The 1950s was a decade when a lot of people who had only dreamt of owning a car actually managed to do so for the first time. For some, economy was important, so they either bought something second-hand, or even ultra-frugal microcars, such as the...
With 11 distinct generations of car launched over a 50-year period, the Ford Thunderbird was not conceived as a sporty car like the Mustang, but rather as a personal luxury car. With an emphasis on style and sophistication for two rather than outright performance, it...
Convertibles added fun and a touch of glamour to the most dowdy, workaday car ranges and so were popular additions to many model line-ups. As the 1950s progressed, car-makers moved on from just chopping the roofs off their saloons to making stand-alone open models. Many...
Over three generations, the Zagato family has forged a coach-building dynasty with a century-long history. A Zagato design is utterly unmistakable, characterized by extremes of shape, construction, and performance. Today the Milanese company’s work—especially with prestige marques such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, Aston Martin,...
Italy combined art and engineering to produce stylish cars that were fun to drive—and they came in all sizes and price ranges. Innovations such as V engines, overhead camshafts, disc brakes, independent suspension, and monocoque construction put Italian models way ahead of the humdrum machinery...
Many of the most iconic names in motoring came of age in the 1950s, producing cars that in some cases are still closely associated with their makers’ images today. In Europe, where the hardships of World War II were still a recent memory and many...
The 1950s were exciting times in the USA. Jets and space rockets fired the public imagination, and car manufacturers did their utmost to link their products with these new technologies in order to capitalize on the positive mood. The less-than-subtle placement of a fighter plane...
These bigger saloons were the sort of cars people aspired to, purchasing them as their children grew and their careers progressed. They were cars driven by managers rather than their staff. Rarely the most exciting models in their makers’ line-ups, they were often big enough...
As Swedish as Abba, despite being foreign-owned since 1999, Volvo has a reputation for safety. A century ago the original company made ball bearings and took its name from the Latin for “I roll”. Its first cars were not built until 1926, a series of...
“The fact is, I don’t drive just to get from A to B. I enjoy feeling the car’s reactions, becoming part of it.” ENZO FERRARI, LEGENDARY RACE AND ROAD CAR CONSTRUCTOR In the 1950s the car took centre stage in daily life. Ownership was still by no...