1950s
Cars
The Affluent Society
• A wealthy American society emerged as a result from America’s
involvement within World War II.
• The GI bill allowed for many returning soldiers to become educated and
created a skilled workforce, and as a result the wealth within society grew
• Cars became a symbol of this affluent society – but also a necessity as
society moved to the suburbs.
• The growth and development of the car industry also gave way to the
development of other industries – such as the motels, fast food
restaurants, diners, gas stations and radio stations.
Development of the Market
 The car culture of the 1950s was fuelled by the combination of:
 Increased wages – more disposable income
 The construction of interstate highways
 Cheap gasoline prices (25c per gallon!)
 Large scale automobile production
 By 1955, 1/5 of the American GNP was directly from car sales.
 4 out of 5 households by the end of the 1950s owned a car.
 Buyers were able to pick and choose within the market, unlike the
previous decade.
 Not just a means of transport – provided freedom, conveyed
status, and expressed personality.
 The 1950s saw the advent of automatic transmissions, power
windows and V-8 engines.
Main players in the car market
• Ford
•
Ford benefited greatly from the demand for new cars. Its most popular models were the Tudor, Crestliner and
Custom Coupe powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine or the famed flathead V-8. The Custom sedan was a
favourite of police departments across the United States for its reliability and speed.
• General Motors
•
•
•
•
General Motors produced the Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Cadillac. GM produced two breakthrough
models.
The 1953 Corvette debuted with a fiberglass body but powered by a tepid straight-six engine, but got the 265 V-8
two years later.
The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado featured tailfins so large and pointed that it put any pedestrian walking behind it in
danger.
Equally formidable was the 1959 Buick LeSabre sitting on a massive 123-inch wheelbase.
• Chrysler
•
•
Chrysler offered an economical Plymouth, mid-range Dodge, the upscale DeSoto and the luxury Imperial.
Prewar thinking drove Chrysler, which hampered overall styling. While Ford, GM and Studebaker developed more
streamlined models, Chrysler President K.T. Keller believed that cars should be tall enough, like the stodgy 1950
Wayfarer, to accommodate a man wearing a hat.
DeSoto, Dodge, Lincoln, Mercury, Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick
Station Wagon
The first station wagons had bodies made from wood. Car makers converted to
steel because the wood was hard to maintain, but attached wood paneling to the
steel.
By the end of the decade the wood however was completely replaced.
The station wagon became extremely popular in the 50s, representing the new
familial wealth that arose within the decade. It became the family choice of car
by the end of the decade.
Associated with the wives of the 50s American household.
‘Grease’ Cars
The rise of the “teenage” generation came about as a result of the affluence of the 1950s society
The decade saw the rise of teenage independence with the increase in car ownership among
the younger generation.
Young adults embraced the mobile culture – they drove and visited fast food outlets listened to
rock and roll on the radio.
Many of the popular cars of the decade reflected this rebellious insurgence of “coolness” within
society.
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=wK63eUyk-iM
1956 Buick
• Trans am
Greased
lightening
De Soto adventurer
Chevvy to the levvy
• 57 Chevy Belair
Chevy made
trucks cool
Dream Cars
1951 GM LeSabre
• One of the more innovative
cars was the 1951 GM
LeSabre.
• It was designed by Harley J.
Earl and his studio. They were
one of the first people who
took styling ideas from jet
fighter planes and placed that
type of aircraft style into the
models of cars.
• The car had an aluminium and
magnesium body, heated
seats and a moisture sensor
which would raise the
convertible top if it began to
rain. The LeSabre was
considered a 1950s dream car.
1955 Ford
Thunderbird
• The new luxury Ford car of the
decade.
• The 1955 Ford Thunderbird
entered production as a sporty
two-seat convertible.
• It had a cool and classy
design.
• The convertible's wheels, each
with a 102-inch wheelbase,
were more than a foot smaller
than those that came with the
sedan.
• The car had a wraparound
windshield, and also featured
exhausts which exited through
the rear as well as small
turbines built up front in the
car's grill.
1959 Cadillac Cyclone
• During the 1950s, the Cadillac
brand was a symbol of wealth
and achievement, and
provided the public with
extravagant, gadget-laden
cars.
• Many Hollywood stars,
including Elvis Presley, owned
a Cadillac.
• One of the wildest Cadillac
cars was the 1959 Cadillac
Cyclone. It had a rocket-like
appearance and the cover was
coated with vaporized silver to
resist the sun's rays.
• The doors "slid" open, which
was considered a modern
feature, such as the minivan
doors that you see today
Advertising
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlQo4Xt
59PU  Chevrolet Safety
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLnlUx0NJ0&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoDvD
ZsPsao&feature=relmfu
Billboards
Songs/movies that featured
cars
• Road Runner (1959)Bo DiddleyMaybeline (1955)Chuck BerryReal
Gone Daddy (1958)Howie StangeDrivin' down the wrong side of the
Road (1954)Ricky RiddleFlat Tire (1958)The Del-VikingsThe
Automobile Song (1954)Luke McDanielPink Cadillac (1956)Sammy
Masters & his Rocking RhythmAutomobiles (1959)The SpanielsIf
You Drink, Don't Drive (1950)Johnny RectorMy Pink Cadillac
(1956)Hal WillisBuick 59 (1954)Veron Green & The MedallionsDig
that Ford (1959)Doug HardenShot Jackson (1952)I’m trading you in
on a later modelOne Mile (1958)Eddie DugoshThe Battery to my
Heart (1953)Billy BriggsCadillac Baby (1958)Bill SherrellAutomobile
Song (1954)Tennessee BuckBring back my Cadillac (1956)Baker
KnightWomen and Cadillacs (1954)Doc Starkes & the Nite
RiderParkin' Lot (1958)Jim McCrary