bunch of them. So I would like to give a nod to the Marlin. All model years had basically the same rear. Since they didn't make this list, they would certainly make it in if you did "The Most Sinister Rear Ends of the 60's". Fun video.
I agree the ‘67 Eldorado is #1. My college roommate’s father had one. One day he came to town for a business meeting and took us to lunch. We were living in the fraternity house. He told the pledges to notify him when his chauffeur arrived.
A great list, Adam. I was (somewhat admittedly, as I own one!) disappointed not to see the '67-'68 Cougar on this list. Nice clean rear, very symmetrical and clean, sequential turn signals with grilles that match the front of the car. And while I like the '65 Grand Prix rear end, I somehow think the '64 has a blt cleaner rear design.
68 and 69 skylark and GS had some neat taillights.
'60 Continental has to be the last hurrah for the jukebox school of styling.
Kinda if don't count the early 60's Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth.
61 Bonneville has a very similar rear end treatment (which I love).
I wasn't a fan of that generation.. I thought those were ungainly and weird.
@@jimlubinski4731 I loved the 1961 Bonney rear end with the triple round tail lights.
Indeed the 60's had beautiful automobiles. I can't stop looking at the 67 Thunderbird. What a masterpiece!
The Pinnacle of taillights, 1967 Eldorado!
That was an exquisite line up of fine automobiles, Adam. It just took me back to when these were common place. The Canadian Grande Parisienne in my memory had more tail lights across the back than the Grand Prix but I could be mistaken. They were absolutely beautiful especially cars especially with those awesome hidden headlamps. As you said, the halcyon of American styling. The bejewelled 64 Ford tail lamps could be an honourable mention.
Wow, it's wild to learn that my ATS takes styling queues from a 67 Eldo lol. Gorgeous car!
Agree with the 67 Eldorado! Beautiful design from every angle.
My all time favorite tail lights from the '60's is no contest...1968 Buick Wildcat. The way they light up the whole back of the car, curve and then wrap around the corners. Plus the detailed, horizontal chrome banded bezels.....absolute perfection.
I gotta say that the 1964-66 Imperials have some of the best overall styling in ANY full size US luxury car. Those sword shaped tail lights in conjunction with the trapezoidal continental spare hump are nothing short of diabolical looking! Those 64-66 Imperials were truly evil looking cars.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 1962/1963 Ford Thunderbird,
Excellent classic car presentation. Thanks for all the detail.
I like the ‘68 Plymouth Belvedere “U” lights! 😎👍
I had a '68 convertible. Loved how the clear lens of the 'U' also served as the backup lights
Sorry thought I read Barracuda.
@@user-pgchargerse71 The Barracuda looked great that year as well! 😎👍
Hey man! I really love you videos! They are always straightforward and bring up really interesting topics that aren't the same old stuff we've all heard forever in the automotive world! I would really love to see you do a podcast series. You would be one of the most high quality car podcasts out there by far. There are car podcasts out there, but they are either too goofy, dumbed down, overproduced or just not very interesting. If I could just listen to you behind a mic on a streaming service on my way to work man that would make my year. I'm sure many others agree.
Yep, I agree!
My favourite taillights from the 60s were the 1968 Impala with the taillights in the bumper. I also liked the 68 and 69 Chevelle taillights.
Great list! But, I would have picked the 67-68 Imperial over the 62 or 69 Imperial
You're right - there was no mistaking a '67-'68 Imperial at night!
Agreed, the 67 & 68 Imperials had a beautiful tail lights and rear end.
1961 Buick Invicta/Electra....1962 Galaxie 500....1963 Impala...1962 Imperial....1965 Olds Starfire....
I LOVE the look of the 67 Eldorado!
1964 Impala, 1968 Skylark,1965 Mustang, 1965 GTO,1969 Cutlass, 1968 Charger, 1967 Grand Prix and 1969 Duster
One of my favourites is the 1968 Buick Skylark Custom. Beautiful rear end treatment! Sharp and crisp.
the 1965 impala taillights definitely deserved to be here, especially because they werewere set on that gorgeous body.
My uncle bought a new '67 Tbird, and I thought it was amazing-the cool tail lights, and those clam shell doors-wow!
65 Olds Starfire had gorgeous back end
Wow! The1962 imperial taillamps are simply BOLD. I Love that design. It’s my personal favorite of those presented. It simply stands out from the pack. It’s no shrinking violet. It’s just “gaudy” enough to grab attention without crossing over into excess.
A whole reason I clicked was to see if the '59 Bel Air was going to get its proper recognition.
Didn't take long. Very good.👍🏻
There is much to be said for the what I call the "iconic" taillight treatments, ones that also identify the model and year as well as the mood instantly: 1965-68 Mustang, 1960-64 Ford Galaxie and Thunderbird huge, circular "jet" taillights, 1961-67 Continental, 1967 Camaro, 1968 Firebird, 1968 Barracuda, 1965 Cadillac, 1967 Cadillac (even the 1969 "Lantern" taillights, 1968 Charger, 1966 Tornado, 1968 GTO, all the Corvettes, and I even find the 1963 Tempest taillights arresting -- odd, I know, but they always caught my attention. I'll bet most will know all these taillights be heart. In truth, a very difficult Top 10 list to construe but no objections to anything on your list per se.
The 1961-63 T-bird, 1966 full sized Fords, 1967-68 T-bird and Cougar, 1968 Charger, 1968 Grand Prix
Glad you included the '67 Polara. Always loved those cars. 👍