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What if you are dissatisfied with the 1964 Comet Caliente and wanted to build a sleek fastback coupe? You'd need to present a well-reasoned document explaining why your design appears as it does and how it might be realistically used. One real-world design was this car built at Dearborn Steel Tubing for the Lincoln-Mercury Caravan of Stars. Mercury exhibited its one-of-a-kind Comet Super Cyclone at the 1964 Chicago show. The sleek fastback roof was custom and included a large wrap-around back window, like the 1964-65 Plymouth Barracuda. Stylish European-style headlights were rectangular but illegal on U.S. highways at the time. Source: www.gslchampionship.org; www.chicagoautoshow.com Images: Ford Motor Company; www.thelynxproject.org; www.chicagoautoshow.com

Just two months after the world premiere of the new W113 230SL at the Geneva Motor Show, in May 1963, Karl Wilfert, head of the coachwork department at the Sindelfingen plant, received a letter from the well-known coachbuilder Pininfarina asking for permission to build on W113 body original design. Permission was obtained, and Pininfarina set to work. It should be noted that in the 60s, creating individual bodies based on serial models was not uncommon, and the Turin company Pininfarina was one of the leaders in manufacturing individual original bodies. Strange as it may seem today, not everyone enthusiastically greeted the creation of Paul Bracq and Bela Barenyi, as the Chinese pagoda-style roof was very unusual and required getting used to. Also unique was the general style of the car, which the modern press considered too rectangular with broad flat surfaces, which contradicted the image of a graceful roadster/coupe, especially from automotive trendsetters in this direction - the Italians. Therefore, Pininfarina's desire to demonstrate her vision of the 230 SL seems natural. The management of Pininfarina arranged a competition among their designers for the vision of a two-seater coupe based on the 230 SL, and already at the first stage, the project of a young 28-year-old American designer Tom Jaarda was chosen. Tom decided to leave the platform, interior, most of the glass, optics, and radiator grille from the original body. When designing, Tom took into account the possibility of launching small-scale production and possibly a complete replacement of the original body with a newly designed Mercedes-Benz plant. In 1964, at the Paris Motor Show, a silver Mercedes Benz 230 SL coupe Pininfarinaappeared before the public. The public well received the car, and about thirty potential customers turned to Pininfarina with a request to manufacture such coupes. However, the coupe remained in a single copy, which was sold to the German newspaper magnate Axel Springer, after which the coupe received the second name "Springer's Pagoda." After Springer, the coupe went through several owners, who repainted it red and black, and also replaced the steel wheels with hubcaps with alloy wheels. In 1997, the car was restored to its original condition. Source: www.mbclub.ru Images: www.classics.com

Lincoln followed the spectacular 1963 Lincoln Continental Lido Show Car with another one prepared for the 1964 auto show circuit. The 1964 Lincoln Continental Town Brougham was a bit more substantial as far as custom show cars went. This one was actually more than a trim and color package. For starters, the wheelbase was lengthened to 131 inches, an extension of five inches. Overall length was 221.3 inches. The additional length accommodated the front chauffeur's compartment and the division between the front and rear compartments. The division did include an operable power glass window that could be closed to separate the two compartments. The inspiration for the Brougham body style was said to have originally resulted from a custom-ordered carriage dating back to 1837, which was placed by Henry Peter, England's first Baron of Brougham and Vaux, as well as Liverpool lawyer and Whig Party politician. He ordered an enclosed two-seat carriage with sharp, angled lines. Later, the Brougham body style became a more formal town car, still with razor-edged styling, but with an open front chauffeur's compartment that offered no protection from the weather! In fact, the only provision to protect the fully exposed chauffeur was a leather extension panel that could be buttoned between the windshield header and roof during inclement weather. Pity the poor chauffeur! Naturally, the crisp, clean lines of the 1964 Lincoln Continental meant it was an excellent candidate for modification into the Brougham body style. The car actually started life as a 1963 Lincoln Continental Sedan, VIN 3Y82N413138, and was updated to 1964 styling. The forward section of the roof was removed, which of course created some rigidity issues. Skinny Continental Star emblems incorporated turning lights and were mounted on the front fenders, and the roof B-pillar was equipped with courtesy lights. On the rear roof sail panels, S-bar ornaments inspired by the Thunderbird Landau model were installed, and the door handles were removed and replaced with push button openers. The polished stainless trim that ran along the top of the fenders and doors on production Continentals was not included on the Town Brougham. The Town Brougham was finished in Plaza Blue Pearl paint, a rich dark blue. The rear section of the roof was covered in black vinyl, and the rear window was a small, limousine-style window to offer privacy for the rear passengers. Inside, the front compartment was upholstered in black leather, and featured a stock 1964 Lincoln instrument panel, door trim panels, and seats. A division with glass window separated the front and rear compartments. The rear compartment was upholstered in a light blue broadcloth, which had a stylized Continental Star emblem set in a circular design that was embroidered on the seat back cushions. Genuine walnut was used for the interior roof and window moldings. The rear compartment also included luxuries such as assist grips, magazine racks, mobile telephone, and a rear seat radio, all mounted on the front wall of the division between the compartments. An intercom system between the passengers and driver was mounted in the rear compartment quarter panels and in the radio speaker grille in the front compartment. High cut pile carpeting was color-keyed to match the seating and trim panels. The Town Brougham was clearly a spectacular creation. But it was to be looked at only, not driven. Because the removal of the roof structure and the manner in which the wheelbase was extended was done with the knowledge that the car was being built for show only, it was never made road worthy! The additional cost and time to make the car safe for legal operation on the street would have likely prevented the project from ever happening. Not only was no provision actually made to provide protection to a driver in bad weather, which meant the car could have only been operated on moderate, dry days, but essential instruments were not functional. For instance, the fuel, temperature, oil, and ammeter gauges didn't work. Lincoln warned in the literature that accompanied the car to shows that since there was no way of knowing how much gas was in it, to be prepared for the possibility that the tank might be empty. There were no side windows in the doors, front or rear, that could be closed. Instead, polished stainless moldings were inserted in the openings between the door panel and outer door. Custom made snap-in plexiglass windows were provided for the side windows of the rear compartment, to protect it from dust and dirt during shipping. The plexiglass windows had handles that clipped to the drip rail for installation. Further, the rear radio, telephone, and intercom were for appearances only—none of them worked! The car was also missing a glove compartment liner and a windshield washer reservoir. The engine did operate normally, as did the transmission, brakes, lighting system, drive line, and rear axle. Even though Lincoln advised that the car not be driven, it did state that if absolutely necessary, the car could be operated but should be driven very carefully, for short distances, at low speeds. The Town Brougham was a popular attraction at the auto shows, and was updated to again make the rounds the following year. Source: automotivemileposts.com Images: Ford

When Ferruccio Lamborghini introduced the angular looking 350 GTV on October 29th 1963 on the grounds of his brand new factory in Sant’Agata and subsequently at the Turin Motor Show, the car received a lot of attention, but it was also evident this was still a prototype, the car wasn’t ready to be sold to customers yet, the steering wheel was too close to the seats, there were no pedals installed yet and no exhaust system either … it would require several more weeks of development get the 350 GTV ready for production. The original design of the Lamborghini 350 GTV was attributed to Franco Scaglione, the concept drawings submitted to Ferruccio were even more dramatic mind you, but in the end the latter decided the current looks of the 350 GTV weren’t what he was looking for so he wanted to change the overall styling completely and submitted some ideas to Bianchi Anderloni at the famous Carrozzeria Touring, who would ‘convert’ the 350 GTV prototype into a viable production model, which we all know as the 350 GT. Everything on the exterior was changed, the very special rotating headlights were replaced with oval shaped fixed units from Cibie (some sources mention Bosch or Hella however), the angular styling at the front and rear of the GTV became rounder on the GT version (hence less expensive to manufacture) while the rather large rear window was retained. By using very thin window surrounds on the windshield and rear window the outward visibility was very good on the Lamborghini 350 GT, keep in mind those curved windows on the 350 GTV would be very expensive to manufacture and not very easy to install, things that were taken into consideration to create a car that would be easier to build. Do note that the very first 350 GT unit (chassis 0101) still had the distinctive, triple exhaust pipes as seen on the 350 GTV while the thin taillights of the latter didn’t make it into production, neither did that very nice looking Ferruccio Lamborghini signature, probably because it would be too expensive for mass production … if we can call the 120 units of the 350 GT that were built between 1964 and 1966 ‘mass’ production. The chassis of the 350 GTV was modified for the production version by Neri & Bonacini, the wheelbase was increased by 100mm to 2550mm while overall length grew by 140mm to 4640mm to increase interior space for the two occupants … note that some early 350 GT came in a 2+1 configuration, a small seat was mounted in the rear instead of the usual shelve that could hold additional luggage, in the 2 seat configuration that rear shelve even offered a pair of straps to keep the luggage from moving around while driving, once production of the 350 GT was started the chassis would be made by Marchesi instead. While the 350 GTV received a steel and aluminum body, the 350 GT would be built by Touring using their patented Superleggera method which involved mounting thin aluminum panels over a tubular frame to keep weight down … in the end the Lamborghini 350 GT put only 1050 kg on the scale, the wheels remained the well-known 72-spoke Borrani units in the same 15 inch size, but not all 350 GT would be aluminum bodied, towards the end of the production, when preparations were taken to build the 400 GT 2+2 the final 350 GT units were delivered with a steel bodywork already. With the exterior sorted it was time to make sure the new V12 engine would allow trouble-free usage for at least 70,000 km (40,000 Miles) between maintenance intervals, the unit Bizzarrini created could deliver 360 hp at 8,000 rpm (some sources even state 400 hp at 11,000) thanks to using very expensive, race inspired, vertical 36mm Weber carburetors, a dry sump oil system and a high compression ratio of 11:1. Chief Engineering Gian Paolo Dallara was taking care of modifying the V12 into a production unit, together with Bob Wallace they created an engine capable of delivering 280 hp at ‘only’ 6,500 rpm with a wet sump lubrication system and a 9.5:1 compression ratio, two electric Bendix fuel pumps supplied six dual 40DCOE 2 Weber carburetors of the necessary 100 Octane fuel, in this configuration the Lamborghini 350 GT could reach a top speed of 250 Km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds … some very impressive figures back in the early Sixties. All these changes created the 350 GT (the 'V' for Veloce was dropped), the complete body design was smoothed but the overall looks were still different from any other car on the market at that time, and the 350 GT looked really ice. Between the unveil of the 350 GTV at the 1963 Turin Motor Show and the introduction of the 350 GT at the 1964 Geneva Auto Show only five months passed … and it quickly became evident the changes made going from prototype to production went down well … orders were being signed and production could begin on actual customer cars. The Lamborghini 350 GTV was built on chassis number 0100, the 350 GT that was shown at the March 1964 Geneva Auto show was number #101 with Touring body (#17001), the first customer car would become chassis #104 with body #17004, delivered on the 31st of July 1964 … Automobili Lamborghini SpA was now officially a car building factory, note that the Geneva Show car #0101 was the only one with the triple exhaust pipes like seen on the GTV and came with a one a kind rear badge : 350 GT 2+1 for having the third seat at the rear … after that no other 350 GT would be delivered with this badge. Source: lambocars.com Images: Touring Superleggera

The Italian styling concern Zagato is famous for classics such as the Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo Zagatos. There are Ferraris and Maseratis with a Zagato body, and there is the Zimp. A Dorchester-based company was formed in early autumn 1964, headed by Peter Thomas and Anthony Charles: British Zagato Ltd. in Kingston-on-Thames. Zagato saw possibilities on the British market for a car with Hillman Imp mechanicals, and an aluminum bodyshell styled the Italian way. They intended to produce them, with the blessing of Rootes, in Britain (thus avoiding import duties). Peter Thomas bought two Imps from a dealer in Oxfordshire. Peter and his wife drove these to the Zagato design studio in Milan. The studio was already working on another Hillman Imp Deluxe, which had been bought second-hand in the U.K. In just nine months, the cars were transformed into Zimps so that Zagato could exhibit its Zimp at the 1964 Earl's Court Motor Show. Zagato was famous for making their versions of the body shells a lot lower and lighter. The Zimp weighs 630 kg. Its height is 128 cm. (The Imp has 138 cm.). This and the better streamlining means an increase in top speed to about 140 kph. British Zagato Ltd. planned to tune the Imp engine from 39 hp. to 46 hp. When Chrysler heard about the cooperation between Rootes and Zagato, they used their 50% holding in the company to block the project. So, to the advantage of the later upmarket Imps, only three prototypes were produced. Source: www.imps4ever.info Images: www.auto-italia.co.uk; Zagato-cars.com

As described in science fiction novels and comics, many American concept cars of the 60s looked like they were straight from the future. It looked like they were about to take to the skies. Many did not even know how to move independently on the ground, but this does not make them less beautiful. Visitors to the World's Fair in New York, held in 64-65, were amazed by the appearance of the fantastic concept installed at the booth of General Motors Corporation. The car did not stand on wheels but hovered in the air on brackets, emphasizing its swiftness and futurism. The GM-X Stiletto was a golden opportunity for a group of young designers from General Motors' Advanced Development Department to express their imaginations without the strict limits of safety and production engineers. The car was designed as a slow-moving model and did not drive a single meter on its own. But he was stuffed to the eyeballs with innovations. Presented to the exhibition's visitors, it captured their imaginations with its fast-moving rocket-like design. The car did not have side doors. Thanks to this feature, there were no front roof pillars, which provided an excellent forward view - this partially compensated for the incredible inconvenience of landing and disembarking. Demonstrating the capabilities of the company, the designers of General Motors stuffed the car to capacity with the most advanced technical achievements available at that time - for example, there was a climate control that could automatically maintain the set temperature in the cabin, ultrasonic sensors for the distance to an obstacle, a rear-view camera that transmitted an image to a screen in the middle of the front panel (there were a good half a dozen screens of various sizes in the cabin), and glass coated with a water-repellent compound that made it possible to abandon the windshield wipers. There was no steering wheel in the usual sense - instead, in front of the driver was a tiny aircraft steering wheel, which made only half a turn from lock to lock. At the same time, the wheels were turned not by a common mechanism rigidly connected to the steering wheel but by electric motors that made it possible to change the steering characteristics - for example, in the parking lot, the wheels turned at a large angle with the slightest turn of the steering wheel, and at speed, the gear ratio changed so that even a significant deviation of the steering wheel from zero marks did not knock the car off course. There were other innovations - for example, an innovative maintenance warning system that warned the driver in a female voice about the need for an imminent oil change (it also cautioned about the need to refuel). For communication with the outside world, a system of microphones and speakers was provided in the car, which was helpful, given that the vehicle did not have roll-down windows. At the demonstration of the Stiletto, the slogan was: "The sports car of the coming decade." General Motors designers were way ahead of their time - this fantastic car seems like an alien from the future even today. Five years later, the Stiletto again appeared before the public - but with a different limber and name - Pontiac Cirrus. He still didn't know how to drive... Today, both prototypes are in the museum of General Motors. Source: greatest-cars.ru Images: GM; gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com

Another 3-wheeled concept car by GM is the "Runabout." The vehicle had a front wheel that could turn 180 degrees to allow parking in the tightest of spots, and the rear end contained two detachable shopping trolleys with wheels that would fold away when the trolley was parked in the vehicle. The Runabout had space for two adults in the front and three children in the rear. The car was first presented at the General Motors Futurama Exhibit in 1964 at the New York World's Fair. Source: www.3wheelers.com Images: GM; pboursin.club.fr; gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com; ElectroSpark's photostream

The experimental small commuter car Runabout was unveiled at GM's Futurama at the New York World's Fair in 1964. A three-wheel hatchback, Runabout carried two passengers and had ample storage room. Also on display at Futurama was the Firebird IV, another sleek, turbine-powered car with strong aircraft styling cues. The GM-X Stiletto was an advanced, high-performance car with styling strongly influenced by aerospace design. It featured aircraft-type steering, a maintenance monitoring system with toggle switch controls and a three-way speaker system for inside/ outside communications. It also debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Source: autospeed Images: GM; gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com; ElectroSpark's photostream ,

The General Motors Bison gas turbine freight hauler displayed at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York was designed with grand plans, aerodynamic and fuel efficiency not the least among them. It was touted as capable of handling “present-day semi-trailers” with an adapter in Overdrive’s August cover story that year. Part of GM’s Futurama exhibit, the prototype’s cab had seating for two ahead of the engine and wheels. Drivers would have entered the sleekly-sloped cab through a forward-tilting canopy and a step that folded down as the top opened. Truckers would have steered using two coupled hand grips on a console extending over the driver’s lap. The futuristic-looking truck never made it to market. However, its power source, the GT-309 with two turbines of 280-hp and 720-hp, powered GM’s TurboCruisers II and III, Rapid Transit Experimental (RTX), and the 1969 GMC Astro 95 Turbine. Some early gas turbine prototypes, such as Mack’s, contributed to Detroit Diesel DD15’s turbo-compounding turbine of today, says Overdrive’s Technical Editor John Baxter. The gas turbines in the ’70s and early ’80s “used far too much fuel but were powerful, gave out low emissions, and ran on almost any form of petroleum,” Baxter says. The Bison had a trailer locking device and a four-option steering arrangement that made “exceptional maneuverability in urban traffic and freight terminals,” according to Overdrive’s story. Owner-operators unloading cargo by hand then may have hoped the plans at the Futurama exhibit would become a reality: “At the terminals, the containers would be transferred by automatic equipment to smaller delivery trucks or other means of transport,” Overdrive quoted from the Bison exhibit. “The entire terminal operation could be automatic with loading and unloading vehicles and sorting and moving containers controlled by electronic equipment.” Source: www.overdriveretro.com Images: blog.hemmings.com; www.overdriveretro.com; www.thepetrolstop.com

While turbine engines are standard in military tanks, helicopters, and jet airliners, their use in production automobiles has been quite limited. However, Ford dedicated approximately two decades of research in the 1950s to making that possible. The most prominent example of the company’s efforts was “Big Red,” a 600-horsepower super transport prototype built in 1964 that was recently located more than 30 years after its last sighting. The experimental truck made several cross-country trips to demonstrate the comparable cost of operation to a traditional diesel engine. The 13-foot-tall truck was built due to a pact with the U.S. Department of Defense. A subsequent version explicitly intended for commercial applications was created in 1966. Other Ford-built turbine engines were tested in a bus used for cross-country routes and in a fleet used to move Ford parts between Michigan and Ohio. The Ford-built turbine engines and vehicles offered the advantage of making less noise – Big Red was described as “scarcely audible to the motorist” in a promotional brochure – and less vibration produced fewer emissions, less oil, and high torque and lower speeds. Company researchers had narrowed their focus to turbine use in large trucks. The turbines’ high operating speed and temperature would ultimately make the engines unfeasible for automotive use, though. So after nearly 20 years of research, Ford began producing turbine-powered machines for heavy trucks, buses, and industrial and marine use in 1970. Still, supplier and technical issues ultimately killed Ford’s hopes for a turbine-producing venture in 1973. The company’s research on materials such as ceramics and high-temperature coatings did, however, help control emissions in the decades since. Source & Images: Ford

A Ford concept, the 1965 Aurora, featured a windshield that turns transparent to opaque at the touch of a button and an intercom between the driver's "command post" and the children's "romper room" at the rear. The front passenger seat swivels to face a curved sofa in the lounge area. In place of a steering wheel, the Aurora has a steering bar. Now here's a great concept - an English magazine about American cars. It's called Classic American, and the December 1997 issue (which I didn't see until February '98 in the USA) has an "Oddballs" column that features a 1964 Ford Aurora show car. The Aurora, which happens to be a funky-looking station wagon with a lot of glass, had some unique features. It only had three doors - two on one side and one on the other (and a back hatch). Continuing the "three" theme, it was divided internally into three compartments - the front had two buckets, and the middle/back each had a kind of wrap-around sofa feature, with a glass partition between the second and third seats. The front styling looked vaguely like a `64-'67 Corvette; the pointy rear looked.....well, it was different! Source: www.oriole.net; www.stationwagon.com Images: Ford; www.shorey.net; www.hemmings.com; www.zwischengas.com

Only two were built. During the ’60s and ’70s, along with sporty versions for Lancia and Alfa Romeo, Zagato carried out the study of bodies for the Fiat 850 Coupè Zagato presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1964, Fiat 125 GT Zagato Coupe of 1967, and the Fiat 132 Coupé Aster Zagato of 1972. Source & Images: Zagato

Designed by Studio Lombardi in 1964, the open Fiat 850 Libellula (Dragonfly) had sleek lines and a Renault Floride-style front end. The car came with a removable fiberglass hardtop with a panoramic rear window. Images: ruoteclassiche.quattroruote.it; www.fiat-850.nl

In 1964 Moretti began working with the Fiat 850, releasing a four-door three-box saloon, a two-door coupe (very similar to the 500-based design), and a spider. In 1965 the Sportiva emerged at the usual venue, the Turin Motorshow. Source: www.carsfromitaly.net Images: www.moretti-cars.net

Vignale made various cars based on the 850 floorpan and mechanicals, including a 4/5-seat Berlina, a 2+2 coupé, and a 2+2 spider. All three cars shared the standard 850 wheelbases and also came with a fake leather interior, 'door-open' lights mounted on the doors, and a central tunnel with a 'loose-object' tray and a cigarette holder. All were also available in 'Lusso Export,' which added a cigarette lighter, metallic paint, electric windows, a wooden steering wheel, chromed gearchange and handbrake levers, and an electronic rev counter! Vignale also produced a beautiful aerodynamic 850 coupé. Source: www.carsfromitaly.net Images: ruoteclassiche.quattroruote.it; www.clubfiat800spider.com.ar; www.carsfromitaly.net; www.fiat-850.nl

At the 1964 Turin Motorshow, Lombardi showed a two-seat coupé based on the Fiat 500, called the Coccinella. Seven of these smart little cars survived, and it is said that these seven are the whole production. Images: ruoteclassiche.quattroruote.it

One of several concepts Pininfarina presented based on Fiat’s 1960s flagship model. There were five concepts made: 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina 1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale by Pininfarina 1963 Fiat 2300 S Lausanne by Pininfarina 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina 1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina Images: www.xs4all.nl

One of a series of specials based on the Fiat 6-cylinder platform, designed by Tom Tjaarda while working at Pininfarina. Battista and Sergio Pininfarina marked their attachment to Switzerland by presenting the car during the National Exhibition in Lausanne. It remained a one-off. There were five concepts made: 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina 1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale by Pininfarina 1963 Fiat 2300 S Lausanne by Pininfarina 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina 1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina Source: carsthatnevermadeitetc Images: www.xs4all.nl

Using the Fiat 1300/1500, Moretti developed various coupes (at least six different designs), with 2+2 and four-seat models and at least two other four-seat cabriolets. A 1500SS Coupe with a 92bhp engine was also produced. Source: www.carsfromitaly.net Images: www.moretti-cars.net

Elva began as a sports/racing car, powered by Coventry-Climax or Ford engines. The first road-going car was produced in 1958. This was the Courier. Fiore of Paris designed the 2-liter Elva-BMW GT160, and the aluminum coachwork was by Fissore of Turin. The car was extremely low - it stood just 40 inches (1 meter) high. Powered by a 1991 cc dry-sump BMW engine, it was capable of a top speed of 160 mph (257 kmh). A fiberglass version was to be made available for the UK market. In 1964 Elva was taken over by Trojan Ltd., and production ceased in 1969. Source: www.philseed.com Images: www.philseed.com; www.elva.com