Originally published in Car and Driver magazine in May 1967.
Well, you’ve gone and done it. The 1967 Readers’ Choice results have set us on our editorial ear. The volume of your response was overwhelming, but more than that, your choices so closely paralleled what we would have chosen that we feel congratulations are in order for you, the voters, as well as for the manufacturers whose products won and placed in our eleven categories.
Volkswagen chalked up its fourth win in a row with the 1500 and 1600 models, taking the Best Economy Sedan category with 34.7% of the vote. Also a four-time winner, the Jaguar 3.8 Mk. II (now the 380) accounted for 31.2% of the Best Intermediate Sedan votes. Pontiac Division always has a winner; this time they have the Best Full-Size Sedan in their Catalina/Grand Prix models. Ford’s wonder car, the Mustang, is now a three-time winner; this year picking up the Best Sports Sedan Over 300 Cu. In. laurels with the Mustang GT 390 package.
Perhaps the biggest surprises, however, were Rover and Porsche. Not only did both makes win for the first time, but they were also double winners. The Rover 2000 was the Best Compact Sedan, beating out the long-supreme Corvair, and the 2000 TC overwhelmed the Best Sports Sedan Under 300 Cu. In. class. Porsches received the greatest volume of votes in the entire poll. The 912 won the Best GT/ Sports Car Under 1600cc category with 41.9% of the voting, while the 911 and 911S Porsches pulled down a whopping 51.0% of the tally in the Best GT/Sports Car From 1600 to 3000cc division. For Porsche and Rover, it was an auspicious debut in C/D’s poll.
Finally, a third double winner. Chevrolet’s Corvette Sting Ray—a perennial favorite with our readers—has taken the Best GT/Sports Car Over 3000cc class, and has also been selected the Best All-around Car of 1967—a great vote of confidence from C/D’s readers.
Of our eleven categories, seven winners were imports, four were American cars—a shifting pattern compared with last year’s American majority. Several previous winners slipped out of contention, and the runner-up charts have, in many cases, completely reversed their patterns. Most impressive, however, was the great response from our readers. Thanks to you, the 1967 Readers’ Choice poll is a roaring success.
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