The popularity of the AMC cable show “Mad Men,” set in the early 1960s, has focused attention on the products and styles of the Kennedy era. The early part of the decade, often dismissed as the last gasp of the 1950s rather than part of the “real” swinging 1960s, was in fact a high-water mark for American industrial design. Everything from typewriters to furniture reflected a new design sensibility – particularly cars. The flamboyant chrome and tail fins of the 1950s were replaced by understated cars that relied on sound design instead of gimmickry. It was an era when quality products and cutting-edge design still ruled in America.

Listed below are Hagerty’s picks for the top 10 cars of the “Mad Men” era. The leading collectible car price guide, “Hagerty’s Cars that Matter,” has determined approximately what each vehicle is valued at today.

1. 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100): The ’63 Riv, introduced around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, was yet another reason to be thankful that the situation didn’t escalate into a nuclear conflict. After a trip to Europe, GM design head Bill Mitchell decided that he wanted an American personal luxury...