Reaching the heights of social status during the 1960s meant living in an exclusive suburb, joining the right clubs, owning a boat with permanent mooring and driving a car that instantly defined your success.
Cars that made a statement were rarely cheap and never nondescript. British celebrities might have got away with customised Minis, but that would never work here.
No one back then talked about price, or how much any of our five examples might cost when compared with the value of a humble Holden. Motoring magazine price guides sometimes wouldn’t list exclusive models at all, or if they did the price column simply showed ‘POA’ for Price On Application. If you needed to ask, you couldn’t afford it.
Delving into dealer guides from more recent times did reveal how much our selections might have been worth when new, such as the Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser priced in 1964 at $22,852 or the Ferrari 365GT 2+2 that in 1969 cost a quite similar $22,500. The year 1965 saw Holden charging $2850 for a HD Premier, making luxo models back then worth about eight times the price of something the populace might buy.
Cars on our list would naturally have included air conditioning, power steering and power windows.
Quality cars tend to last longer, possibly because they were originally owned by people who could afford the maintenance, and status symbols seem to survive in proportionately higher numbers than everyday cars of similar age.
CADILLAC ELDORADO
The USA’s Symbol of Success had existed in conventional front-engine/rear-wheel drive format for half a century without very many customers clamouring for change. Eldorados had always been Cadillac In Extremis, with the biggest V8, always automatic and with loads of gadgets to entertain the occupants.
General Motors in 1965 had pioneered front-wheel drive for full-sized cars by introducing the Oldsmobile Toronado, yet hardly anyone was expecting Cadillac to access the same technology.
The Eldorado that appeared in late 1966 was a sinister-looking two-door coupe with knife-edge mudguards and hidden headlights. Under the massive bonnet lay the biggest surprise though; a seven-litre V8 with three-speed auto transmission feeding a front-mounted differential that sent power via jointed driveshafts to the front wheels.
In left-hand drive form this was a complex arrangement and how Australia’s growing number of RHD conversion shops could maintain driveline integrity while carting the steering components, pedal box and lots of electrical components across the car was amazing.
Eldo FWDs did become reasonably common sights on the streets of big Australian cities and they all were right-hand drive. Original survivors and pre-1971 coupes of any kind are scarce in this country. Good news is that excellent cars are likely to cost less than $40,000.
BENTLEY S3
Given the contrary nature for which Australians are renowned, there were plenty who during the 1960s felt that Bentley offered greater exclusivity than the almost identical Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.
The big Bentley did include virtually everything found in the Cloud, with the bonus of a more aerodynamic grille and less ostentatious emblem. Rolls-Royce in 1962 gave both the Silver Cloud and Bentley S3 one of the least costly and most effective makeovers in recent motoring history. Reshaping the front panels and replacing dual headlamps with four gave the cars a more imposing appearance at minimal cost.
Forty years after its Le Mans dominance, Bentley was still regarded as a sporting brand and although the cars no longer raced but could be seen in the paddock at local motor sporting events where they would serve as tow-cars for ‘gentleman’ racers. Earlier S1 and S2 Bentley saloons are quite common in Australia, but not the S3. One or two a year might reach the open market and values since the 1990s have remained around $80,000.
Hardly any 1960s buyers seem to have spent big and ordered one of the coachbuilt HJ Mulliner Continental coupes or four-door Sports Saloons. These when new cost around twice the price of a Standard Steel saloon but are worth much more now.
MERCEDES-BENZ 600 GROSSER
If during the 1960s you owned one of these Mercedes-branded monsters then you joined an exclusive ownership group including John Lennon and Roy Orbison, former Russian President Leonid Brezhnev and Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
The ‘Grosser’ designation was originally used to describe imposing M-B limos from the late-1930s. Even in short wheelbase form, the 600 weighed 2470kg and needed a bigger engine than anything in the Mercedes-Benz range at that time. No problem for Germany’s well-resourced luxury brand, which simply ordered its engineering department to develop the company’s first-ever production V8 engine.
In 600 guise, the new motor displaced 6.3 litres but produced a modest 186kW. While 205km/h was the claimed top speed, in actuality closer to 180km/h. Basic features included dual heating and ventilation systems, vacuum door locks, air suspension and rear-seat headrests.
Trim could be cloth or leather according to customer preference and options including onboard refrigeration and a cocktail cabinet. During 18 years of production, 2190 of the basic 600 plus 487 long-wheelbase Pullmans were built. These include several Landaulets with a rear section of roof that could be retracted for open-air motoring.
Among the original owners of these very exclusive cars was the late racing driver and tyre magnate, Bob Jane.
FERRARI 365GT 2+2
Announced in 1967 to replace the bulbous 330GT, Ferrari’s 365GT 2+2 was the company’s most successful 1960s model, with 801 sold in four years.
Styling by Pininfarina echoed the shape of the exclusive Superfast 500 coupe. It also used a V12 engine which at 4390cc was slightly smaller than the Superfast’s but made only 238kW for a top speed of 205km/h.
That probably didn’t bother most owners, especially the ones who might have bought just for the badge. Or perhaps they were more interested by the GT 2+2’s plush leather seats, integrated air-conditioning, power windows, tape deck and adjustable rear suspension.
Australia during the 1960s didn’t see many Ferraris of any kind and anyone who could afford one of these evocative V12s would certainly stand out from the crowd.
Our cars likely survived for longer than those sold into Europe or the UK and it’s likely that some have disappeared overseas, making 365GT Ferraris scarce in Australia.
That still won’t justify prices asked recently for some local cars that were well above the values realised in other RHD markets, so caution when shopping for one of these is recommended.
ASTON-MARTIN DB5
The DB5 when new was amongst the least expensive cars in this grouping, but just look at it now. Motor Manual magazine in December 1965 listed new DB5s at $7365, with the S3 Bentley at $9100 and Ferrari 365GT $8125. Sixty years later, in markets across the world, DB5 values range from A$700,000 for cars in shabby condition to A$1.4 million for restored coupes. Open-top Dropheads, of which only 123 were made, start at around A$2.5 million.
The reason for such astounding growth lies with a series of digits – 007 – and the DB5’s starring role in a several James Bond films.
Let’s also not ignore ageless styling that originated in the 1950s and the twin-cam, six-cylinder engine designed to deliver dignified transport with a sporting edge. Accommodation was via a pair of nicely shaped bucket seats trimmed in leather and a wood-rim steering wheel.
Top speed with the standard 210kW engine and five-speed gearbox was 227km/h, allowing comfortable 180km/h cruising on unrestricted 1960s highways. Pre-1970s Astons are hard to locate on Australian sales sites, with DB5s being the most difficult.
This wasn’t always the case, with three to four popping up annually during the 1990s and encouraging the inaugural Unique Cars Value Guide in 1995 to price Condition 1 examples at $75,000. What a difference three decades can make.