1962 Buick Special

John LeBlanc's top 10 cars from 50 years ago

Whether it was the momentum from a booming postwar economy, or the influence of the burgeoning space race, for whatever reasons, 1961 was a year that saw a raft of significant new car debuts.

Here’s a list of my top 10 cars that are celebrating their 50th birthdays this year:

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

It may seem common now that Britain’s Aston Martin rolls out a special edition from famed design house Zagato. But the first Aston clothed by the Milan, Italy, metal fashion house was a redesign of the existing DB4 GT.

First seen at the October 1960 London auto show, production of the 20 examples began the next year. A pair were entered in the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, but did not finish. While not seen as a success at the time, a half-century later, DB4 GT Zagatos now fetch millions of dollars at auctions.

BMW 1500

Emerging from the rubble of postwar Europe, BMW was barely staying afloat selling small, rear-engine cars (like the LS700 and the Italian-designed Isetta bubble cars powered by BMW motors) and small numbers of its larger 501 sedan. Then came the 1961 Frankfurt auto show, and the debut of what became known as the Neue Klasse.

First sold as the 1500, BMW’s new sedan was a dead-conventional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan — just what the market needed. Eventually, by the mid-1960s, the 1500 evolved to the legendary two-door 1600 and 2002 series, direct predecessors to today’s BMW 3 Series.

Jaguar E-Type

If not as earth shattering as when the Russians launched the world’s first orbiting satellite, Sputnik, four years earlier, the E-Type’s debut at the 1961 Geneva show certainly rocked the automotive world.

With an unheard-of-for-the-time top speed of 240 km/h, a modern body pulled right from Jaguar’s Le Mans race-winning racers, and for a price thousands less than the competition, the E-Type was such a smash hit at a local hill climb held in conjunction with the auto show, company officials had a second example driven overnight from England to the Swiss city.

Lincoln Continental

Originally a design considered for the Ford Thunderbird, the ’61 Continental four-door was a breath of fresh air in a design era where chrome and outlandish proportions were king. With its rear-hinged, or “suicide” doors and knife-edge fenders, the Continental set the design ethos for Lincoln for decades.

1962 Buick Special - Looking For Replacement Fuel Tank! - AACA Forums

I would think you could find one in a salvage yard that specializes in classic cars (which means it will cost you more), Memory lane in so. cal. had at least 3 62's in their yard. But that was before they moved to the Long Beach area, so i don't know about current stock. There's a big yard in Phx. Az. that also had a few of the cars. Desert Valley auto parts, big advertiser in Hemmings. They've also gotten pricey. Keep looking, you'll find one.

1962 Buick Special, the happy medium-size car

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