Car Blog Showdown: Early-’60s Convertibles

| вторник, 28 июля 2009 г.

Here’s our latest Car Blog Showdown. This week tgriffith and jgoods were each invited to select their favorite early-’60s convertible. Which is your favorite?

1964 Shelby Cobra

1964 Shelby Cobra

jgoods’ 5 reasons why the 1964 Shelby Cobra is his favorite early-’60s convertible

  • It actually did have a soft top (I’ve seen one in the flesh), but you wouldn’t want to use it.
  • There’s no greater American sports car status symbol than this.
  • It’s fast, drivable (the 289-cubic-inch version, not the 427, which is a lot more demanding), and gorgeous.
  • 271 stock hp can get you to 60 mph in the mid-4-second range (the 427 will blow your pants off).
  • The early Cobra foibles were mostly gone by ‘64.

tgriffith’s 3 reasons to avoid the 1964 Shelby Cobra:

  • Sometimes you just want to cruise in style, but the Cobra’s not a cruiser.
  • Do you really want a car that looks like it should have a big wind-up handle on the back?
  • jgoods says there’s “no greater American sports car status symbol” than this, but it’s only half American. The other half is British.
1962 Oldsmobile Starfire

1962 Oldsmobile Starfire

tgriffith’s 5 reasons why the 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire is his favorite early ’60s convertible:

  • It’s a comfortable, classy cruiser with leather, power steering, and power seats.
  • The Starfire is one of the finest designed American classics of the 1960s.
  • Oldsmobile’s quality at this time was nearly unbeatable.
  • The 394-cubic-inch Rocket engine provided plenty of power.
  • Its chrome wrap-around trim provided a look like nothing else on the road.

jgoods’ 3 reasons to avoid the 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire:

  • It’s a very big hunk of iron.
  • It looks like the fighter plane after which it was named, not a car.
  • Try to find a good one.

What’s your favorite early-’60s convertible? Why?



Related posts:



Related posts:



0 коммент.:

Отправить комментарий