The Ford Mustang, arguably
the greatest automotive success story of
the 1960's...
The Renault
16 set a new benchmark for 1964,
economical, safe, reliable and
versatile were not words heaped
upon many cars...
Very nearly the 901, but Peugeot's
patent ensured the 911 would
be born...
The bow of the HMAS Melbourne
following its collision with
the HMAS Voyager on February
10th. 82 lives would be lost
in Australia's worst peacetime
maritime disaster... |
There is no greater automotive success story of the
1960's than that of the Ford Mustang. When launched
in 1964, it became an overnight success, capturing the
spirit of the times perfectly. A master stroke by Lee
Iacocca, the Mustang shared much of its mechanicals
on the humble Falcon, right down to the floorpan and
rear leaf-sping suspension.
But any shortcomings were
easily overlooked when taking in the graceful lines,
particularly of the Fastback model, and the car quickly
reached cult status with the release of Bullitt starring
Steve McQueen.
Perhaps a little less alluring, but still highly innovative
was Renault's release of the model 16 in December
1964. The concept of a five-door saloon was very new,
the Renault 16 using a rear hatchback door with fold-down
rear seats. Although it had awkward styling, at the
time it was considered very unique. But being unique
is one thing (just look at the Lightburn Zeta), making
a good car another.
Fortunately the 16 fitted the
latter category, achieving excellent roadholding via
its fully-independent suspension. The economical 1470cc
engine gave it a very respectable 145 km/h top speed,
and braking came courtesy of front discs. The 16 enjoyed
a long production run (some 15 years) until ultimately
being superseded by the Renault 20 in 1979.
The legend that would create the three most famous numbers,
when put in sequence, began in 1964 with the release
of the Porsche 911. But did you know that Porsche originally
wanted to call their new sports car the 901? We can
thank Peugeot, who patented all three digit number configurations
containing a middle “0” (zero) for forcing
Porsche to change it’s name to 911.
Regardless
of it’s model designation, the 911 remains a triumph
of development over design - and is still as popular
today as when it was originally released. Despite many
variations, pre-1974 vehicles are perceived as the best
classics to own.
1964 was also the year the Royal Australian Navy experienced
its worst peacetime maritime disaster when, on February
the 10th, the destroyer HMAS Voyager would sink after
being rammed by the aircraft carrier Melbourne during
night exercises. 82 lives were lost aboard the Voyager,
including the Captain and 13 other officers. The "George
Cross" would be awarded posthumously to CPO Jonathon
Rogers, DSM, for conspicuous bravery during the rescue
operation.
Subsequent inquiries and Royal Commissions (held in
1964 and 1967) would eventually absolve the Melbourne
of any wrong-doing, instead laying blame on the Voyager
for not taking avoiding action and persisting on a collision
course.
Formula One Championship: John Surtees (Britain) / Ferrari
1964 Bathurst Winner: Bob Jane & George Reynolds
/ Ford Cortina GT
NRL Grand Final:
VFL/AFL Grand Final:
Melbourne Cup: Polo Prince (R.
Taylor)
Wimbledon Women: Maria Bueno d. M.
Smith (6-4 7-9 6-3)
Wimbledon Men: Roy Emerson d. F. Stolle
(6-4 12-10 4-6 6-3)
The Movies:
- Red Desert
- Dr. Strangelove
- My Fair Lady
- Mary Poppins
- Zorba the Greek
- Becket
Gold Logie: Bobby Limb (The Mobil
Limb Show, Nine)
Academy Awards:
- Best Picture - My Fair Lady
- Best Actor - Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady)
- Best Actress - Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins)
The Charts:
- All My Loving - The Beatles
- Love Me Do - The Beatles
- A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
- Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
- The Wedding - Julie Rogers
- You're My World - Cilla Black
- If I Feel - The Beatles
- I Feel Fine - The Beatles
- Poison Ivy - Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
- Tell It On The Mountain - The Beach Boys
Farewells:
- Herbert Clark Hoover (Former US President)
- Douglas MacArthur (WWII General)
- Harpo Marx (Comedian)
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