Fun Car Facts: 1963
The year is 1963.
Alfred Hitchcock scared us with The Birds, while Steve McQueen appeared in The Great Escape.
Situation comedies dominated television viewing fare, which included My Favorite Martian, Petticoat Junction and The Patty Duke Show, while Lassie and Gunsmoke were popular dramas and Outer Limits was the eerie Sci-Fi horror show of the programming season.
While riding in the backseat of a Lincoln on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees in a 4-game World Series. Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax struck out 15 in game one - a new series record. The Chicago Bears would defeat the New York Giants to win the NFL title.
Gasoline would set you back 30 cents a gallon, while a gallon of milk cost just 69 cents and a cheeseburger would take a 59 cent bite out of your budget.
Fun Car Facts: 1963
AMC
• Motor Trend magazine bestows the Car of the Year award to the Rambler line.
• The Classic 9-seat Rambler Wagon would set you back $2,603.00, while seating for 6 cost $2,537.00.
Chrysler
• Chrysler kicked things up a notch by announcing a revolutionary 5 year/50,000 mile warranty on all its 1963 models.
• Chrysler begins to allow its dealers to sell models other than Chrysler products.
• Chrysler delivers the first Saturn S-1 space vehicle booster rocket to NASA.
• Chrysler had Ghia of Italy build 50 Turbine test cars, all which were two door models. Of the 50 cars tested for customer satisfaction, 22 were given to women.
Dodge
• The Dodge Dart replaced the Lancer.
• Dart 4 door sedans were the best selling models.
• The $2,289.00 Dart hardtop came only as a GT.
Plymouth
• The most expensive model in the Plymouth line was the Sport Fury convertible, priced at $3, 082.00, while the Sport Fury hardtop could be yours for $2, 851.00.
• Richard Petty drove Plymouth to 14 NASCAR wins, while Plymouth won the USAC title.
• The most expensive Valiant was the Signet convertible, priced at $2,454.00.
Ford
• Ford car production in1963 exceeded 1.5 million, but still lagged behind Chevrolet.
• Ford tried and failed to buy Italy’s Ferrari sports car company.
• All engines added a PCV valve the very first emissions controls.
Mercury
• The Mercury Monterey was the top seller in the Mercury line.
General Motors
• Buick introduced the luxurious Buick Riviera.
• Chevy redesigns the Corvette, creating the Sting Ray the birth of the classic American sports car.
• Corvette gets independent rear suspension and its first coupe body style.
• GM management orders a halt to corporate sponsored racing.
• Pontiac launches the Le Mans.
• The Buick Riviera offers an adjustable 7 position tilt steering wheel.
• The Buick Riviera hardtop coupe is priced at $4,365.00
• The Buick Wildcat ragtop model cost $3,961.00, while the 2 door hardtop was priced at $3,849.00.
• The Buick Electra 225 was Buick’s largest car with a 126-inch wheel base.
• Buicks smallest car was the Special, with a 112-inch wheelbase.
• Cadillac’s best selling model was the Coupe DeVille, priced at $5,386.00.
• In 1963, Chevrolet offered 3 different convertible lines- the Impala, the Chevy II and the Corvair Spyder.
• Chevy topped the sales charts with more than 2,148,000 models sold in 1963.
• Throughout the 1960′s, Oldsmobile provided a new car for use by the winner of the Miss America Pageant, In 1963, the winner was Jaquelyn Mayer of Sandusky, Ohio.
• The rarest 1963 Oldsmobile was the Dynamic 88 Fiesta Wagon, which sold only 3,878 models and was priced at $3,748.00.
• The Ninety-Eight Holiday Sport coupe was priced at $4,178.00.
• After a 10 year ride, Chevrolet dropped the Bel Air.
• The Beach Boys immortalized Chevy’s big V-8 with a bouncy little ditty called 409.
Etc.
• 7 states registered more than 3 million new cars in 1963.
• The top Rolls Royce, the Phantom V limousine, retailed for $27, 617.00.
• The Sports Car Club of America crowed its first woman class champion, Donna Mae Mims.
• Toyota introduced the restyled Toyapet Crown De Luxe; top speed was 75 mph.
Top 10 Selling Imports of 1963:
1. Volkwagen – 240, 143
2. Renault 22, 621
3. MG 21, 270
4. Triumph 20, 117
5. Volvo 14, 175
6. Fiat 10, 805
7. Mercedes Benz 10, 378
8. Austin-Healey 8,348
9. Jaguar 4,421
10. Saab 4,117
Loading ...
What make of sports car did Melanie drive in Hitchcock’s “The Birds” (1963) (license plate RUJ 655)? Was this a custom made for the movie or an actual production car?
Hi Bill: Ah….a man after my own heart! Old movies and car trivia – what could be more fun?
I’ll play…
Tippi Hedren, who played the character of Melanie Daniels in “The Birds,” drove an Aston Martin and I believe it was an actual production car.
As a side note, this is not one of my favorite classic films, in fact, it only increased my intense fear of birds. My secret is out – I really do have ornithophobia.
Trivia Bonus: Tippi went on to name her daughter Melanie, after her character in the film.
Uh, I hate to tell ya, but Tippi Hedren’s daughter, Melanie Griffith was born in 1957. The movie, “The Birds” was made in 1962-1963. I think her daughter was named by then
.
Hi Jeff: What I had intended to write was that it was ironic that Tippi had named her daughter Melanie – which was the name of Tippi’s character in the film. I guess I got my words twisted ’round (sorry!).