Do You Know If These Cars Are From the '60s or the '70s?

AUTO

By: Robin Tyler

6 Min Quiz

Image: Jill Ferry Photography/moment/getty images

About This Quiz

Both the 1960s and 1970s were exciting times for motoring. 

And the various car designers around the world, be it the United States, Europe or Asia certainly didn't let anyone down with the beautiful designs that came out during both decades.

Just think about it. The '60's saw the beautiful Ford GT40, not only an incredible-looking car but practically an unbeatable one when it came to endurance racing. What about the beautiful Porsche 356 or the open-top MG Midget?

Or what about the '70s. That decade brought us De Tomaso Pantera, a rare Italian sports car brand as well as the Ferrari 512.

But those two decades also saw the launch of models that continue to be produced today. These include the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord and Vauxhall Astra, to name but a few. 

Sometimes, however, it is difficult to tell a car from the 1960s or 1970s apart. For that reason, we thought that testing your knowledge with that very subject would be a great idea!

So, the question is, from just an image, will you be able to tell if a car is from the 1960s or the 1970s?

Just take your time and you will ace this quiz!

Good luck!

America's greatest ever van ran its first delivery in what decade?

This light commercial van was first produced by Ford in 1965 and remains an important model in their lineup to this day. In fact, over the years, Ford has sold over 8 million Transits. The vehicle is currently in its fourth generation.

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A popular sportscar of which 76,000 were built, which decade would you associate with the vehicle in this image?

Designed by Erwin Komenda, the 356 coupe was produced until 1963. This was the first vehicle offered by the company and started off its rear-engined, rear-wheel drive design philosophy. Over 76,000 were built and it is estimated that half still survive.

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Which of the answers belong best describe the decade that the vehicle in this image was introduced?

First introduced in 1978 and still marketed in Australia today as part of the Holden lineup, the Berlina VK name has been associated with the Commodore model for a number of years.

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The man who designed the Harley Davidson Hydra glide is responsible for designing this vehicle as well. What decade best suits it?

Produced up till 1965, the Jeep Forward Control is essentially a truck offering from Jeep. It was designed by Brooks Stevens, who interestingly was responsible for the 1949 Harley Davidson Hydra Glide.

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Let's start with something a little different. Is this a '60s or '70s vehicle?

The Batmobile in the 1960s Batman TV series was, in fact, a Lincoln Futura, a concept car of which only one was ever built. The Batmobile itself was not this Futura but a replica with a fiberglass body produced for the 1960s TV series. In 2013, it was sold for an astonishing $4.62 million at auction.

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Which decade would this car come from? It had a tendency to catch fire in rear impact collisions! Yikes!

Although the budget-friendly Ford Pinto sold well, it had a terrible secret. Thanks to the placement of its fuel tank behind the rear axle, the Pinto was a real fire hazard in a rear impact collision. Forde only fixed the problem from 1976 onward and paid some out of court settlements instead of recall. When this was found out, they were forced to recall the Pintos anyway and fix the problem.

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British luxury at its finest. But from what decade?

Designed by Bill Allen, the Corniche from Rolls Royce was introduced in 1971. It was an advancement on the Silver Shadow and was available as either a 2-door coupe or 2-door convertible.

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This last decade this vehicle was produced is listed below. Which is it?

This 2- or 4-door luxury car was built up until 1960. The Lincoln Premier was available as both a convertible and a hardtop with power supplied by a 6.0-liter Lincoln Y-block V8. This large vehicle could seat six people comfortably.

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Can you tell us which decade saw the launch of this vehicle which was used by the US Postal Service, among others.

Introduced in 1961, the FJ Fleetvan came in two different versions, the FJ-3 and the FJ-3A which was a little longer. Essentially a delivery van, the FJ was used by the US postal service amongst others.

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Available as a 2-door coupe and hatchback and a 4-door sedan, when was this car first marketed?

Produced between 1973 and 1975, the Apollo from Buick was available as a 2-door coupe and hatchback and a 4-door sedan. The most powerful engine option available to the Apollo was a 350 cubic inch 5.7-liter V8.

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A short lived Formula 1 car, when did it first make an appearance on tracks around the world?

A British design, using a British engine, but built in American and with an American driver, the Gurney Eagle-Weslake MkI grabbed the win at the prestigious Spa F1 Grand Prix in 1967 with Dan Gurney at the wheel. It also managed a third in Canada that same year.

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Can you pick the decade this vehicle was introduced? It is one of the oldest name plates for a Japanese manufacturer and is still going today.

The Carol is one of Mazda's oldest models and was introduced in 1962. The current generation, the seventh, is related to the Suzuki Alto and was released in 2014. It is powered by a 700cc engine.

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The vehicle in this image is often considered to be a luxury muscle car. When was it it first marketed?

Introduced by Chevrolet in 1970, early models of the Monte Carlo are considered to be luxury muscle cars. This model competed for market share against the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Riviera.

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Italian styling at its finest. Do you know when this beautiful car first rolled off the production line?

The first ever mid-engined Ferrari, the 512 was introduced in 1971.

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With its unique water injection system, this car was pretty unique. It also was a bit of a flop in the _______.

Introduced in 1962, the Jetfire from Oldsmobile used a sport water injection system. For this to work, owners had to top up their Turbo Rocket Fuel, essentially a mixture of water and alcohol. They forget and although it wasn't meant to, it affected the performance of the turbocharger and made the engine die. The Jetfire didn't last long.

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Here we have a subcompact vehicle which was first seen in the American market. What decade did it first make an appearance?

Competing in the subcompact segment, the Vega was produced by Chevrolet between 1971 and 1977. It was available as a hatchback, wagon, notchback and panel delivery vehicle. Over 2 million Vegas were sold during its production run.

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This was the first mass-produced car for a popular Korean brand. When was it first seen?

The Hyundai Pony, Korea's first mass produced car, was a rear-wheel drive subcompact car produced by the Korean manufacturer between 1975 and 1990. Two generations of the Pony were produced with a range of body options including sedans, wagons, a coupe utility and a hatchback.

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The V8-powered version of this vehicle was considered a muscle car. Let's all agree on one thing though: It's ugly. Can you match it to a decade, though?

The American Motors Corporation produced the subcompact class Gremlin between 1970 and 1978. A number of models were produced, but it was the Gremlin powered either 5.0-liter or 6.6-liter V8 that are considered to be muscle cars.

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This sports car first turned an engine over in anger when?

The De Tomaso Pantera, an Italian sports car was produced in 1971 and built for a period of 20 years. A 2-door mid-engine coupe, 7260 were made.

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A removable roof, called a targa top, was the claim to fame of this vehicle. What decade was it released?

This tiny sports car, with a 700 cc engine, was marketed in Japan between 1965 and 1969. It was also one of the first cars to make use of a roof panel that could be lifted out. This was known as a targa top. Around 3,400 examples of the Toyota Sports 800 were built.

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And this model? Available as a coupe or convertible, was it a '60s or '70s release?

Built between 1961 and 1967, the Pontiac Catalina 2+2 was both the lightest and in fact the cheapest of all the Pontiac coupes and convertibles. If you wanted a full sized performance vehicle in the '60s, the 2+2 was a great option.

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The vehicle in this image was first introduced in what decade?

With over 30 years of production, the 80 was a stalwart of the Audi fleet. In that time, Audi produced five generations. From 1973 to 1986, the Audi and Volkswagen Passat were essentially the same cars.

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Marketed around the world under a host of names, can you tell the decade that saw the introduction of the vehicle in this image?

The Alpine was a European Chrysler model marketed under a host of other names in various car markets around the world. This front-wheel-drive hatchback was produced by Chrysler Europe between 1975 and 1979.

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Another British luxury car. But from which decade?

The Camargue, a luxury 2-door saloon was produced by Rolls Royce between 1975 and 1986. It was designed by the legendary Pininfarina design house in Italy, with Paolo Martin the lead designer. Interestingly, this was the first Rolls Royce not designed by the company itself since the Second World War.

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Today, this is a top seller but it has been around forever. Since when?

First produced in 1976, the Honda Accord is currently in its ninth generation and forms part of the full-size car market. It is a top seller in the United States and sells over 300,000 vehicles a year almost every year. The best sales year ever recorded was in 1990.

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What a beauty! What decade is it associated with?

The Challenger was first introduced in 1970 as a muscle car. The top of the range model from this era was powered by a 6.98-liter Chrysler Hemi engine.

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This was first marketed under the Hillman badge in Europe but then received an American re-branding. When?

First marketed in Europe as the Hillman Avenger, this four-door small family car received Chrysler branding from 1976 to 1979. Interestingly, from 1971 to 1973, before it received its Chrysler badge for the European market, it was sold in America as the Plymouth Cricket. Three models of the Avenger were available to the motoring public - LS, GL and GLS

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Still on the market today, this car brand was first introduced in the ______

Although a Ford product, the Fiesta was exclusively designed for the European market as well as other parts of the world before eventually been made available for the US. The first Fiesta came out in 1976.

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This two-door roadster was made in Britain for the first time in the 1960's or 1970's?

The Midget was first produced by MG from 1961. A two-door roadster, the first generation was powered by a 948 cc engine which increased to a 1.1-liter engine the following year. Over 25,000 examples of the first generation MG were produced.

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Any ideas as to when this off-roader was first introduced?

The International Scout II was built during the late 1960s into the early 1980s and proved to be a popular off-roader. Over 500,000 were built during this period.

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You certainly know that shape and the brand it belongs to, but when did it first appear on the road?

An entry level Porsche between 1965 and 1969, the 912 is a variant of the 911. Initially, it even outsold its more famous sibling. Although it was not as powerful as the 911, it was incredibly full efficient.

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What a cute sports car. What decade would you most associate with it?

Built from 1966, the Honda S800 sports car featured as either a 2-door roadster or coupe. Over 11,000 were produced.

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Any idea as to when this vehicle, only sold in Europe, was first introduced?

Contesting the supermini segment, the Audi 50 was a small, three-door hatchback. Produced between 1975 and 1979, the 50 was sold only in Europe. With a four-speed manual gearbox, it had three different engine options, the biggest of which was a 1.3-liter.

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A jet car... yes, a jet car! When was this madcap vehicle released?

A jet car... yes a jet car. Well, to be precise, a gas turbine. The Howmet TX was an experimental car powered by a gas turbine engine. It raced around the world, even at Le Mans in 1968, but was plagued by reliability problems.

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This vehicle was only produced for two short years in which decade?

An economy model in the 02 series, the BMW 1502 first entered production in 1975. Powered by a 1.5-liter engine, the 1502 was marketed until 1977, even though production on the rest of the 02 range was stopped in 1975.

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1960's or 1970's. When did this car first appear in Australia?

Produced from 1968, the Holden Broughman was a full-sized luxury sedan. Essentially, it was the Premier sedan but with an extended rear body. It was also marketed in South Africa as the Chevrolet Constantia.

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Any ideas as to when this popular off-roader first hit the dirt tracks of America?

Released between 1976 and 1986, Jeep’s CJ-7 was one of the most popular off-roaders available during those 10 years. It had a large, 93.5-inch wheelbase which coupled with a three-speed gearbox meant the Jeep went places other 4x4’s had trouble getting to. The top of the range CJ-7 was powered by a 304 cubic inch V8.

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A brand that was around for over 30 years, but can you deduce which decade it was first seen?

The Oldsmobile Cutlass, a model introduced in the early ‘60s, proved to be one of the most popular introduced by the company. It started life in the compact class before the 1964 models moved the Cutlass into the mid-sized category.

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A cute compact car, this first hit the streets in Japan in which decade?

The 323, also know at the Familia in Japan, was a small compact car marketed by Mazda for 40 years from 1963. All in all, the Familia included eight generations, each with a range of body styles including wagons, hatchbacks and sedans.

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This revolutionary race car, which was soon banned, was released in what decade?

With a massive fan on the back and low side skirts, the Chaparral 2J sucked to the tarmac, given the car incredible downforce and making it two seconds a lap faster than its competitors in the 1970 Can-Am series. It was soon banned.

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