What does 1966 mean to you? Are there any special memories, or maybe was it before your time?
My dad was one of four boys, but growing up in an orphanage meant he lost the sense of family connection. The brothers seemed to largely go their own ways after the orphanage days, and had a catch up every few years. I think I only met Uncle Fred once. I remember Dad had nothing to do with his younger brother Jack for years on end (they never agreed on politics); their wives eventually forcing a reconciliation. Uncle Ted was the one we saw most of.
He was a butcher in Ballarat, lived in a sprawling lakeside house, and had three children. The first time I met him, he was driving a 1966 Bel Air sedan. That was a fancy car in 1966 Australia. I remember going for a picnic in his Chevy; me, my parents, him and his wife, and his three teenagers. I remember being amazed at the space, the power (283), and the size of the trunk – I could lie down in there without touching the sides. Dad’s old Falcon seemed an anticlimax after that. He thought Ted was a bit of a showoff, getting such a big car. Looked very impressive in the parking lot though.
This is not my uncle’s Chevrolet. My ’66 is an Impala SS hardtop painted in an early-seventies Holden colour, Cyan Blue. And it has a big block; nine-year-old me thought the 283 was fast!
Maybe the Chevelle would have been a better size for Australia? I’m sure my uncle could have fitted his brood into one of these, just maybe not us as well. And I’m sure it would’ve towed the horse float just fine. Just ignore the SS396 hood on this one, nothing to see here…
Regular readers will know coupes have never sold well here, but from the mid-sixties to the seventies the Americans in Big Three management would keep trying. As a kid, American coupes seemed impressive, even when only seen in magazines, and ‘intermediate’ was still a bigger-than-usual car in our terms. This one was a flip front drag car/street machine restored to stock.
Or I could show you the original kit. Why not!
Of course the was the El Camino too. While on the surface a larger ute on a full chassis might seem to be a natural for here, in hindsight this would probably have cut too much into Holden ute sales. Just as well I was never a product planner! I’ve shown the rusty one recently; here’s another built in the Aussie country Feral Ute style.
Coming down another size we have the Nova. GM was a strange corporation. They had similar sized product in the US, Australia, Germany and England, yet all were different. This Nova is two inches longer and wider than the 1966 (HR) Holden, which was thought to be pretty big already. No doubt there is some similarity in engineering concept, and perhaps some parts interchangeability but as far as I know these were all designed separately. How that would change!
You know how popular these are for modifying. This one’s conservative mechanically, but those colours! Datsun Safari Gold, gold interior…
While we’re looking at GM, here’s that Buick Wildcat. I remember seeing a sixty-something Buick once, and being amazed at all the shiny stuff inside and out.
And speaking of Buick, the Riviera gained a new body for 1966. Love at first sight. There were a lot of very attractive cars around at this time. This is an excellent AMT kit from 2000, when they seemed to be at the top of their game, releasing new kits of cars that had been unavailable for decades.
The Pontiac GTO is a car I sort of have an association with. As a kid I had a diecast one of these, made in Israel. To my eyes, it’s a much nicer-looking car than the ’64-5.
But for those lazy summer days, an Olds 442 convertible would be just lovely. Colours from an HR Holden Premier.
No Cadillacs, I’m afraid. Only the old Johan annual models out there, and they really don’t appeal to me.
Enough of GM. Let’s look at Ford. Er, I’ve built rather a lot of these.
They went to a lot of trouble (and no doubt expense) restyling the new-for-1965 car. It seems pretty much a reskin aft of the B-pillar, adding faux hips and a more integrated roofline. Anyone else think the trunk looks too long for the rest of the car?
The Fairlane was rebodied for 1966, and much better looking. Unfortunately, AMT got the roofline wrong on their new-for-‘92 Fairlane GT kit. I had to enlarge both the front and rear windshields upward by 2-3mm, but couldn’t fix the excessive upward curvature in the roof. Going by pictures I’ve seen, the roof should be flatter.
AMT revised the kit to offer a 427 car, but didn’t fix the roof. A neighbour’s daughter had a Fairlane sedan this colour.
While looking at Ford, we have to consider the Mustang. Don’t we? Down here in Australia they made a big thing about the ‘Mustang-bred’ Falcon, and imported some to show off, so we all knew pretty well what a Mustang was.
I believe they seemed to be everywhere in North America.
Let’s take a look inside:
And let’s throw in a Shelby in passing.
Moving across to the Mercury side of things, there’s this Park Lane, a rerun of the old kit from 1966. Being an older kit it had a lot of parts for a custom or drag version, but really, on a 1966 Mercury? It’s such a staid-looking thing. Why would you?
This brings us to Mopar. The pickings are pretty slim for 1966 I’m afraid. Things will improve, I promise; by the end of the sixties and into the early seventies my Mopar models outnumber Ford and GM put together. Patience, padawan.
Here’s a Revell 1967 Charger that I backdated to a 1966. Not much difference; wheel covers and console. Did I miss anything that would show on a model?
And that’s it. Somewhere I have a 1966 Barracuda mid-engine dragster (‘Hemi Under Glass’) that I’m re-engineering as a normal Barracuda, by using a 1969 Barracuda floorpan. I have about ten of these Frankenstein sort of projects part-built; 37 Ford bus, ‘51 Chev limousine, LWB Mustang II…. This kind of thing takes a lot of deep thought and fabrication, and I keep getting distracted by easier things.
But we’re not finished with 1966 just yet. For AMC fans, I offer this Marlin:
And for fans of those funny-shaped imports, here’s a 1966 Beetle!
That’s it for 1966. We’ll look at 1967 another time, but I’ll try and throw a curve ball in between now and then. No, it won’t be the Cressida. See you then.
Great collection of builds and makes… You’ve put your heart in them… I was 15 in 66 and admiring them all.. Was a great time in the USA for awesome cars.. If you come across a 63 Mercury comet S22 Convertble I would love to buy it from you.. They’re kind of a hens teeth proposition.. Was my first car in 69 and I currently own a similar one purchased over two years ago… Can’t wait for your next tour through time.
The promise of more Mopars to come puts me remembrance of Carly Simon’s “Anticipation”, LOL! Every time I see that Buick Wildcat, though, WOW! Such a beauty!! 🙂
Peter, to me, you represent the gold standard for model building in quality and quantity. Nice work on these!
1966 was a big year for me. I had to switch schools because we moved from one flat to another a few mile away. It was good because the new school was bigger and had more facilities like gyms and different types of classrooms (art, shop, music), and my new teacher was very welcoming and accepting of a new kid in her class. However having to leave old friends behind and make new ones was difficult to me the introverted kid. I did make lots of friends over time, and stayed with this group right through high school.
I turned 6 years old in 1966, and was becoming very car aware as my Dad had purchased a new family car, not too dissimilar to the first car that you discuss in this piece.
Our car was a 1966 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop with the fastback roof line like your Cyan Blue model, only our car did not have the SS package OR a 396!
Dad, while he liked a flashy looking car, he was more practical when it came to drivetrains in those days. This car had the 283 with the Power Glide transmission. It was Firethorn Red with a black interior like the car pictured below, only he had the standard Impala wheel covers that I liked very much. This was a sharp looking car…
Ah, 1966. I was born then. My folks took me home from the hospital in a new Impala SS. 396 with a four speed.
Absolutely, amazing work Peter! Always a pleasant surprise, when your posts appear. What a wonderful hobby you have chosen. And thank you again, for all the work you have gone to, sharing your collection and thoughts with us. Great colour choices here. I especially like the Charger in silver. The Nova in turquoise. And the Wildcat in blue. All cars here, have very flattering colour selections.
I continue to appreciate your regular comments. You have a strong marketing sense, in being able to critique the advantages and weaknesses of cars. And why they succeed or fail. Especially, with regards to styling and design. Including solid viewpoints regarding US-based autos.