For some car enthusiasts, the decade of the 1950s is labeled the “nifty fifties” and is seen as a time when the American automobile industry reached its zenith in styling. The Big Three American automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler—ruthlessly competed against the “independents” and by the end of the decade many brands, such as Kaiser, Frazer, Packard, Hudson, Nash, and others, had gone extinct.
Shown below are photographs of some of the 1950s cars on display in LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Not shown below are the General Motors vehicles, British vehicles, and Packards in the museum as they have their own photo diaries.
Ford:
Shown above is a 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, 2-Door Hardtop.
Shown above is a 1956 Ford Fairlane, 2-Door Convertible.
Shown above is a 1958 Ford Thunderbird, 2-Door Hardtop. The 1958 Thunderbird was the first of the four-seater models. Sales of the 1958 Thunderbird were nearly double that of the 1957 Thunderbird.
Lincoln:
Shown above is the 1954 Lincoln “Bardahl” Capri Convertible. This car was originally purchased by Ole Bardahl, owner and founder of Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation, for his wife Inga.
Shown above is a 1956 Continental Mark II.
Shown above is a 1959 Lincoln Continental Convertible.
Mercury:
Shown above is a 1956 Mercury Custom, 4-Door Sedan.
Chrysler:
Shown above is a 1950 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible. This car was originally priced at $3,236 and only 899 were produced. Today it is a rare car.
Shown above is a 1959 Chrysler 300E. This was a top end luxury vehicle with a limited production run: only 550 two-door hardtops and 140 convertibles were built.
Plymouth:
Shown above is a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere.
Dodge:
Shown above is a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal, 2-Door Hardtop.
Nash:
Shown above is a 1951 Nash Rambler Custom 2-Door Convertible. It sold new for $1,933. According to the museum display:
“George Mason, president of Nash-Kelvinator, insisted on big Nash features like unitized construction, Weather Eye heater, and skirted front wheels. The convertible cloth top unfurled like a roll-top desk, leaving the window frames and rails in place.”
Shown above is a 1959 Nash Metropolitan, 2-Door Convertible.
Kaiser:
Shown above is a 1953 Kaiser Dragon, 4-Door Sedan. According to the display:
“The Kaiser Dragon was the masterwork of Carleton Spencer, a pioneer in automotive color and trim. Before Spencer began his design, he decided to survey women about their likes and preferences in automobiles.”
Studebaker:
Shown above is a 1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight, 2-Door Coupe.
Hudson:
Shown above is a 1956 Hudson Hornet Custom, 4-Door Sedan.
Crosley:
Shown above is a 1952 Crosley Skorpion.
Citroen:
Shown above is a 1953 Citroen 2CV. The car was designed to carry two farmers wearing clogs, plus 110 pounds of potatoes or a small cask of wine, with a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour.