Vehicles

The 1950s cars became lower, longer, and wider. The early 1950s saw the rise of chrome on cars, as an increasingly opulent society flourished in the United States. Many of the automobiles of the time were designed by stylists who took their influence from the transport industry in general and therefore used ideas from both planes and trains prevailing during that time. The huge demand for cars caused by the Depression and World War II exploded into an irrational excess in the decade of the '50's. Chrome was normal and that design was the child of Harley Earl. The fifties also saw some of the most beautiful and some of the weirdest cars ever made. With the advent of the jet age in the 1950's came technological and design breakthroughs in the automobile. One of those was the speed with which the automobile, despite confusing curves and forms, could be manufactured. The jet set lifestyle had captured the hearts of the American public and car designers of the time. This fascination was to turn out ordinarily plain-looking family cars to come out with wings, turbines and after-burner tail lights. After all, GM had Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac — a family of 1950s cars where one could start out with a Chevy and move up the line to a Cadillac. Similarly, Chrysler had Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial. Ford had Ford, Mercury and Lincoln, and were upset that consumers were going outside the "family" between Ford and Mercury. The high sales predictions became an issue when the economy dropped. The prediction was that 200,000 1950s cars would be produced the first year. That would have been about five percent of the total market, which was not too outrageous. However, 1958 was a very bad year for the automobile industry. Only two 1950s cars, the Ford Thunderbird and a car called the Rambler American, saw an increase over their 1957 production.



Cars literally drove the American economy in the 1950s. So many were bought that it resulted in the rise of strip malls and big "stand-alone" grocery stores. - By J.D. Burns

(photos of cars- added by Courtright)
 * [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t5/58/673958/4/106704855.sYwBDa79.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="All State" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/all_state_50s"]]
 * All State ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/103054304.hbdAl8Hw.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Buick" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/buick_50s"]]
 * Buick ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t6/58/673958/4/82549061.VZfa1SGy.jpg width="160" height="120" caption="Cadillac" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/cadillac_50s"]]
 * Cadillac ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/111986398.yVuL9sbE.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Chevrolet" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/chevrolet_50s"]]
 * Chevrolet ::** ||
 * [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/103046861.IPFGQmOS.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Chrysler" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/chrysler_50s"]]
 * Chrysler ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t3/58/673958/4/112350911.FO2Nxwr1.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="DeSoto" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/desoto_50s"]]
 * DeSoto ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/103058171.6iKMSIG3.jpg width="155" height="160" caption="Devin" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/devin"]]
 * Devin ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/63175596.XZZQsUbv.jpg width="160" height="119" caption="Dodge" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/dodge_50s"]]
 * Dodge ::** ||
 * [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/113762302.UygxMNMn.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Edsel" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/edsel_50s"]]
 * Edsel ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t3/58/673958/4/96908352.SkjmRD8b.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Ford" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/ford_50s"]]
 * Ford ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/113990200.uBHXjGGS.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Hudson" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/hudson_50s"]]
 * Hudson ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/103063178.G7v6zEvM.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Kaiser Frazer" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/kaiser_frazer"]]
 * Kaiser Frazer ::** ||
 * [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/110404241.pgHoGewg.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Kurtis" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/kurtis_50s"]]
 * Kurtis ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t3/58/673958/4/96908356.fdV3wtns.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Lincoln" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/lincoln_50s"]]
 * Lincoln ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t3/58/673958/4/96908375.ppIF5X6s.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Mercury" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/mercury_50s"]]
 * Mercury ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/97232677.vFSRG6N5.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Nash" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/nash_50s"]]
 * Nash ::** ||
 * [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/115864968.CvJ7xqQ8.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Oldsmobile" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/oldsmobile_50s"]]
 * Oldsmobile ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/115364171.Hcb5mLQD.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Packard" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/packard_50s"]]
 * Packard ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/113990538.dWrqySgi.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Plymouth" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/plymouth_50s"]]
 * Plymouth ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t2/58/673958/4/65498986.HBMCeMMq.jpg width="160" height="131" caption="Pontiac" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/pontiac_50s"]]
 * Pontiac ::** ||
 * [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t5/58/673958/4/98895722.UGgI2FTc.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Rambler" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/rambler_50s"]]
 * Rambler ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/113992149.IKohfnVw.jpg width="160" height="112" caption="Studebaker" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/studebaker_50s"]]
 * Studebaker ::** || [[image:http://a2.pbase.com/t5/58/673958/4/99411762.awW1ZaLZ.jpg width="160" height="134" caption="Willys" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/willys_50s"]]
 * Willys ::** || [[image:http://ic2.pbase.com/t1/58/673958/4/63176224.2dzChPFz.jpg width="160" height="139" caption="Detroit Iron 1949 - 1955" link="http://www.pbase.com/rpdoody/image/63176224"]]
 * Detroit Iron 1949 - 1955 ** ||

50's Cars
 Facts About 50s Cars General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler LLC

The postwar years in the American automotive industry was an era of unprecedented growth as General Motors, Chrysler and Ford made significant headway in automotive design and technology. More powerful [|cars], with Chrysler leading the way with the Hemi engine, and a [|culture] that valued flamboyant, chrome-laden body designs prevailed in 1950s cars.

Long Transition

 * 1) [[image:http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/nf/a2/facts-s-cars-1.1-120X120.jpg caption="The 1951 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe sedan typified styling carried over from prewar designs." link="http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/nf/a2/facts-s-cars-6.1-800X800.jpg"]] The 1951 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe sedan typified styling carried over from prewar designs.  It took the automotive industry a decade after the end of World War II to offer completely redesigned cars that shed prewar styling, with Chevrolet introducing the Bel Air series and Chrysler the 300 letter series in 1955.

Planned Obsolescence

 * 1)  General Motors' 1953 Buick displays a large quantity of chrome.  GM chief designer Harley Earl implemented his "planned obsolescence" scheme that changed [|car] body styles every three to five years to induce the public to buy a new model.

Fins

 * 1)  Many car buyers believed the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado exceeded good taste.  Earl's marketing plan affected the design of rear tail fins on cars, which were modest in early 1950s Cadillacs, but grew larger and more flamboyant by the time 1959 Cadillacs debuted.

Forward Look

 * 1)  The 1955 Chrysler C-300 exemplifies Virgil Exner's "Forward Look."  From 1955 to 1961, Chrysler's chief stylist, Virgil Exner, focused on a futuristic aerodynamic look on Chryslers, Dodges and Plymouths, making aerodynamic styling an industry standard.

Fin Casualties

 * 1)  The lowly rear-engine Corvair built in 1959 for 1960 signaled a new direction in design.  Earl and Exner became victims of the fin wars when the public grew weary of exaggerated designs in the late 1950s, with Earl forced into retirement in 1958 and Exner leaving Chrysler in 1962.

The Best

 * 1)  The 1957 Ford Fairlaine 500 featured a motorized retractable hardtop.  The brightest stars of the 1950s were the 1955 through 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, the 1955 Chrysler 300 letter series and the 1957 Ford Retractable Hardtop (see Resources).

Read more: ﻿ [|Facts About 50s Cars | eHow.com] ﻿ http://www.ehow.com/facts_4963650_facts-s-cars.html#ixzz15as8AXNM ( 50's Cars added by **Courtright**)

=Sports Cars of the 1950s= The aftermath of World War II was a fertile breeding ground for the sports cars of the 1950s. Everyone needs money, and Americans had plenty to spend after World War II. That in a nutshell explains the parade of new sports cars that charmed Americans in the 1950s. Jaguar, MG, and other British makes had begun the procession. Now European companies and even some U.S. automakers fell in step. Despite problems at home and abroad, America in the 1950s was generally prosperous, upbeat, and eager to meet the future. A booming economy and relatively high employment and wages created a burgeoning, more affluent middle class that began fleeing crowded cities for spacious new suburban communities, where a family might own two cars instead of one. With all this, Americans could afford to indulge themselves for the first time since the Roaring Twenties, and they indulged in sports cars to the tune of $30,000-$60,000 a year. Though small-potatoes by Detroit standards, that volume was well worth going after for a tiny outfit like Morgan or Aston Martin, where the added income from U.S. sales could spell the difference between life and death. For larger companies, having a sporty model in the line could be a valuable, even necessary, showroom lure. Below are links to profiles to some of the choicest sports cars produced during the 1950s: The sports cars available to Americans in the 1960s spanned a dazzling array of types and prices. At the high end were the thoroughbred likes of Ferrari, Jaguar, and Porsche. Mercedes-Benz joined the ranks in 1954 with the fabulous 300SL Gullwing coupe, a racer-turned-road car costing more than a Cadillac limousine -- a towering $7000. Two years later, BMW launched the 507, its first sporting car since the prewar 328, priced at an astronomical $9000. Moderately priced sports cars also blossomed, mirroring the growth of America's middle class. Among the most popular were 1953 British newcomers, the Austin-Healey 100 and Triumph TR2. Though both were designed around existing components from mass-market models, each had a character all its own, and they fast won devoted U.S. followings. Nineteen fifty-three also introduced the one showroom sports car ventured by Detroit's Big Three. A mix of traditional British roadster and period American "dream car," the Chevrolet Corvette cost as much as a Jaguar XK but lacked its performance and handling. Purists scoffed, and limited availability greatly hampered initial sales. Had Ford not introduced the Thunderbird, the Corvette would have died after 1955. Happily, General Motors answered its crosstown rival by transforming the 'Vette into a genuine sports car. **Allard was one of the many companies who scored big during the explosion of sports cars that occurred in the 1950s.** The Thunderbird was of one of the more successful semi-sportsters on the Fifties scene. Though it resembled a true sports car and had more power than most, the rakish two-seat convertible was slanted toward comfortable cruising, not slicing up twisty roads. It could be made to race, and did. But though this "personal car" immediately outsold the Corvette by no less than 16-1, Ford was after even bigger profits, and found them by blowing up the Bird into a luxury four-seater after just three years. The 1951-54 Nash-Healey sold respectably, but was a far more credible sports car, thanks to co-father Donald Healey. Like the smaller Austin-Healey that followed it, the N-H clothed a humble powertrain in cool two-seater duds, yet was surprisingly raceworthy and could go the distance. Over its short career, the Nash-Healey made impressive high finishes in several international events, including Le Mans. Until the Corvette came along, it was the one real sports car sold under a major U.S. nameplate. But there were plenty of minor-leaguers. Indeed, the early postwar years were filled with dreamers who figured to make untold riches by putting a sporty body on a borrowed chassis. Most of these efforts were poorly financed lash-ups that died aborning and are little remembered today. Many were sold as mere kits, leaving assembly to the owner. But not all were so unprofessional. Famed Indy-car engineer Frank Kurtis built thoroughly modern sports cars, though not many, starting in 1948. A few years later, Chicago dealer S.H. "Wacky" Arnolt brokered beautiful Italian bodywork for MG and British Bristol chassis. At about the same time, sportsman Briggs Cunningham bankrolled a handful of Chrysler-powered sports cars that could match most anything from Europe. In 1957, Californian Bill Devin turned from selling bolt-on fiberglass bodies to building complete sports cars that could pace with a Ferrari (just 4.8 seconds 0-60 mph) and cost half as much ($5950). No doubt about it: Americans were treated to a sports-car smorgasbord in the 1950s, with something for most every taste and budget. Of course, new versions of established favorites were also on the table. The Jaguar XK, for example, was updated twice during the decade. And there were some tasty surprises like 1955's new MGA, a comparatively shocking advance on the classic T-Series it replaced. As the years passed, it became increasingly clear that import cars in general and sports cars in particular were influencing the American public out of all proportion to their sales. This undoubtedly accelerated the shift in buyer attitudes that hit home in 1958, when a sharp recession caused many consumers to reject Detroit's overstyled, outsized gas-swillers for thrifty European compacts and minicars. But whether cheap and cheerful or exotic and expensive, sports cars were a permanent part of the American scene by decade's end, no small achievement considering their higher cost and less practical nature versus mainstream machinery. Moreover, the ranks of sports-car fans were still growing. For them, the Fifties had been a great ride. The Sixties would be something else. (Josh Keenan)
 * [|AC Ace and Aceca] || [|AC Ace-Bristol and Aceca-Bristol] || [|Alfa Romeo 6C 2500] || [|Alfa Romeo 1900] ||
 * [|Alfa Romeo Disco Volante] || [|Alfa Romeo Giulietta] || [|Alfa Romeo 2000 & 2600] || [|Allard J2] ||
 * [|Allard K2] || [|Allard K3] || [|Allard J2X] || [|Arnolt-Bristol] ||
 * [|Aston Martin DB2] || [|Aston Martin BD2/4] || [|Aston Martin DB Mark III] || [|Aston Martin DB4] ||
 * [|Austin-Healey 100/4] || [|Austin-Healey 100 Six] || [|Austin-Healey Sprite] || [|BMW 507] ||
 * [|Bristol 401 and 402] || [|Bristol 403] || [|Bristol 404] || [|Bristol 406] ||
 * [|Cistalia 202 Gran Sport] || [|Crosley Hot Shot and Super Shot] || [|Cunningham C-3 Continental] || [|Daimler SP250] ||
 * [|Facel Vega and FVS] || [|Facel Vega HK500] || [|Facel Vega Facellia/Facel III/Facel 6] || [|How Ferrari Works] ||
 * [|Fiat 1200/1500/1500s/1600s] || [|Healey] || [|Jaguar XK120] || [|Jaguar XK140] ||
 * [|Jaguar XK150] || [|Kaiser-Darrin] || [|Kurtis] || [|Lotus Elite] ||
 * [|Maserati A6G] || [|Maserati 3500GT/GTI] || [|Mercedes-Benz 190SL] || [|Mercedes-Benz 300SL] ||
 * [|MG TD] || [|MG TF] || [|MGA] || [|MGA Twin Cam] ||
 * [|Morgan Plus 4] || [|Morgan 4/4] || Nash-Healey || [|Triumph TR2] ||
 * [|Triumph TR3] || [|Triumph TR3A & TR3B] ||  ||   ||