The Car Of The Year: the sensible sixties | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

Named the (European) Car Of The Year (COTY), the very first competition was held 60 years ago and to this day the original rules of selecting the winner have remained fundamentally the same. As is the case in Eurovision, there is a jury of industry experts, each of whom is given 25 points to award with a maximum of ten to one car and jurors must be able to provide a written justification for their selection, to prevent favouritism. Unlike the often-unpredictable music contest, however, there is no public vote in COTY to influence the result.

The inaugural prize awarded in 1964 to the pioneering Rover 2000 (P6). Another British car, BMC’s Austin 1800, went on to lift the COTY crown again the following year, with the remainder of the 1960s COTY victors coming from a good spread of Continental European countries.  

The 2025 COTY winner will be announced in January at the Brussels International Motor Show, so as we await to see what the 61^st recipient will be, here is the first summary of the previous title-holders, starting with the 1960s. Stay tuned for a future Anorak covering the ten cars which took the prize throughout the 1970s…

1964: Rover 2000 (P6)

Launched in 1963 as the UK’s very first passenger car aimed at the new breed of up and coming ‘executives’, the Rover 2000 (P6) was an instant success. This vital new model not only helped to firmly establish the aspiring British executive car sector, but also helped enormously to re-invent Rover’s previously respectable but stuffy middle class ‘bank manager’ image it had acquired with its capable but stodgy upright P4 models.

Acknowledged by Rover at the time as being heavily influenced by the Citroen DS, with its ‘floating’ roof and detachable exterior panels, the P6 scored a total of 76 points to win the 1964 COTY title, placing the car ahead of the Mercedes-Benz 600 and Hillman Imp.

1965: BMC Austin 1800 (ADO17)

As the finale to Alec Issigonis’ clever and extremely influential trio of front-wheel-drive, transversely mounted engined models, the 1800 (ADO17) was by far the largest and most accommodating of BMC’s modern Issigonis family of Mini (ADO15), Austin-Morris 1100-1300 (ADO16) and 1800. Initially only available as an Austin, the 1800 was a cleverly engineered and spacious, if somewhat dull enlarged version of BMC’s best-selling ADO16 1100.

Always a dependable yet uninteresting family saloon, the technically advanced Austin had a huge interior. The car always felt too wide, though, and its Pininfarina-styling was uncharacteristically uninspiring. The Austin 1800 won the 1965 COTY title with 78 points, beating out the Autobianchi Primula – the Fiat Group’s successful first attempt at a front-drive car.

1966: Renault 16

One of the landmark and most influential cars of the 1960s, the Renault 16 was one of the very first family sized mid-range five-door hatchbacks, spawning later front-wheel-drive copies such as the less-resolved Austin Maxi and Chrysler Alpine. From 1965 onwards, the sensible, spacious, robust and reliable Renault was globally popular throughout its long 15-year career. 

As well as its useful versatility, the comfortable 16 was also equipped with modern features such as disc brakes and all-new alloy engine, offering good refinement and oodles of Gallic charm. This capable all-rounder was awarded 98 points to take the 1966 COTY title, with the second-placed Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow gaining 81 points.

1967: Fiat 124

The clean but boxy lines of the Fiat 124 would become extremely familiar across the globe, as the mid-range saloon model became the world’s third best-selling car shape of all time, after the VW Beetle and Ford Model-T. More than 21million examples of this agreeable yet anonymous mid-sized 124 where built. Technically quite conventional, the 1966-1974 124 was Fiat’s ‘Ford Cortina-beater’ but with much greater brio and style, as expected of an Italian car.

To gain its 1967 COTY title, the Fiat 124 was awarded 144 points, way ahead of the second-placed BMW 1600 (later 02 Series) on just 69 points. Fiat and its associated group of Italian car makers (Lancia and Alfa Romeo) would go on to take an impressive twelve COTY titles overall.

1968: NSU Ro80

Arguably the most radically advanced car ever to take the COTY title, at least on paper. The amazing aerodynamic NSU Ro80 had everything – achingly modern wind-cheating styling, front-wheel-drive, all-round disc braking, power rack and pinion steering, a clever semi-automatic transmission with full driver control, the list went on. To gain its COTY title, the NSU Ro80 was awarded 197 points, beating the Fiat 125.

Its real party trick was a surprisingly tiny but powerful Wankel engine, but this also proved to be the car’s (and its makers) downfall. The engine was too under-developed when the first Ro80 deliveries took place, and the huge cost of fulfilling frequent goodwill replacements caused NSU’s business to fail. The troubles would be resolved, but the Ro80’s reputation never quite recovered.

1969: Peugeot 504

The decade ended with the respectable and conservative Peugeot 504 taking the COTY crown for 1969. Designed by Pininfarina to replace the ageing Peugeot 404, the handsome new 504 was a strong but smart and sharp upper-medium saloon. Long-lived, like its 404 predecessor, the technically cautious 504 was an accomplished long-distance cruiser built-to-last.

Immensely popular in the demanding terrain of the African and South American continents, the 504 remained in production in France until 1982, yet continued to be built in Africa and Argentina well into the 21^st century. The Peugeot 504 garnered 119 COTY jury points to take first place, ahead of the BMW (E3) 2500/2800.