Most stylish car of the 50s

[Brad_Blazer]

I like the single headlamps the 57 Vette.
http://image.corvettefever.com/f/8950436/corp_06110_01_z+1957_corvette+side.jpg

 

[gotrocks]

I know, pictures were requested; but I just want to share a true story regarding autos.

Years ago at construction site, lunch break, discussion about cars, which was best.....
A brick mason's helper said; " Three best cars on the road, names all start with "P"."
He was then asked what are the names.
He said;" Ponyact, Packerd, and Puick.":laughing:

I learned to drive with a "strait eight" '41 "Puick"

 

[Egon]

The Cars We Drove In The 50s & 60s

Might interest some of the Nostalgic.

 

[jinman]

Jim, that Buick in your photo is a "four holer", the Roadmaster.

Yep! I believe all 4-holers were straight 8s and all 3-holers were straight 6s. I think another feature that was common in those days was a starter switch that worked when you pressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. I believe somehow when the engine was running, the switch was bypassed.

 

[jinman]

My older brother also convinced me that I should buy a 1955 Desoto Fireflite from his "buddy." It was exactly the same model and color as the one below, PINK! He said it just needed the engine flushed and it would be okay. I bought it for $90 in 1964. That was almost all the money I had. Well, we flushed the engine with kerosene and then put fresh oil in it. We started it up and it sounded terrible. After pulling the pan, I found out why. My $90 bargain had spun inserts and mains. It sat in my yard for about six months and then I found a junk yard to pay me $25 for it. It was a very good lesson in never trusting my brother's judgement about cars.

 

[Bird]

Yep! I believe all 4-holers were straight 8s and all 3-holers were straight 6s. I think another feature that was common in those days was a starter switch that worked when you pressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. I believe somehow when the engine was running, the switch was bypassed.

I remember the starter switch under the accelerator pedal, and I also remember some cars that had the starter switch under the clutch pedal but can't remember for sure just which ones had that. And speaking of Buicks, my parent's first air-conditioned car was a 1953 Buick Super, 4 dr, with Buick's first V-8 engine, and it was a fine car. Of course that was in 1958 I believe. At that time we had a Buick dealer across the street from our service station and auto parts store, and that '53 was a cream puff trade-in.

Theirs was two tone green, but otherwise looked like:
http://pics.hoobly.com/full/THDNCB59W55RCVZ8LS.jpg

 

[tallyho8]

I like the single headlamps the 57 Vette.
http://image.corvettefever.com/f/8950436/corp_06110_01_z+1957_corvette+side.jpg

I think that just about everybody would agree that 1957 was "THE YEAR" for automobiles. More people pick 1957________ as their favorite car than any other year whether it is a 57 Vette, 57 Thunderbird, 57 Chevy, 57 Studebaker Golden Hawk etc.

This was the year of fuel injection, blowers, two 4's, 3 dueces, and unprecedented styling.

I would be willing to pay a pretty hefty admission fee to go to a car show that had all the 1957 models there for viewing but I am sure that 90% of them have passed into oblivion except in photos.

 

[timswi]

My 50's favorites are the 55 & 57 Chevy's. Timeless syle in my opinion.

While not a 50's car, my vote is for the 1965 Pontiac GTO...My parents had one with the Bobcat option. 421 tri-power, Muncie 4speed and 4:33 rear. Magnesium wheels and fire engine red.

I was a little kid when they had it, but the pictures of that are just beautiful.

I remember riding in the back seat, if my dad told us to sit down and we didn't listen, he'd hit the trips and pin us to the seat like an amusement park ride.

They used to drag race it on the weekends. Could only get into the low 13's due to the slicks of the time. It would go up in a cloud of tire smoke sometimes. Mom and Dad both raced it, although my mom had to run it in the "Powder-Puff" class...How times have changed.

Dad's gone now, but she still has his '66 El Camino with a 396 4speed. At 65 years old, she can still hammer some gears.

 

[milkman]

Bird, I think the ones with the starter under the clutch pedal was the Studebaker, I know the P/U had it there.

 

[LBrown59]

Yep, Jim, before I joined the police department, I worked for the post office in Dallas and a friend and co-worker had a Packard sedan and that was the first car I ever saw with the automatic levelling. Even without the engine running, if you loaded something heavy in the trunk, or just sat on the trunk, after a few seconds you could hear a little electric motor start up and it would raise the back end up level. And of course when you removed the load, the springs would let the back end raise up and in a few seconds that little electric motor started again and lowered the back end to level again.

I don't remember what year model it was, maybe about 1934, but my parents always said one of the cars they had liked best was an old used Packard limousine they bought when I was a baby. They said you could sit in the back seat and stick your legs straight out in front of you without touching the back of the front seat.

My cousin had a 1939 Packard 4 door sedan during the last couple of years of high school .1958 and 59.
It was big and was fun to drive and it road like a limousine .
Have great memories of that car.