YOUR TIME MACHINE TO THE PAST!

TRENDS

MORE: http://nationwide.netstep.co.nz/books/Cars_Of_The_1950s_OUT_OF_STOCK/1412713900.html

When we praise 1950s American cars we are essentially praising the fertile mind of Harley J. Earl (1893 – 1969). Earl, as Vice-President of Design at General Motors, conceived of so many design elements that are associated with the era: tail-fins, wrap-around windshields and two-tone paint styling. In this article, written when he was at the top of his game, Harley Earl tells his readers what is involved in automobile design:

"Shakespeare has told us 'neither a borrower nor a lender be'. An automobile stylist must be both. He must borrow his ideas from the creatures and creations of nature which are all about him..."

MORE: http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/articles.php?cid=176

http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Studebaker/1949.html

1947 STUDEBAKER

Immediately following World War II, most American automakers were producing the same old thing they had been selling before the war. In 1947 Studebaker came out with the first new car design. The rest of the automotive world would soon follow, creating some of the most distinctive car designs in history. It was indeed a "golden age" for the automotive industry.

MORE: http://www.ehow.com/about_5039048_history-cars.html

http://www.museodelcoche.com/category/studebaker/page/3/

1951 STUDEBAKER

Just after Ford and GM introduced all their new models in the fall of 1949, Studebaker introduced the legendary "bullet-nose" front end. Critics may point to Tucker and the 1949 Ford for inspiring the 1950 model's bold prow, but it quickly became known on its own merits. Sales started slow, but some mid-season changes (including a low-price model, the introduction of the Automatic Drive transmission, and other minor fiddling) made 1950 a banner year for Studebaker, which sold a company-record 343,164 cars. Things were going well. Why mess with success?

MORE: http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2007/04/01/hmn_buyers_guide1.html

1951 Mercury

MORE: http://www.nashnut.com/archives/cat_rhinebeck_2005_antiques_special_interest.html

1952 Hudson Pacemaker Sedan

MORE: http://www.smokymtnhetclub.org/gallery01.html

1953 OLDSMOBILE FIESTA

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1953-oldsmobile-fiesta.htm

1956 PACKARD PATRICIAN

MORE: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008/12/28/sia-flashback-1956-packard-patrician-drivereport/

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 long pent up demand for cars caused by the Depression and World War II exploded into an irrational excess in the decade of the '50's. Tailpins and chromes was the norm and that design was the brainchild of Harley Earl. The "fabulous fifties" also saw some of the most beautiful and some of the most outlandish cars ever made.

MORE: http://www.anythingaboutcars.com/1950scars.html

Buick Century – 1956

MORE: http://www.museodelcoche.com/buick-century-1956-2/

A History of Scholarship on American Automobile Design

by David Gartman

1950s Scholarship on Design: Snobby Criticism and Populist Praise

The 1950s did bring some scholarly commentary on automobile design, perhaps because it was becoming so central to American culture that it was hard to ignore. But most of this literature was highly critical, even dismissive, of this popular art. The “legitimate” design profession—that is, those practitioners, critics, and scholars who saw design as a high art and were concerned with form in and of itself—considered the aesthetics of mass-produced American automobiles as an abomination. Most of these were advocates of the European modernist or Bauhaus school of design, which believed that the form of an object should follow its function. This was interpreted to mean that the design had to be severe, pristine, and restrained, with an absolute minimum of decoration. As one sociologist has argued, such tastes were surely determined by the class of these people—most were upper-middle-class professionals involved in creating and transmitting culture. Consequently, they looked for the aesthetics of objects to testify to their intelligence and rationality, not their money. Since most did not have enough money to appropriate the expensive, elaborately decorated luxury goods of the really rich, they distinguished themselves by buying goods that were “smart” and “intelligent.”

MORE: http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Gartman/D_Overview/D_Overview4.htm

1957 CADILLAC

MORE: http://www.jackinmichigan.com/Default.aspx?tabid=138

http://www.tomscars.org/1957cadillac.html

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

MORE: http://www.gmphotostore.com/1957-Cadillac-Eldorado-Biarritz/productinfo/53217647/

http://www.plan59.com/cars/cars525.htm

http://www.uniquecustomcruisers.com/Customcarsforsale.html

http://www.sunbeltcars.com/1957_lincoln_premiere_convertibl.htm

1957 LINCOLN

1957 CHRYSLER IMPERIAL

MORE: http://www.autos-1.com/chrysler/imperial-1957.htm

MORE: http://www.beautifullife.info/advertisment/retro-car-ads/

THESE POSTAL STAMPS WENT ON SALE IN 2008

MORE: http://blog.al.com/engine-block/2008/04/car_stamps_add_chrome_fins_to.html

1956 Ford Fairlane

MORE: http://www.whidbeycruzers.com/ford/ford.htm

1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD

MORE:

http://stuckinmassachusetts.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-fun-thread-favorite-fords.html

http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1955-Mercury-Montclair-Red-SA.htm

1955 MERCURY

MORE: http://www.mercuryarchive.com/1957to1960/

http://www.lovefords.org/mom/04_07_c.htm

1957 MERCURY

MORE: http://www.mercuryarchive.com/1957to1960/

1957 FORD EDSEL

MORE: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1958-1959-edsel-corsair.htm

Sept. 4, 1957: Short, Unhappy Life of the Edsel

1957: It's E-day, as Ford Motor Company introduces its newest make, the Edsel.

In an industry celebrated for its spectacular failures, the Edsel still takes the cake. Although as mechanically sound as other Ford products, the car was criticized from Day One for being too ugly, too expensive and vastly overhyped.

The 1958 Edsel was intended to be an intermediate-level brand, bridging the gap between the cheaper Fords and pricier Mercurys and Lincolns. The most-affordable Edsel (the Ranger) cost 70 bucks less than Ford's top-end Fairlane, while the most-expensive model (the Citation) cost more than a Mercury Montclair.

MORE: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/09/dayintech_0904#

1957 CHEVY

MORE: http://www.crystalinks.com/1957.htm

1957 OLDSMOBILE

MORE: http://www.fellions.com/lb/1957OldsmobileConvertibleRed.htm

1957 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF TWO DOOR

1957 Corvette Coupe

MORE: http://www.legacydiecast.com/xq/asp/id.H6150402/qx/review.htm

1957 DODGE

MORE: http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/brochures/Dodge/1957/pages/57-07_JPG.htm

1957 DODGE SWEPTSIDE

1957 DESOTO

MORE: http://www.nashnut.com/archives/cat_rhinebeck_2005_antiques_special_interest.html

1957 PLYMOUTH BELEVEDERE

MORE: http://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/1946-1959/cars-1957.html

FORGOTTEN CARS OF THE 1950s

1957 Nash Rambler Cross Country Custom

MORE: http://americandreamcars.com/1957rambler060503.htm

1953 Henry J Corsair fastback coupe.

1953 Muntz Jet

Our hunt through eBay's automotive treasure trove for rare 1950's cars continues with this 1953 Muntz Jet. Created by Earl Muntz, entrepreuer extraordinaire who earned his fortune plying consumer electronics and used cars. But selling yesterday's iron wasn't enough for the "Madman," so he embarked on creating his dream car-- a process that resulted in the vehicle shown here. Not a one-off 'special' like the other cars we've seen recently, the Jet was actually a serialized production car, though less than 400 units are thought to have been manufactured between 1952 and 1953.

MORE: http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Muntz+Car+Company/

1953 Kaiser Manhattan 4-Door Sedan

1953 Kaiser Dragon Sedan

MORE: http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showproduct.php?product=15324

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