A Look Into the 1960s Foreign Cars
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The 1960s foreign cars initially made their inroads into the lucrative American market in the middle of the previous decade. The European Volkswagen  1960s Volkswagen Beetle Renault  1960s Renault Fiat  1960s Fiat Hillman  1960s Hillman and the Japanese Datsun  1960s Datsun Fairlady and Toyota  1967 Toyota 2000 GT among others pitted themselves against Detroit. European automobiles were still selling slowly, but their competitive prices in the US - $1,675 for a Volkswagen Beetle, $1,585 for a Renault Dauphine, 1967 Renault Dauphine The Dauphine, among 1960s imports, sold extremely well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. and only $1,398 for a Fiat 600 - were eye-openers for Detroit. 1960 Fiat 600 D Volvo's first sports car was the P1800, first introduced in 1960 it went into production the following year and by 1963, together with the model Amazon, its biggest market was the US which was the largest export market by far. Volvo (now owned by Ford was fourth on the list of 1960s foreign cars in the US. An excellent touring car with its sleep coupe lines, the P1800 found fame in "The Saint" TV series with Roger Moore behind the wheel.  Volvo P 1800 The Volvo P 1800 found fame in "The Saint" TV series with Roger Moore behind the wheel. Some 1960's European Cars BMW In the 1960s BMW realized that by focusing on sports sedans and compact touring cars, it could compete better with Mercedes-Benz in the luxury-car markets of Europe and the United States. Hence, at the Frankfurt, Germany, auto show in September 1961, BMW introduced a prototype of a car it called the "New Class" sedan. The New Class was so good, a great 1960s import car, that it would become the blueprint for virtually every car that BMW produced until the 1990's.  BMW New Class Sedan  1962 BMW 1500  BMW 1600  BMW1800  BMW 2000  1965-1969 BMW 2000 CS  1967 BMW 2000 CS Announced in 1961, the BMW 1500 was the first of the New Class generation. The 1500 was the first modern BMW with a four-cylinder engine. It came out in 1963 with a top speed of 148 km/h. These 1960 foreign cars also featured front disc brakes and 4-wheel independent suspension. The BMW 1500 was only available as a four-door sedan. The car was well-received and BMW couldn't keep up with the demand. With demand for high performance, the 1500 evolved into the Classic BMW 2002, which was Car magazines and the public were enthusiastic in their praise for the modern engineering in the 1500 and were eager to buy them.  BMW Isetta Bubble Car The Isetta was one of the 1960s car imports but which one hardly sees on American roads nowadays, unlike other American classic cars. BMW manufacturing plants couldn't keep up with the demand of these 1960s foreign cars, and only 23,807 vehicles were made between 1962 and 1964. The 1500 was a middle-class family sedan, but the German market demanded a car with higher performance. They did not have to wait long, for BMW's engineers subjected the 1500 to further development, evolving into the classic BMW 2002, when these 1960s foreign cars were first released in early 1968. In-between models were the 1800 which had a 90 hp engine. The 1600 model was released in February 1967 and consumers were buying them. Car and Driver called it "the best small sedan we ever drove" as well as "the best economy car ever offered to an undeserving American public." It was cheap ($2,500), fast (102 mph and 11.4 seconds to 60 mph), economical (up to 30 mpg on the highway) and reliable. The BMW Isetta Bubble Car was popular as a second car with a 300CC motorbike engine giving 80MPG and a top speed of 55 MPH.
The 1960s Foreign Cars Were Here To StayVolvo 1965, saw a new model of the Amazon, the Favorit released, but the difference between this model and the standard two-door version was not particularly striking. In 1966 Volvo 144 was released. This new car model had been keeping Volvo's design engineers occupied for so long was, in terms of safety, extremely advanced. It had disc brakes all round, had a split steering column and it came with a new lock on the three-point safety belts. The body had energy-absorbing crumple zones at the front and rear. Even the door locks had a safety design. The 144 came a triangle-split dual-circuit brake system. The car had two brake circuits and, if one of them failed, 80% of braking effect was still available making these 1960s foreign cars among the safest to ride on. Two years later, the Volvo 144 was also a success abroad, including the US where these 1960s foreign cars complied with the new safety regulations. In 1968, more models based on the 144 were produced, including the Volvo 164, the 140 series, the Volvo 144 Taxi. In Great
Britain, Volvo's sales rose by 70% during the year. The following year, a number of minor improvements to the new 140 Series
models were presented. They included head restraints on the front seats, safety belts for three passengers in the rear seat
and an electrically-heated rear window. These 1960s foreign cars cars will see more safety improvements during the subsequent
decades, cementing its reputation as a builder of strong and safety-conscious cars.
 Volvo P1800 1960s - Early 1970s  1967 Volvo Amazon 
More 1960s Foreign CarsVolkswagen Volkswagen cars were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949. From only two units sold in America that first year, Volkswagen Type 1 vehicles'(as they were first called) sales increased dramatically over the years, the total of these 1960s foreign cars reaching one million in 1955. There were numerous buyers for these 1960s foreign cars and sales were being increased dramatically mainly due to ingenuous advertising campaigns. Volkswagen ads became as popular as the car with the use of crisp layouts and witty copy to lure the younger, sophisticated consumers with whom the car became associated. Officially referred to as the Type 1, the first reference to the name Beetle occurred in U.S. advertising in 1968. During the 1960s and early 1970s, although the car was becoming outdated, innovative advertising and a growing reputation for reliability helped Volkswagen's production figures to surpass the levels of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. By 1973, total production of these 1960s foreign cars was over 16 million.  Volkswagen Type 1 The first reference to the "Beetle" occurred in the USA. These 1960s car imports were among the most popular and could still be seen on American roads today. Volkswagen expanded their product line in 1961 to be able to compete with other 1960s foreign cars with the introduction of
several Type 3 models, which were nothing but body style variations. The Fastback, Notchback and Squareback models were based on Type 1 mechanical underpinnings. In 1969 the relatively unpopular Type 4 (also known as the 411 and 412) models were
introduced. They differed substantially from previous models with the notable introduction of a fully automatic transmission,
electronic fuel injection, a unibody construction, and a sturdier powerplant.
Despite previously specialising in traditional saloon cars, in 1965, Peugeot embraces front-wheel drive on the 204. It has a
light alloy engine with overhead camshaft, four independent wheels and disc brakes on the front wheels. On 14 June, a special
single-seater diesel 404 coupé beats 40 world records on the Montlhéry ring. Two million of these 1960s foreign cars were
produced between 1960 and 1972.
 Described as a blend of
classic modernism and good taste, the 404 sold well.  1965 Peugeot 404 Convertible  Peugeot 403 Superseded by the Peugeot 404 in 1960, the 403 remained in production as a budget alternative until 1966  Peugeot 304 The 304 was introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show in September 1969.
The Aston Martin “DB” models is a colorful fabric of automotive history and these 1960s foreign cars collected international attention as successful sports racers in events such as Le Mans and Sebring, but like Ferrari, had difficulty converting those victories into commercial success. The DB4, produced from 1958 – 1963, managed production of only 1,000 units. With the appearance in 1964 of James Bond film Goldfinger, with Sean Connery’s DB5 model filled with all kinds of lethal equipment American audiences were captivated. Aston Martin would work hard to keep these 1960s foreign cars in front of moviegoers throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. With the exception of Jaguar, Rolls Royce (now owned by Volkswagen), and Bentley (now owned by Volkswagen), the US market has always viewed British cars as two-seater sporting cars, preferably in convertible form. That was the dilemma these 1960s European cars had for decades. Most well-known marques in the US, such as MG, Triumph, and Austin, were represented by sports cars, when their sales in Britain depended upon their sedan counterparts. For Aston Martin, it meant that it had to expand beyond coupes and convertibles to be financially successful. Aston’s situation in the late 1960’s prompted it to expand into the luxury saloon market by reviving the dormant Lagonda nameplate. Any car lover would want Aston Martin to survive and succeed. The automobile landscape will be far bleaker without these 1960s foreign cars.
 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato  1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage
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