The 1950s were an incredible time in American history. The post-war economy was strong, most American households moved to suburbia, and the American dream was in everybody’s reach. That optimism reflected in the cars, and suddenly, American car brands offered bright colors, new designs, chrome fins, and powerful V8 engines. Here are 10 vehicles that best personified the American dream.
1. Chevrolet “Tri Five”
An everlasting battle between Ford and Chevrolet for supremacy in the medium-priced market was at its height in the ’50s, when Chevrolet presented the legendary “Tri-Five” series. Those cars got that nickname later, and since this body style was produced for three years (1955/56/57), people started calling them “Tri-Five,” and the name stuck.
Those cars were modern family models with many options, innovative, elegant design, and numerous body styles. The base models were called One Fifty or Two Ten, and the top-of-the-line models were Bel Air. However, one of the most prominent features of the iconic Tri-Five series is the availability of the legendary Chevrolet Small Block V8 engine, which brought power to the masses and gave 55 to 57-year-old Chevrolets some serious performance to go with that everlasting style and chrome fins.
2. Cadillac 1959
No list of iconic American cars can go without the legendary 1959 Cadillac. This car represents so many great things about the brand, and classic American cars are simply a landmark moment in design and technology. First, the design of the 1959 model year saw Cadillac’s most noticeable feature—chrome fins that went to ridiculous heights, exactly 98 inches high, to be precise. Second, Cadillac’s technology improved the mechanical layout with improved suspension components and a 6.4-liter V8 engine with up to 320 HP.
The 1959 Cadillac sold a staggering 142,000 units, which is very respectable by today’s standards. Cadillac sold several models, including the Eldorado, Fleetwood limousine, and even a naked chassis with engines for commercial users like ambulances and hearses. Thanks to its timeless design, amazing power, and quality, 1959 remains one of the best years in Cadillac’s history and one of the landmark American cars of all time.
3. Chrysler C300
The fastest and most powerful American production model for 1955, and the car that shook the car scene, was the mighty Chrysler C-300. This was the start of a 10-year production run of Chrysler’s famous “Letter cars,” a series of exclusive, fast, and expensive coupes and convertibles with maximum power, comfort, and luxury. The first car in that glorious lineup was a ’55 C-300.
The performance was outstanding, with a 9-second 0 to 60 mph time and a 130-mph top speed. The car was pretty expensive and full of luxury items, but it also proved very successful in racing, winning 37 stock car events. Today, the Chrysler C-300 is a very valuable early muscle machine and an extremely rare one, too. Chrysler built just over 1700 of those Hemi-powered cruisers.
4. 1953 Corvette
The introduction of the Chevrolet Corvette was the biggest automotive news for 1953 since nobody expected such an exotic car to be built and marketed by Chevrolet. Suddenly, a new roadster with incredible features was made by a mid-class manufacturer with no sports car experience. However, despite that, the first Corvette was a well-designed and well-executed model.
The most interesting thing about the new Corvette was the fiberglass body. Back in the early ’50s, plastic was still the material of the future and was very rarely used in the industry. The Corvette was the first car with a fully plastic body, and Chevrolet was one of the pioneers of fiberglass construction. This incredible innovation gave the Corvette lightweight construction, and to this day, the Vette body is made out of fiberglass.
5. Chevrolet Task Force
In 1955, Chevrolet introduced the Task Force series, replacing the Advanced Design trucks. These new models embraced bold 1950s styling with larger bodies, sleek lines, and chrome trim.
Buyers could choose between two V8 engines (265 and 283 cid) or a standard 235 cid straight-six. Chevy also offered an automatic transmission, luxury features, and multiple bed lengths. The Task Force series was a turning point: it proved trucks could deliver the style and options of passenger cars, foreshadowing today’s high-end pickups.
6. Studebaker Golden Hawk
Studebaker disappeared as a brand in 1966 after years of trying to stay relevant on the American market, but in the mid-’50s, it was still one of the best names in the business with a lineup of interesting models. One of the best Studebakers ever built was the elegant and fast ’56 Golden Hawk.
Conceived as a cool-looking personal luxury coupe, Golden Hawk had a Packard-derived 352 V8 engine with 275 HP, which was pretty impressive for the day. The performance was also significant, with a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 9 seconds.
7. Ford Thunderbird (1955)
Just like the Corvette or Chrysler C-300, Ford’s Thunderbird could not be considered a proper muscle car since it was a luxurious two-seater with low production and a high price tag. However, its style and performance helped raise the collective consciousness about performance, which helped create the muscle car segment in the following years.
The Thunderbird was introduced in 1955 and outsold the Corvette immediately, but in 1957, Ford introduced two engine options that really set the standards in terms of performance and have a special place in the history of American performance and muscle cars today.
8. Plymouth Fury (1958)
Before the Fury was a separate model, it was an option on the Belvedere. In 1958, this model benefited from Chrysler’s new Golden Commando engine. The mighty Hemi was gone, but Chrysler didn’t abandon the performance market. The Golden Commando had 350 CID displacement, hotter equipment, and 305 HP.
Plymouth even experimented with a fuel injection setup, but the system proved very problematic, so the factory compensated the owners and gave them a conventional four-barrel setup. If the fuel injection worked as it should, it should produce up to 315 HP.
9. Ford Ranchero
By the late ’50s, pickup trucks were an established car class with numerous models from several major manufacturers. Trucks were mechanically similar to each other, featuring straight-six engines and newly introduced V8s, ladder-type chassis, and a live axle in the back. Always on the forefront of the market, Ford realized that there was a market niche for smaller, more car-like trucks for customers who needed a usable vehicle but didn’t carry a heavy load and didn’t want the ruggedness of a regular truck.
The solution was simple: turn a full-size passenger car into a small pickup truck simply by chopping the body and adding the truck bed. Introduced in 1957, the Ford Ranchero was a hit. It featured Ford passenger car styling and appointments, along with a payload very similar to full-size F-Series trucks. With the Ranchero, its customers could enjoy the drivability of a regular sedan with the usability of a proper pickup, which the market had never seen before.
10. Continental Mark II
Although this car was built by Continental, a short-lived luxury brand for Ford, it was engineered and produced by Lincoln and is a part of Lincoln’s model lineup and heritage. In the mid-50s, Ford established a separate brand, the Continental Division, to produce new luxury cars above Lincoln. The first and only car was the famed Continental Mark II, introduced in 1955.
Ford’s idea was to present a superb luxury coupe with the finest technology and comfort and market it as a separate brand. The idea sounded good, but the market response wasn’t so great. Five years later, the Continental Division was shut down following the disappointing sales of the Mark II coupe, despite being one of the finest American cars ever made and the ultimate Lincoln.