18 Compact Cars From the ’60s Everyone Forgot Existed
Growing up, my uncle had a garage full of old car magazines that I’d flip through for hours on rainy afternoons. While Mustangs and Corvettes hogged the spotlight, dozens of quirky compact cars came and went without much fanfare.
The 1960s was actually a golden age for small, economical vehicles as automakers experimented with new designs to capture the growing market for second family cars.
Let’s rediscover these forgotten road warriors that once zipped around American streets but somehow vanished from our collective memory.
1. Hillman Imp
Rear-engined and feisty, the Hillman Imp challenged the mighty Mini with its aluminum engine and sporty handling. British engineering gave this little warrior a unique swing-axle suspension that made it surprisingly nimble around corners.
Launched in 1963, the Imp suffered from reliability issues that ultimately sealed its fate. Despite selling half a million units, it’s now just a quirky footnote in automotive history.
2. Glas 1304
Before BMW swallowed them whole, German manufacturer Glas created this sleek little number with Italian-inspired bodywork. The 1304’s stylish profile came courtesy of Frua design house, giving budget-conscious drivers a taste of Mediterranean flair.
Under the hood lurked a modest 1.3-liter engine, but the real story was its innovative timing belt—a first for production cars. BMW discontinued the model shortly after acquiring Glas in 1966.
3. DAF Daffodil
Laugh if you must, but the Dutch-built DAF Daffodil packed revolutionary technology beneath its unassuming exterior. Its claim to fame? The Variomatic transmission—the world’s first continuously variable automatic gearbox in a production car.
This peculiar contraption could go as fast backward as forward! Perfect for parallel parking champions. Despite this innovation, DAF’s passenger car division eventually got absorbed by Volvo, and the Daffodil withered away from public memory.
4. Hino Contessa
Long before Toyota dominated Japanese exports, the Hino Contessa turned heads with its Michelotti-designed Italian good looks. Powered by a rear-mounted 1.3-liter engine, this sprightly machine combined Japanese reliability with European styling sensibilities.
Racing versions even competed successfully in early Japanese motorsports. Toyota eventually absorbed Hino’s car division in 1967, relegating the Contessa to obscurity while Hino focused exclusively on building trucks and buses.
5. Panhard 24
French oddball manufacturer Panhard created this avant-garde beauty as their swan song before Citroën swallowed them whole. The 24’s streamlined aluminum body housed a peculiar air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine mounted up front.
Despite its measly 848cc displacement, it could hit 87mph thanks to incredible aerodynamics. Production ended in 1967 after only 28,000 units, marking the end of one of France’s oldest car brands, which had been building automobiles since 1891.
6. Simca 1000
Rear-engined and boxy, the Simca 1000 became France’s people’s car throughout the 1960s. Launched in 1961, this unassuming little sedan packed its water-cooled engine behind the rear axle—an arrangement that made for interesting handling characteristics in wet conditions!
Around 1.9 million scurried out of factories during its 17-year production run. Rally versions with souped-up engines became icons in European motorsport, punching well above their modest weight class.
7. Isuzu Bellett
Sporting crisp lines that wouldn’t look out of place on an Alfa Romeo, the Isuzu Bellett brought unexpected Italian flair to Japan’s growing automotive industry. First appearing in 1963, this compact sedan offered remarkable build quality and peppy performance from its 1.5-liter engine.
The GT-R variant became Japan’s first true sports sedan. Despite selling well in its homeland, the Bellett never gained traction internationally, eventually disappearing when Isuzu shifted focus to trucks and SUVs.
8. NSU Prinz
Germany’s answer to the Volkswagen Beetle came in the form of this pint-sized challenger. The air-cooled Prinz featured a rear-mounted engine that made a distinctive buzzing sound—earning it the nickname “sewing machine on wheels” from amused bystanders.
NSU’s innovative engineering eventually attracted Volkswagen, who absorbed the company into what would become Audi, effectively erasing the Prinz from automotive consciousness.
9. Singer Chamois
Essentially a rebadged Hillman Imp with fancier trim, the Singer Chamois offered British drivers a touch of luxury in a tiny package. Leather seats, wood-grain dashboard, and additional chrome trim separated it from its more pedestrian cousin.
The Rootes Group, which owned both brands, positioned Singer as their upmarket option. When Chrysler purchased Rootes in 1967, they quickly streamlined operations, and the Chamois disappeared after just four years of production, taking the historic Singer name with it.
10. Goggomobil T300
Microcar madness reached its logical conclusion with this tiny German runabout. At just 10 feet long and powered by a motorcycle-derived 300cc two-stroke engine, the Goggomobil made today’s Smart cars look positively massive.
Despite its diminutive size, over 214,000 found homes across Europe. The quirky shifter, a handle protruding from the dashboard, confused first-time drivers.
Production ended in 1969 when safety regulations made these minimalist machines increasingly difficult to certify.
11. Reliant Rebel
Famous for building three-wheeled oddities, British manufacturer Reliant also produced this conventional four-wheeled compact. Well, “conventional” might be stretching it—the Rebel’s body was made entirely of fiberglass, making it incredibly light and rust-proof.
Power came from Reliant’s own aluminum 700cc engine. Despite practical advantages like excellent fuel economy and low maintenance costs, the Rebel never captured public imagination like its three-wheeled siblings, remaining a rare curiosity even in its home market.
12. Neckar Jagst
Italian design met German engineering in this forgotten collaboration. Built by NSU-Fiat in Heilbronn, the Jagst was essentially a rebadged Fiat 1100 with slightly different styling cues for the German market.
Named after a German river, this compact sedan offered reliable transportation with a touch of Mediterranean flair.
The Jagst disappeared when Fiat decided to sell its cars directly in Germany under their own brand name, making this short-lived model a true automotive curiosity.
13. Humber Sceptre
Luxury came in compact form with this upscale British sedan. The Sceptre offered wood veneer dashboards, leather seating, and wool carpeting at a time when most small cars featured utilitarian vinyl and rubber floor mats.
Part of the Rootes Group’s extensive lineup, the Sceptre targeted successful professionals who wanted prestige without excessive size.
When Chrysler purchased Rootes in 1967, they gradually phased out most of the group’s distinctive brands, including Humber, whose history dated back to 1868.
14. Steyr-Puch 650 TR
Austrian engineering excellence found expression in this nimble mountain warrior. Based on the Fiat 500 but extensively re-engineered, the 650 TR featured Steyr-Puch’s own horizontally-opposed twin-cylinder engine and unique suspension system.
Alpine rally drivers prized these tiny terrors for their incredible handling on twisty mountain roads. Despite mechanical superiority to their Italian cousins, production remained limited to Austria and a few neighboring countries, ensuring their obscurity outside Central Europe.
15. Sunbeam Stiletto
Sporting aspirations in a tiny package defined this British fastback. Based on the Hillman Imp platform but with a sleek fastback body and upgraded interior, the Stiletto targeted young drivers wanting style without breaking the bank.
Rally-tuned versions punched well above their weight in competition. Another casualty of Chrysler’s takeover of the Rootes Group, the Stiletto lasted just four years (1967-1972) before disappearing, with fewer than 10,000 produced.
16. Moskvitch 408
Soviet automotive ambition materialized in this surprisingly competent sedan. Launched in 1964, the 408 represented a genuine attempt to create a modern, reliable family car for the Russian market and Eastern Bloc countries.
Powered by a 1.4-liter engine, it offered reasonable performance and durability in harsh conditions. Export versions even reached Western Europe and beyond.
Despite selling over a million units, the Moskvitch brand disappeared following the Soviet Union’s collapse, taking the 408’s memory with it.
17. Standard Gazel
British engineering continued in India long after independence through this curious time capsule. The Gazel was essentially a 1959 Standard Pennant continued in production by Standard Motor Products of India throughout the 1960s and beyond.
While British motorists had moved on to newer designs, Indian roads were filled with these sturdy, practical sedans.
Unchanged styling meant that 1969 models were virtually identical to those built a decade earlier, creating an automotive time warp for visitors to the subcontinent.
18. SAAB 96
Swedish quirkiness reached its zenith in this aerodynamic wonder. Originally powered by a three-cylinder two-stroke engine that required oil mixed with gasoline, the 96’s unusual engineering reflected SAAB’s aircraft manufacturing heritage.
The distinctive shape remained in production from 1960 until 1980 with surprisingly few external changes.
Rally driver Erik Carlsson famously piloted these unassuming machines to multiple international victories, earning the nickname “Carlsson on the roof” for his tendency to roll the cars during enthusiastic driving.