Family Cars of the 1960s

The cars of Austin, Ford, Standard, Hillman and Morris dominated the driveways of family homes in the 1960s, and provided many families with their first experience of four-wheeled motoring. This book tells the story of those beloved cars.

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The 1960s saw car ownership take off in Britain, as the newly opened motorways created new opportunities for travel – on family holidays, to visit relatives, or for work. The kinds of cars the British drove also changed. Small economy cars in particular helped to swell the numbers on the roads, while safety concerns started to have a greater influence on design. Larger cars for the wealthy few were joined by a new breed of ‘executive’ saloons and family runabouts.

Although they may seem crude by modern standards they were perfectly in keeping with their times. This was a period when Britain still thought it produced the best cars in the world – and was struggling to accept that its golden age was over. Many old-established British makes disappeared in this decade, challenged by a gradually increasing number of imports. But the 1960s was a decade in which many families came to own and cherish a car for the first time, with the greater convenience and freedom it gave.

This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with family cars of the 1960s in all their variety.