5 Cars From the 1960s Worth a Lot of Money
If you love collecting cars and money is no object, it’s hard to imagine any decade’s vehicles are worth obsessing over more than those from the 1960s. It was the decade that brought technology like intermittent wipers and alternators onto the scene. The ’60s witnessed the birth of legends like the Stingray and the rise of the American pony car craze.
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Most models depreciated with time just like any other car — but some became coveted classics worth a fortune to modern collectors.
To find out which vehicles from the automotive golden era of the 1960s are worth the most money today, GOBankingRates spoke with Terry Shea, marketplace editor at Hemmings, the world’s largest collector car marketplace.
These are the models from 60 years ago that make him see dollar signs.
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Ferrari 250 GTO
The 1960s were a turning point for Enzo Ferrari’s namesake nameplate, as the Italian automaker expanded beyond performance motorsports racing cars and into luxury vehicle production.
In most cases, any car from that decade with a rearing mustang logo can stoke bidding wars at auction — but one stands out above all the rest.
“Just about anything with a Ferrari badge on it from the ’60s is worth a lot today, but the Ferrari 250 GTO sits alone at the top of the heap,” said Shea. “Ferrari made just 36 GTOs between 1962 and 1964, using the homologation special sports/GT car to win the international manufacturer’s championship each of those years. Never an inexpensive car, in recent decades the GTO has become the most-valued production car, setting and then extending records in 2014, 2018 and 2023 for the most expensive car ever sold at a public auction. A 1963 GTO changed hands privately in 2018 for a reported $70 million.”
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Shelby Cobra
Ferrari spent much of the 1960s spurring its chief rival into creating iconic competitor cars of its own — and some are worth several pretty pennies today.
“Carroll Shelby famously built the Cobra to compete with the likes of the GTO on the world stage,” said Shea. “The relatively simple sports car combined a lightweight British chassis with a brawny American V8. With a little over 2,000 pounds to haul around, the Cobra was an instant success. A later version with an even larger Ford V8 and a more sophisticated suspension proved an even faster car. An entire industry exists today just devoted to building replicas, but Cobras start at $750,000 and can cost as much as $5 million for a competition model.”
1967-69 Chevrolet Corvette L88
The Corvette, a timeless classic famous worldwide as “America’s sports car,” was born in the 1950s, but it — and its engine — came of age in the following decade.
“There can be no discussion of legendary engines from the ’60s without considering Chevy’s L88 big-block V8,” said Shea. “Displacing 427 cubic inches, the L88 V8 featured race-bred engine components, including free-breathing aluminum cylinder heads, a very aggressive solid-lifter cam and a 12.5:1 compression ratio that demanded the highest octane fuel a driver could find. Rated at 430 horsepower but more likely producing in the neighborhood of 550 horsepower, the L88 found few takers. Just 216 were produced from 1967 through 1969, including just 20 in that first model year. A ’68 or ’69 L88 Vette sells for $300,000 to $600,000, but a ’67 L88 will set you back anywhere from $1.5 million to $3 million or more.”
Ford GT40
The famed Ford-Ferrari rivalry of the 1960s led to some of history’s most powerful high-performance cars — and also some of the most valuable.
“When Ford was snubbed by Ferrari at the last minute during the Detroit company’s negotiations to take over the famed Italian sports car maker, Ford set about taking the fight to Ferrari,” said Shea. “Ford put together an all-star team of racing and engineering talent, ultimately developing the GT40, which claimed the top spot four years in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, firmly putting a stop to Ferrari’s dominance. Around 100 were made, a mix of prototypes, street cars and race cars. A road car with no racing history can fetch $3 million or more. When it comes to race cars with proven track success, the number doubles at a minimum. Of the 10 highest-priced American cars sold at auction, five are Ford GT40s.”
Dodge Daytona
When you think of classic cars worth a fortune to collectors, the name Dodge might not come to mind — unless you understand the evolution of auto racing in the Post-War era.
“NASCAR rules in the late 1960s required that 500 examples be manufactured before a car could be considered eligible to race,” said Shea. “Chrysler Corporation turned the rulebook on its head by producing 503 copies of the Daytona, a Dodge Charger with a wedge-shaped front end, a smoothed-out backlight and a massive wing on the rear end. The wind-cheating racer became the first Grand National race car to break the 200-mph barrier. NASCAR subsequently banned such aerodynamic aids and the Daytona’s massive V8 as well. Today, a Daytona with a standard 440-cubic-inch V8 brings anywhere from $175,000 to $400,000 at auction. Find one of the just 70 made with a 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8, and you can expect to pay anywhere from $800,000 to $3 million.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Cars From the 1960s Worth a Lot of Money