Ahhhh… The 1960s. The era that America gave the rest of the world some endearing gifts like Tide, The Pillsbury Doughboy, The Barbie Doll, Las Vegas, odd graphic design and the Atomic Bomb. It was a bunch of things the world could’ve well… “Done better without”, but alas all of it wasn’t in vain. Albeit the entire period was plagued by being all too Kitschy, it did leave us with some gems. Icons and delicacies like James Dean, Casablanca, Insanely Proportioned Sandwiches, White tees and Blue Jeans.

During its dying years, the 1960s gave us it’s parting gift, a last attempt at redemption for 10 years of “ugh”. It gave to us all the 1967 Gulf Mirage. Built by Ford for the Gulf Oil Company, this car is the last existing model out of the original three. The curvy sleek body shape, the sleekness, and yes, the baby blue and orange paint job, I can’t seem to image how a design aesthetic, ideology credited for creating so much bad, manage to churn out something timeless, beautiful and strong, and for me at least, god damn near perfect.

Fairytales most often than not begin with a phrase, “Once upon a time…” A sort of disclaimer to who ever listens the story, that it is just make believe, doesn’t exist, not real, fantasy. It’s odd that I’ve the same feeling attached when I hear the phrase “Made in America”. That more often than not when you go looking for that American muscle car, those classic blue jeans, and that monster sandwich, you’ll find that, it’s not as good as it sounded, not as pretty as it looked, or not even made anymore, that icons, like it were just “Once upon a time…” was “Made in America”. A disclaimer that maybe it was just make believe, didn’t exist, never real, a fading fantasy.