17 ’60s unicorn classics

Sixties survivors

In the latest of our features about unicorns (cars which now survive in very small numbers), we are looking at models which were predominantly on sale during the 1960s.

As before, our information comes indirectly from the Department for Transport, via the How Many Left? website. We are including cars which are either registered for road use or have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), with fewer than 40 survivors in every case.

They are listed in descending order of survival rate, so if you think the Peugeot 403 (which appears first) is in short supply, there are many shocks in store for you.

All figures are the latest available at the time of writing, which means they applied during the third quarter of 2020.

1. Peugeot 403

The Peugeot 403 was mostly sold during the 1960s, though since production actually lasted from 1955 to 1966 it’s a close thing.

Designed by Pinin Farina, it was available as a saloon, estate, convertible, pick-up and van.

In a rare case of a Peugeot featuring in a US TV crime drama, a 403 Cabriolet was driven by actor Peter Falk in the long-running series Columbo.

Peugeot 403 – how many left?

At the time of writing, 37 examples of the 403 officially remain in the UK, 10 of them on SORN.

The 1960-1975 Peugeot 404, also styled by Farina, only just fails to qualify for this gallery, with 48 remaining.

• Registered: 27 • 
SORN: 10 • 
Total: 37

2. Fiat 2300

Fiat manufactured the twin-headlight saloon and estate versions of the 2300 for most of the 1960s. A Ghia-designed coupé with single headlights was built separately.

No matter what body it had, every 2300 was powered by a 2.3-litre six-cylinder engine, though the 2300S had twin carburettors and was therefore quicker.

Fiat 2300 – how many left?

According to the latest figures, there are 28 examples of the 2300 in the UK, of which 23 can legally be driven.

Just under half (specifically 12, one of them on SORN) are the more powerful 2300S.

• Registered: 23 • 
SORN: 5 • 
Total: 28

3. Bristol 407, 408, 409 and 410

Although Bristol enthusiasts would no doubt prefer them to be listed separately, these are the models which were sold only during the 1960s.

The 407 looked very like the earlier 406, but it was the first Bristol to be fitted with a Chrysler V8 engine, which became the norm for the company.

Despite being mechanically similar, the 408 had very different styling from the 407. Bristol would continue to use the same design language until 1972, during the production run of the 411.
 

Bristol 407, 408, 409 and 410 – how many left?

Since Bristol cars were expensive and exclusive, and could hardly help becoming classics sooner or later, it should come as no surprise that a large proportion of the 1960s cars have survived.

Production was around 80 units for each model, and a total of 24 are still registered in the UK, two-thirds of them for road use.

• Registered: 16 • 
SORN: 8 • 
Total: 24

4. Vauxhall Victor FB

The second-generation Victor arrived in 1961 with styling far more suited to the new decade than that of the F Series it replaced. Production lasted for only three years before Vauxhall brought out the all-new FC.

The FB was available as a saloon or an estate. Both versions were among the many Vauxhalls sold by Canadian Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealers in the 1960s with the brand name Envoy.

Vauxhall Victor FB – how many left?

Even considering its short production run, it’s startling that the Victor FB is now rarer than a 1960s Bristol.

Just 22 are still recorded, of which eight are on SORN.

• Registered: 14 • 
SORN: 8 • 
Total: 22
 

5. Renault Dauphine

This was the immediate successor to Renault’s first post-war car, the 4CV (sold in the UK as the 750). Production began in 1956 and continued until 1967, which qualifies it as a ’60s car for the purposes of this feature.

The Dauphine was almost single-handedly responsible for an explosive growth in Renault’s exports to the US. Renault sold an upmarket version under the name Ondine.

Renault Dauphine – how many left?

In all, 19 Renault Dauphines are registered in the UK in one form or another, and all of them are examples of the high-performance Gordini.

If there are any Ondines in this country, the Department for Transport isn’t aware of them.

• Registered: 16 • 
SORN: 3 • 
Total: 19

6. Renault 10

The Renault 10 was basically the same thing as a Renault 8 apart from its extended front and rear sections and different styling.

While the 8 stayed around for 11 years, the 10 survived for only six, from 1965 to 1971, and is considerably rarer today.

Renault 10 – how many left?

As with the Renault Dauphine, only 19 examples of the 10 remain in the UK.

Having applied a tie-break, we’re listing the 10 below its older relative because only 13 are still registered for road use, as opposed to 16 Dauphines.

• Registered: 13 • 
SORN: 6 • 
Total: 19

7. Renault 8S

The 8S was the second most sporty version of the Renault 8, more powerful than the standard models but considerably less so than the 8 Gordini.

The 8S and the Gordini were visually similar, being the only cars in the range with dual front headlights.

Renault 8S – how many left?

The 8 is more plentiful than the 10 these days, with 87 survivors in the UK. The 8S is the rarest model, as only 14 are still around. (In the second quarter of 2020 there were 15, but one of the SORN cars seems to have fallen out of the system.)

There are even fewer examples – a mere eight – of the 8 automatic, but this was not a model in its own right. The auto transmission was simply available on regular 8s for customers who wanted it.

• Registered: 9 • 
SORN: 5 • 
Total: 14

8. Morris Oxford

BMC produced several closely related cars designed by Pininfarina from 1959 until, in some cases, the early 1970s. An update in late 1961 led to a change of name in the case of some BMC brands, but not others.

For its version, Morris used the Oxford name which had first appeared back in 1913. Early Farina Oxfords were known as the Series V, while the later ones, reasonably enough, were named Series VI.

No other car was given the Oxford name after the Series VI was discontinued in 1971.

Morris Oxford – how many left?

The survival rate of the Farina models varies wildly by brand – 374 units of the post-1961 Austin A60 Cambridge remain, but there appear to be only 13 Morris Oxfords.

It’s possible that this is due to a clerical issue. The cars mentioned above are specifically referred to as Farina models. Around 1500 Oxfords of all types are either registered or on SORN, and it’s possible that an unknown number of Farinas have slipped through the cracks.

• Registered: 12 • 
SORN: 1 • 
Total: 13

9. Maserati Mexico

The Maserati Mexico was a four-seat coupé manufactured from 1966 to 1972 and powered by a detuned version of the marque’s V8 race engine available in 4.2- and 4.7-litre forms.

By Maserati’s own account, the Mexico name was chosen because the damaged 5000GT which served as the new model’s prototype had once been owned by Mexican president Adolfo López Mateos.

Maserati Mexico – how many left?

In total, 482 Mexicos were built, 300 of them with the 4.2-litre engine. Nearly half a century after production stopped, there are 11 in the UK.

That’s not a bad survival rate, especially since there are likely to be many more in other countries.

• Registered: 9 • 
SORN: 2 • 
Total: 11

10. MG Magnette

The Magnette MkIII and MkIV were MG’s equivalents of the Morris Oxford Series V and Series VI mentioned previously.

In May 1968, the MkIV became the first of the BMC Farina models to be discontinued. The Magnette name was not used again until it was applied to the saloon version of the MG6 in 2011.

MG Magnette – how many left?

The Magnette appears to have been doomed to an even more dismal fate than the Morris Oxford, with only 10 still known to be in the UK.

As with the Oxford, however, it’s possible that some of the vehicles not specifically listed as being Farina models actually are.

• Registered: 7 • 
SORN: 1 • 
Total: 8

11. Buick Wildcat

Named after a 1953 concept car, the Wildcat started out as part of the Buick Invicta range in the 1962 model year before becoming a stand-alone nameplate in 1963.

From then until 1970, it was offered as a saloon, coupe or convertible with V8 engines of between 6.6 and 7.5 litres. The largest of these was nearly nine times the capacity of the engine in the Renault Dauphine.

Buick Wildcat – how many left?

Since the Wildcat was never sold in the UK and hasn’t been manufactured in the last 51 years, it’s impressive that there are any in this country at all.

In fact there are eight, six of which are registered for road use.

• Registered: 6 • 
SORN: 2 • 
Total: 8

12. Vauxhall Cresta PB

Three generations of Cresta were sold in the 1960s, but the PB was the only one manufactured solely in that decade.

Much more conservatively styled than the American-influenced PA which preceded it, the PB was also one of the shortest-lived Crestas, remaining in production for just three years.

Vauxhall Cresta PB – how many left?

No doubt due to its short production life, the PB is now an endangered species, with just seven examples remaining. As with the Morris Oxford and MG Magnette, it’s possible that others are registered simply as Cresta, and not as Cresta PB.

If there really are seven, though, it means that the Cresta PB is now rarer in the UK than the Buick Wildcat, a situation which would no doubt have been considered unimaginable when the cars were current models.

• Registered: 5 • 
SORN: 2 • 
Total: 7

13. Moskvitch 408

Rugged rather than refined, as local conditions demand, the Moskvitch 408 looked far more modern than its Russian creator’s previous models, especially after an update which included rectangular headlights.

Introduced in late 1964, the 408 was sold in several western European markets where, like other eastern imports in the following decades, it developed a reputation for being a solid car with a very low price.

Moskvitch 408 – how many left?

Since the 408 remained in production until 1976, we have slightly relaxed the rule about cars featured here being sold predominantly in the 1960s, but for a very good reason: only five remain in the UK, and only two of those are fully registered for road use.

If that doesn’t make the 408 a unicorn car, we don’t know what does.

• Registered: 2 • 
SORN: 3 • 
Total: 5

14. Saab Sonett II

After building hardly any examples of the original Sonett in the mid 1950s, Saab brought the name back for the Sonett II in 1966.

This attractive little coupé was available originally with an 841cc three-cylinder two-stroke. As fitted to a 96 saloon, this engine was good enough for Erik Carlsson to win the Monte-Carlo Rally twice. However, two-strokes were becoming very unpopular in the 1960s, so Saab switched to a 1.5-litre V4 unit supplied by Ford.

The two-stroke was abandoned entirely when Saab moved on to the Sonett III in 1970.

Saab Sonett II – how many left?

The good news is that all the Sonett IIs which officially exist in the UK are fully registered for road use. The bad news is that there are only four of them. Three are two-strokes, and there is a single V4 survivor.

• Registered: 4 • 
SORN: 0 • 
Total: 4

15. Fiat 1300

The Fiat 1300 and 1500 were essentially the same cars fitted with 1295cc and 1481cc engines respectively. They were sold with saloon, estate, convertible and coupé body styles from 1961 until 1967.

Neither had anything to do with the 1500L, which had the same engine as the regular 1500 but was a four-cylinder economy model in the otherwise six-cylinder 1800/2100 range.

Fiat 1300 – how many left?

Of the two closely related vehicles, the 1500 has done far better in the UK, with 23 still officially accounted for.

In sad contrast, there are only two 1300s, one of them on SORN. Coincidentally, the same applies to the 1500L mentioned earlier.

• Registered: 1 • 
SORN: 1 • 
Total: 2

16. Škoda MB

The MB name covers four Škoda models produced from 1964 to 1969. Two of them were rear-engined four-door saloons known as the 1000 MB and 1100 MB, based on their engine sizes.

The 1000 MBX and 1100 MBX were two-door coupé versions of the above, produced in much smaller numbers.

MB stands for Mladá Boleslav, the Czech city which was the manufacturer’s home when it was founded (as Laurin & Klement) in 1895, and remains so today.

Škoda MB – how many left?

Škoda is believed to have produced nearly 40,000 MBs of various types, but this is not reflected in its survival rate in the UK.

There is only one on the records (presumably the example on Škoda’s heritage fleet), though on the plus side it’s still registered for road use.

• Registered: 1 • 
SORN: 0 • 
Total: 1

17. Škoda 1203

The 1203 barely qualifies as a 1960s vehicle in some respects, since it almost made it to the 21st century. On the other hand, it was introduced in 1968, and that’s good enough for us.

Given its roots in the country formerly known as Czechoslovakia, it’s an extraordinary machine: a one-box, forward-control commercial vehicle offered as a pick-up, a van, a flatbed truck, a fully glazed microbus, a race-car transporter, an ambulance and a hearse.

Many of the components came from existing Škoda passenger cars, including the 1221cc four-cylinder engine of the 1202 saloon, and the instruments and tail-lights from the MB series mentioned earlier.

Škoda 1203 – how many left?

It would be nice to think that a thriving UK Škoda owners’ club was responsible for the preservation of several hundred examples, but no.

It seems there is only one of these vehicles in the country, and it’s on SORN. Pity.

• Registered: 0 • 
SORN: 1 • 
Total: 1