What it Looked Like to Burn Your Rubber in the 1960s
If you grew up in the 1960s, the smell of burning rubber was basically a perfume. Streets became racetracks, driveways turned into drag strips, and every high school parking lot was a stage for showing off your cool.
It wasn’t just about speed. Tires screamed, smoke curled like it had a life of its own, and muscle cars paraded chrome and attitude. Everyone had a favorite ride, a secret spot, and a need to leave marks on asphalt that would last longer than a yearbook.
Before seat belts, hybrids, or anyone caring about emissions, rebellion was measured in tire marks and burnouts.
Chevrolet Corvair: Assassination Launch
Red Corvair Coupé burns rear tire smoke, front slightly lifted, number 514 racing past NHRA banners.
Chevelle SS: Airborne
Front wheels lifted, rear tires spitting smoke, license plate "USA-1" visible.
Corvette C2: Suburban Drift
Sting Ray burns rubber in suburban street, 1960s houses lining the road.
AMC Javelin: Gasser Style
Front end raised, rear tire struggles for traction as driver leans forward.
Charger Late ’60s: Street Burnout
Smoke billows as the car tears down a rural road while a man gestures mid-action.
Burnout Camaro
Late-60s Chevrolet Camaro spins rear tires, front wheels lifted, smoke clouding the back before the drag race.
Oldsmobile: Niagara Launch
Engine sticks out of hood while car burns tires under control tower.
Camaro '69 SS: Track Void
Burnout with slightly raised front wheels, empty stands in the distance.
Charger '68: Rear Ghost
Back tires release a massive white smoke cloud on the asphalt.
Road Runner: Urban Burnout
Smoke pours from the tires as the car accelerates past small-town storefronts
Dragster: Aggressive Launch
Rear tires smoke as the car lifts on skinny front wheels, supercharged engine daring everyone to blink.
Charger '69: Smoke Monument
Thick white smoke rises from tires over asphalt marked by previous burnouts.
Hitman Dragster: Smoke Show
Rear tire shrouded in white smoke while waiting for the start signal.
Dragster V8
Massive V8 roars through a wall of tire smoke while spectators stand dangerously close.
Mercury Comet: Gasser Lift
Slightly raised at the front, the rear tire spins violently through clouds of smoke.
Corvette C2: Dust Racer
Car kicks up dust while exiting a curve at high speed.
Mustang Fastback: Blue Fury
Rear tire spews thick blue smoke across the race track during full acceleration.
Fairlane '63: Crowd Pleaser
Burnout performed in front of packed stands at Pomona Drags.
