(Words by Ron Ward, photos by interwebs) – I was fortunate enough to have been born in 1964. The Beatles were hot, skirts were getting shorter, cars were getting faster and it was a great time to be an American. It was a pinnacle year in vehicle design & performance and the automotive market was slathered with cool cars and great ideas from manufacturers all over the planet. Ford, GM, and Chrysler were beating on each other on the track as well on the street as NASCAR and the NHRA were helping fuel the “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” theme. Life was good!

I have enjoyed reading the lists of Chad, Brian, Dave and C-Dub Wickam, so I thought I’d throw together a list of what I think are the coolest cars of my birth year. It was difficult, as there are SO many great machines from this year, but I trimmed down a list of potentially hundreds to just eleven of the cars that are definitely at the top of the cool charts for 1964. Enjoy!

11. 1964 Chevy Malibu SS

So many great cars got their start in 1964 and Chevrolet was proud to introduce the Malibu to the public. These cars featured clean and crisp lines that look as good today as they did when they were first released. Packing a 300HP 327 and a 4-speed transmission, the Malibu SS was a potent performer on the street and at the track.

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10. 1964 Imperial

What other rear-wheel drive car can claim a lifetime ban from demolition derbies around the world? In both the Crown and LeBaron trim, these cars were the flagships of the Chrysler Corporation and boasted not only the most rigid body construction of any car, but 413 cubic inches of big block goodness. While the rest of Chrysler’s offerings were rolling around on unibody platforms, the Imperial incorporated a super-gonzo strong fully-reinforced frame. Riding in one of these monsters of the open road was akin to being in a living room on wheels and 1964 was a banner year as it marked Chrysler’s fresh styling start after the “face only a mother could love” period of Virgil Exner.

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9. 427 Thunderbolt Fairlane.

Although only 100 of these monsters were originally offered through Blue Oval dealers for stock and super stock racing, these cars were (and still are) legends in the sport of drag racing. Featuring a lightweight body with fiberglas fenders, doors, hood and front bumper coupled with a pissed off factory-rated 425HP, dual 4-barrel FE engine displacing 427 cubic inches, these cars were nothing short of spectacular in performance. Throw in the legendary top-loader 4-speed for some “row-your-own” shifting and things got down right nasty.

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8. Bill “Maverick” Golden’s Lil’ Red Wagon wheelstander 

What’s cooler than a 1964 426 Hemi? Putting one in the back of a Dodge A100 pickup and yanking the front wheels for a quarter mile at a time! Bill “Maverick” Golden already had a decorated past in the ranks of stock and super stock racing, but when he got together with Jim Schaeffer, John Collier, and Jay Howell to build this beast in 1964, his career as a racer gave way to a career as a showman and he campaigned this wheelstanding icon clear up into the 21^st century.

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7. Smokey Yunick’s Hurst Floor Shifter Special

To say Smokey took the path less traveled would be an understatement. This guy was off the charts when it came to thinking outside the box. Always the innovator and a master of the gray area of the rulebook, Yunick dragged this uber-cool offset roadster to Indianapolis in 1964 to enter it in the Indy 500.

If BangShift.com had been around in 1964, this car would have quite possibly been featured in the “Motorized Freak of the Week.” While the entire driveline was placed on the centerline of the car, the driver’s “capsule” was placed to the left of the engine to take advantage of the weight bias for improved cornering. This radical machine sported an Offy DOHC 4-cylinder for power and although it looked as cool as anything that has ever graced the Brickyard, it didn’t even get into the race. With Bobby Johns at the wheel, the car lost its grip, spun, and backed into the wall on the last day of qualifying, putting an end to the team’s month at the Brickyard.

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6. Chevy Impala SS 409

Snarling, growling, axle-twisting coolness abounds with the Impala SS 409. This was Chevy’s final appearance for the big W-head engine before introducing the big block in 1965, and this was easily the best year for the 409. With a pair of Carter AFB’s sucking air, this thing pounded out 450HP in L-80 trim and embarrassed its fair share of Pentastar and Blue Oval boys.

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5. Dodge/Plymouth B-body with the 426 Hemi

This was the year of the Hemi. Pure and simple, the first full production year for the elephant motor saw it kick the world’s other manufacturers collective ass in everything from NHRA stock eliminator to the NASCAR highbanks. What Mopars lacked in styling to their GM and FoMoCo counterparts, they more than made up for in elapsed time. This configuration of the Hemi was so dominant, that by 1971, NASCAR had all but outlawed it. Its basic design is still the one that pushes top fuel and funny cars down the track today. Mother Mopar decided the best place to display their new weapon was between the front frame stubs of the Dodge and Plymouth B-body (330/440/Polara/Coronet/Belvedere/Savoy). I couldn’t agree more.

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4. Ferrari 250 GTO

Ooozing coolness from every vent, port and orifice in its sleek, sexy body, 1964 proved to be the last hurrah for my all-time favorite Ferrari: The 250 GTO. The 3.0L V-12 droned beautifully at cruising speeds, but when the loud pedal was stomped, 300 horses took hold and pulled with a wail that would send chills up and down your spine. Did I mention this thing is sexy? Yeah? Let me say it again. This thing is sexy! Cool? Hell yes! The only thing cooler would be if I could afford one. With a current price tag over $30 million, the only way I’ll own one of these is if I hit the lottery.

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3. Pontiac GTO

Arguably, this is the car that started the entire muscle car craze. With a healthy 389 cubic inch topped with a trio of Rochester two-barrels and a 4-speed gear box, Pontiac blended big car horsepower with mid-size handling for an awesome looking performer. They wrote a freakin’ song about this car. That should be cool enough to get on any list from 1964. (Editor’s note: The famous “comparison” test done by David E Davis where a Pontiac GTO bested the Ferrari was a sensational story at the time. Funny thing was, the “test” included one car…the Pontiac)

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2. Ford Mustang

 Introduced mid-1964, this was the inaugural year for the now iconic Mustang. With fantastic styling, light weight and nimble handling, the original pony car featured a base 6-cylinder engine and an optional V8 for those who wanted to kick it up a notch. It has been in production without interruption ever since and is constantly in the middle of Ford vs Chevy arguments the world over.

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1. Shelby Daytona Coupe

This is what happens when a bunch of Italians piss off one of the greatest automotive minds in history. Carroll Shelby wanted to build a car with the express purpose of whipping Enzo Ferrari’s ass. Working with Peter Brock, Shelby developed a sleeker, more aerodynamic body than that of Shelby’s renowned AC Cobra roadster so as to better take advantage of the Ford 427’s horsepower on the long, straight sections of the LeMans track, capable of eclipsing 190mph. Brutally fast as it was loud, Shelby showed Enzo his tail lights as he said he would. Absolutely, positively, the coolest car of 1964.