10 classic cars for the young

Compact in its bearing, highly stylized in its design and more importantly, affordable in its price: this in short is the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro (roughly translated as 'pal' in French). Created as a robust competitor to the exalted Mustang, this definitive pony car credibly fascinated a legion of fans. Moreover, the designers also offered a slew of performance oriented options that hooked the attention of more serious auto-enthusiasts.

Yes, the Camaro was designed in answer to the already famous 1964 Ford Mustang. The mother of all pony cars, this boisterous Mustang powerhouse was defined by an energetic 'long hood' demeanor and solid 'short deck' design. But the really intriguing part is that the $2368 automobile was mostly 'compiled' from existing parts, including a chassis from Ford Falcon. And now after more than million units sold and an exclusive Tiffany award in its helm, there should be no qualms about the deserved respect this car has received over the years.

Up till now, we have seen two of the most celebrated automobiles of the swinging 60's. But this time we have a very special experimental sports car of the previous decade. Designed by the Corvette Oldsmobile Division and christened as the Oldsmobile F-88, this hefty yet stylized contraption was powered by a 324-cid 'Rocket V8' at 250 bhp. But unfortunately for car aficionados, the planned production never saw the day of light, with the sole surviving F-88 being sold at a 2005 auction for a whopping $3.2 million.

Legends speak of Oldsmobile F-88 not entering the production line because of the celebrated 1953 Corvette already being pushed by Chevrolet. Inspired by the EX-122 concept of 1952, this conception truly embodied the then novel scope of space age, show-car styling. Suffice to say; infused with an OHV inline six-cylinder engine (at 150 bhp), the hefty yet chic powerhouse drew all the attention from both critical and commercial quarters.

Unveiled to the public at the New York Motor Show, the Aston Martin DB2 had already proved its booming credentials in the exalted Le Mans track. So naturally inspired by the designs which were common in racing cars, the vehicle had a Bentley designed Lagonda six-cylinder engine capable of producing115 horsepower. Finally, the form was extended to a 2+2 Saloon Coupe configuration in 1953 (from two seater specs) for a more 'conventional' appeal.

The extraordinary 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda was born out of uniquely adventurous design considerations. Dodge ingeniously thought of pushing a massive Hemi into a smaller E-Body platform, and the result was an instant wonder of 390 bhp 440 V8 engine magnificently roaring from underneath the classic chassis. The only commercial problem was the extra $900 cost of manufacturing a standard $250 car (which in itself actually fueled the exceptional status of Hemi Cuda).

Making that glorious move from a familiar brawny bearing to elegant beauty, the Jaguar E-Type was arguably one of most enticing sports cars of the 60's. The curvaceous lines were equally complimented by high class comfort, impeccable controls and a blistering top speed capacity of 241km/hr (which made it Britain's fastest production car). Moreover to make things sweeter, it came at a considerably lesser price than its nearest rival Aston Martin DB4.

Quite enchantingly alluding to our modern day sports car designs, the Corvette Sting Ray (or Stingray, as it is preferred nowadays) was the definitive racing car of late sixties. As a matter of fact, the frugality of the interiors (with no heaters, radios or even wood panels on doors) was in stark contrast with the aerodynamic propensity of the outside. The 430 hp powered driving mechanism included a transistor ignition, special heavy duty brakes, front and rear suspension and a robust close ration 4 speed transmission.

The list would have certainly remained incomplete without the much celebrated Porsche 911 in it. Conceptualized by Ferdinand 'Butzi' Porsche himself, this bantam vehicle entered into the commercial scheme of things to replace the iconic 356. The new design was obviously revamped with a slightly longer wheelbase and a streamlined body. Finally, the 911 as we know it, was accepted not only as a worthy successor, but also as a dashing vehicle in its own right.

The original two seater conception from Maserati epitomized a sleek vehicle with racing fervor. But the company decided on a larger variant, with the body encompassing the same wheelbase as the smaller car. Hence the 2+2 coupe 'Sebring' (officially known as the 3500-GTIS) was born with an inline six engine and flexible handling capability. Though an advanced fuel injection system was also incorporated to push the top speed of the swanky vehicle up to a whopping 135 mph (or 216 km/hr).