In 1964, 7.9 million new cars were sold, LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act and in October, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.

On February 9th, the Beatles made their first appearance on CBS TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show and it wasn’t long before Beatlemania was in full swing, while observers debated the bands talents and likely staying power.

From Detroit came the Supremes (Baby Love), the most successful girl group others were the Ronettes (Be My Baby), and the Shangri-La’s (Leader of the Pack), while surf duo Jan and Dean had hits like Dead Man’s Curve” and The Little Old Lady from Pasadena.

The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, the Cleveland Browns took home the NFL title and the United States dominated to Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In 1964, here’s how the auto industry stacked up:

AMC
• AMC unveiled its best compact car ever, the redesigned Rambler American.
• AMC hooked a fastback roof onto the American and called it the Tarpon.
• Air conditioning was still considered a luxury, so wagon owners often rolled down the rear window for ventilation; the optional aluminum screen kept kids from hanging out the open window.

Chrysler/Plymouth
• Mainstream Plymouths were restyled, 2 door hardtops got reverse-slant rear roof pillars.
• Chrysler was still the only auto maker offering 5 year/50,000 mile warranties.
• Launched on April 1, 1964, two weeks before the Ford Mustang would make its debut, the Barracuda could be considered America’s first pony car it was the decade’s very first fastback sport model.
• Barracuda was not race-car fast; a V8 could do 0-60 mph in an uninspiring 12.9 seconds.

Ford
• Ford introduced the Mustang in April, 1964, although it was officially a 1965 model.
• Motor Trend named the entire Ford lineup Car of the Year, citing, engineering, and advancement based on high performance testing in open competition.
• The fourth generation Thunderbird rolled out and broke the 1960 model sales records.
• Ford unveiled the Thunderbolt for $3,900 but only 54 were built all aimed at pro racing, where it ran the quarter mile at 123 mph.
• A Shelby Cobra would set you back $6,000.

General Motors
• In 1964, GM accounted for 51 percent of domestic car production.
• Chevelle outsells Corvair and Chevy II, as well as the Ford Fairlane.
• Pontiac ushers in the Pontiac GTO.
• Base price for the Buick Riviera: $4,385.
• The least expensive Buick convertible was the $2,605 Buick Special.
• In 1964, Chevrolet built 1.6 million Bel Airs, Impalas and Biscayne’s.
• The 1964 Chevy Impala hard top cost $2,742.

Oldsmobile
• Least costly was the new Jetstar 88 series a ragtop cost $2,984.

Pontiac
• Pontiac hoped to sell 5,000 GTO’s in 1964; 34,000 were ordered.
• GTO could do 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 148 seconds at 95 mph.
• The GTO convertible listed at $3,500 and 6,644 were sold.  The GTO hardtop sold for$3,250; 18,422 were sold.

Etc.
• Scientists in San Antonio predicted cars of the future would run on gasoline bricks.
• Richard Petty wins his first NASCAR season championship.
• The first Datsuns arrive in the Midwest.
• Toyota execs meet in Houston to discuss American market expansion plans.
• A 3-wheel electric car made in Long Beach, California, the Marketour, ran with 6 heavy duty batteries that powered a 36 volt motor.  Range was 35-40 miles.

Top 10 Selling Imports of 1964

1. Volkswagen 307, 173
2. MG 24, 128
3. Triumph 21, 214
4. Renault 18, 432
5. Volvo 17, 326
6. Opel 14, 077
7. Mercedes- Benz 11,204
8. Simca 9,606
9. Fiat 9, 988
10. Austin-Healy 8, 397

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