Car: Ford Fairlane Victoria Hardtop

Year: 1956

What makes it special: The Ford line of cars gained a new body beginning with 1955 to keep up with the surging Chevrolet. The 1955 Fords were marketed under separate names for each of the three trim levels: Ford Mainline, Ford Customline and Ford Fairlane. The eggcrate grille featured on the 1955 cars was widened into a series of rectangles for 1956, but this subtle exterior change was nothing compared to Ford’s adoption of a 12-volt electrical system across the line. There were new convenience options, such as a new air-conditioner system, a new heater, and a nine-tube signal-seeking radio. Instead of gauges, instrument cluster warning lights for oil pressure and ammeter were standard.

What made it famous: Ford also began selling “Lifeguard Design” safety features, equipping all models with dished steering wheel, breakaway rearview mirror, and crashproof door locks, padded dash and sunvisors cost extra, as did factory-installed seatbelts. Victoria hardtop coupes now adopted the lower, sleeker roofline used by both 1955 and 1956 Crown Victoria, sans the wide chrome roof trim. Engine choices consisted of the 272 V8 delivering 173 horsepower. A new 312 cid “Thunderbird” unit with 215/225 horsepower was ­optional across the board, and a midrange 292 cid V8 offered 200 horsepower.

Why I would want one: Absolutely the best-looking body style of the 1950 era Fords. Love the wraparound windshield, moderate use of chrome and potent engine options.

Fun fact: Buyers When it came to the seatbelt options, buyers responded early in the model year, but the rush to seat-belts overtaxed Ford’s supplier, so only 20 percent of the 1956’s got them

Car: Plymouth Road Runner/GTX 440 Coupe

Year: 1972

What makes it special: Plymouth’s Road Runner was built with a focus on performance between 1968 and 1980. By 1968, some of the original muscle cars were moving away from their roots as relatively cheap, fast cars as they gained features and increased in price. Plymouth developed the Road Runner to market a lower priced, basic trim model to its upscale GTX.

What made it famous: The 1972 model was nearly identical to the 1971 with a few minor changes. The grille design was cleaned up, and the tail lights were changed to match the new aerodynamic look of the grille. The big differences came in the cutting back of performance options for the car. The suspension, rear axle ratios with a 3:55 ratio being the tallest available, and most noticeably the engines changed, with the big-block 383 being replaced by a larger-bore and lower performance 400 cu in version as the standard engine. The small-block 340 CID as well as the performance version of the 440 cu in engine with a 4-barrel carburetor, performance camshaft, and dual exhausts were also available, and for the last time a 4-speed manual transmission could be paired with any of the three engines. All of the engines suffered a drop in compression ratios to allow use of low-lead/no-lead gas and to meet the first round of emissions regulations. The 280 hp 440 engine was the basis for the Road Runner GTX, as the GTX was no longer a separate model, and was available on Road Runners from 1972 to 1974. The famed 426 Hemi was discontinued for 1972, and only five 440 Six Barrel equipped cars were produced before this engine option was dropped after it was determined the 440 six-pack could not meet the stricter 1972 emissions regulations in the fall of 1971.

Why I would want one: Silly as it may sound, but I’ve been in love with this particular Plymouth body style since having an AFX H.O. racing car as a kid.

Fun fact: The 1971-72 Road Runner sheet metal was used by several NASCAR racing teams for their racecars and ran well on the circuit during the 1971-74 seasons. Richard Petty won the championship both in 1971 and 1972 using the Road Runner-based cars, winning 30 races over the two seasons.

Car: Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible

Year: 1964

What makes it special: Cutlass was produced by General Motors’ Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. At its introduction, Cutlass was Oldsmobile’s smallest model beginning as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest success as a body-on-frame intermediate. Introduced as the top trim level in Oldsmobile’s compact F-85 line, the Cutlass evolved into a series of its own, spawning numerous variants, including the 4-4-2 muscle car in 1964, premium Cutlass Supreme in 1966, and outright performance Hurst/Olds in 1968.

What made it famous: Disappointing sales of the compact F-85 prompted GM to enlarge the senior compacts for the 1964 model year. The new second-generation intermediate F-85 now rode a conventional body-on-frame chassis with a perimeter frame. Both the aluminum V8 and the Roto Hydramatic were discontinued in favor of a new cast-iron small-block 330 cu in V8 and an optional 2-speed Jetaway automatic transmission with variable-pitch stator. Buick’s 225 cu in V6 was the standard engine. The body styles of the previous model returned, and a new 4-4-2 model, derived from the BO-9 police package, was also introduced in March 1964 costing $285.14 as an answer to the new intermediate muscle car market created by the Pontiac GTO that same year.

Why I would want one: I like the small changes that were exclusive to the 1964 model like the grill and taillights.

Fun fact: The new Vista Cruiser, a stretched-wheelbase version of the standard station wagon featuring a raised rear roof with tinted skylights and a fold-down, forward-facing third seat, debuted on February 4, 1964.