Pin-up cars of the 50s
These are the best looking cars of the 1950s hand picked by The Car Connoisseur!
I thought I'd get into period clothing to transport me back to the 50s! A friend helped me pick this out, check out her tribe below.
I recently found myself indulged in the strenuous activity of surfing........... the internet. While I was doing this, I chanced upon an article titled 'Pin-up stars from the year you were born' so naturally I was curious to see who were the best looking celebrities the year I was born. Well, I never did find that out because the list finished at 1988. Why am I telling you this you may ask?! Well, this little bit of misfortune gave me an idea for an article, rather a series of articles on the pin-up cars of various decades.
Why am I starting directly at the 1950s you may ask well its not because there were no pretty cars pre 1950, in fact there were many. The issue is that this series would last very very long if I did start from the very beginning which is a good place to start according to Fraulein Maria from The Sound of Music! However, I will not be following her advice here!
Right, on we go. So the 1950s, famous for many things such as the Cold War and the Rosa Parks movement. However on a lighter note, singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Doris Day all rose to prominence. There was also there was also the emergence of rock and roll pioneered by Elvis Presley along with some others like Chuck Berry!
Besides all of this, the 1950s also had some gorgeous cars so after doing extensive research I believe I have found 15 of the best! There is also a quiz at the end for you to pick your favourite car from the list!
Credit- Netcarshow.com
15- 1957 BMW 507
Wait a minute, if this beautiful BMW has only managed to place 15th then surely the competition must be really cut-throat and it is! I wasn't lying when I said that the 50s had some gorgeous cars. Only 252 of these Beemers were ever made because every car they sold caused them to lose money and so it has become such a rare collectible these days! A great way to kick off the list then!
Credit- ClassicCars.com
14- 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The 1950s were a great time for the American motoring industry particularly so expect to see a fair few of their cars here. What a way to start, this 57 Bel Air is not just one of the best looking cars of the 50s but also one of the best looking American cars of all time. It gets better, unlike the super rare BMW that featured in 15th place, the Bel Air was a more popular car in its hayday and chances are most of us would have seen one already! It truly is magnificent and it was also the car behind a very famous scene from the movie My Cousin Vinny!
Credit- gazmegfeg.hu
13- 1955 Hudson Hornet
For most of us who have watched Cars the movie this car will certainly strike a chord with you. This is because the character Doc Hudson was actually played by a Hudson Hornet (not sure whether that's supposed to be the other way around). This was a revolutionary car because the design of the tucked in rear wheels and step down design meant that the chassis and body were a single structure. Why is this important, well it meant that the car had a lower centre of gravity and so it handled better which meant it was a better racecar! The 5.0L twin H Straight six was the largest six cylinder engine in the world when it came out! So apart from being a great looker, the Hornet really was a very technologically advanced car! A fitting option for this list then.
Credit- Matthew D'souza
12- 1957 Fiat 500 Nuova
A very important car in Italy's history. It is the Fiat 500 Nuova and this one is actually from the 50s! The 500 was the people's car of post war Italy where steel was expensive that is why every car came with the canvas roof, not only was it lighter but it was also cheaper than steel! Nearly 4 million of these were made which makes it the most popular classic car on this list, assuming most of those survived?! While it was a very important car because it made transport affordable for the masses, it is also a very pretty classic car! Hence the 500 has managed a very respectable 12th place on this list beating out competition from the Morris Mini and the VW Beetle!
Credit- driven.co.nz
11- 1957 Jaguar XKSS
When Jaguar withdrew from racing in 1956, they still had several D type's lying around. So they decided that they could convert these racecars into road going versions and sell them. Only 25 of them were ever commissioned but a fire broke out at Jag's Coventry plant meaning that 9 of them were destroyed. So in 2016 Jag decided to build these 9 and complete the original order of 25. The particular one in the picture is the only one in New Zealand, it was sitting in the Jaguar showroom on Great South Road for a while and I used to pass by this showroom on my way to uni thinking I must go see that car someday. Unfortunately I never did do that, I must check whether it is still there. Anyway, the XKSS is one great looking Jag though I'm not such a big fan of the front end, hence it has received an 11th place on this list.
Credit- barrett-jackson.com
10- 1959 Chevrolet Impala
Throughout the 50s and the 60, Chevy actually made cars that Louis Chevrolet would have been proud of but one can't really say he would feel the same way about they cars they make today. Anyway, the Impala would have been one of those cars that brought a smile to his face. I'm not that big of a muscle car fan but I really do love this Impala. The tailfins, the V8 and the laidback attitude that this car has all make it such an attractive vehicle! Even better is the fact that the Impala was a popular car back in the day which means most of us have seen at least one! Also if you have watched Cars the movie, remember Ramone? The guy with the awesome flame job? Yup, he was played by an 59' Impala!
Credit- Flick.com
9- 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Pininfarina
Yup, you did indeed read that correctly. The reason that few have heard about this car is because only 200 were ever made over its two year span of production which makes it incredibly rare. Also owing to its price, I'm assuming most of these went into private collections so seeing them out in the open is a really rare sight. Yes Pinifarina really did build these Cadillacs and wow, just look at it! You would have noticed by now that I am certainly a fan of these long tailfins and this car really does deliver in that department! This car commanded a whopping $14,000 back in 59' which was the equivalent of a nice family home! This car also signaled the end of custom crafted Cadillacs. All I can say is just look at it! I don't think there are many cars that can beat this for discretion! I'm joking ofcourse, it is anything but discrete which is why I adore it.
Credit- Classicdriver.com
8- 1955 Porsche 550 Spider
Whenever someone brings up the Porsche 550 Spider, I always respond by saying- "Ah, the car that killed James Dean!" Well technically it didn't kill him but you get what I mean. The Porsche 550 has got to be one of the best looking cars that the Stuttgart manufacturer has ever made. Only 90 of these were ever produced which makes it one of the rarest cars on this list but to make up for that, many replicas replicas have been made. I have yet to see either a replica or the original but when I finally do see one, it'll be a moment I will cherish for a long time.
Credit- Autoblog.com
7- 1954 Mercedes 300SL
To me, the 300SL is the prettiest Merc ever made. The stunning silver paint coupled with that gorgeous red leather interior really makes for a beautiful sight. The craftsmanship on this car in incredibly impressive for a car of that era and the styling is striking even by todays standards. It is impossible to think that the idea for this car was suggested by the Mercdes Benz distributor for New York, he thought that a road going version of the racecar would be a commercial success in a booming post war America. Hats off to Max Hoffman who suggested this idea to Merc otherwise the world wouldn't have witnessed this masterpiece. For its beauty, the 300SL receives a highly respectable 7th place on this exclusive list!
Credit- RM Sotheby's.com
6- 1956 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France'
You may remember this car from my top 10 favourite classic Ferraris list that I wrote about 2 months ago. This car placed 3rd on that list while it places 6th on this one! Why is that you may be wondering, well this time the TdF is competing with gorgeous cars made by many other manufacturers through the 1950s. There's no denying that this car certainly is a thing of beauty and the fact that one sold a while back for $13.2 million means that wealthy car collectors of the world share the same sentiment. Only 7 of these were made in this Scaglietti body which makes it the rarest and most valuable car on this list!
Credit- s3.amazonaws.com
5- 1952 Jaguar XK120
The XK120 signaled the return of Jaguar to the sportscar market after more than a decade of absence. This car was powered by a highly advanced 3.4 Litre straight six engine which meant the XK120 developed a whopping 160bhp. Though this doesn't seem like much today, remember this is the 1952 we are referring to, the Moon Landing was over a decade away. The particular version shown in the picture is the drophead coupe with rear fender skirts to provide a more streamlined look. The 1950s really was a good era for Jaguar, they made several beautiful classics during that time!
Credit- influx.co.uk
4- 1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider
This list wouldn't be complete without an Alfa Romeo, luckily there are two on this list. The first being the 55' Giulietta Spider. The Giulietta was a name found on nearly 180,000 cars that Alfa sold between 1954 and 1965. While the other variants did look good as most Alfas do, the Spider version really was something else! This car must have made the bosses at Alfa rejoice because it was reminiscent of the gorgeous 8C and 6C made by Alfa in the 30s. While the car had a small 1.3L engine, it only weighed around 860kg which mean it had a good power to weight ratio and it also meant it was a fun car to drive! A fitting 4th place for the Giulietta Spider.
Credit- CorvSport.com
3- 1955 Corvette C1
The C1 concept car was first shown to the public at the 1953 GM Motorama in New York and the car hit production lines six months later. So little time and consideration was given to the planning stage that only 300 were sold in the first year of production. The car was underpowered, the transmission was faulty and the fibreglass composite body was leaky. However, all of this did not stop Chevrolet and by correcting some of these flaws they managed to shift more than 3,500 cars in 1954. Come 1955, a new V8 engine option was introduced along with a manual transmission. This sounded great on paper but it meant that Chevy only sold 700 of these cars that year. However by further tweaking the flaws and changing the looks they managed to sell close to 3,500 the following year and this figure even doubled in 67! While the first generation Corvette started off as a flawed roadster, this list is about the most beautiful cars of the 1950s and this Corvette C1 rightfully deserves a place on here.
Credit- Italianways.com
2- 1953-55 Alfa Romeo BAT
Although the BAT series of cars were concepts made by Alfa in partnership with Bertone, they were officially manufactured which makes them eligible for this list. The three cars were originally commissioned by Alfa to study the effects of drag on a vehicle so these cars were made to have as little drag as possible. While the BAT 5 and 7 were outlandish concept cars, the BAT 9 resembled the Alfa production cars of that decade and it also helped inspire future designs. Nowadays the trio of BATs spend their time making appearances at various car shows like Pebble Beach. In case you were wondering BAT means Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica.
Before we get to the best looking car of the 1950s, I'd like to thank you all for bearing with me through this long article. The 1950s really had some great cars as you have seen and that made narrowing the list down to 10 a really hard task so I chose to narrow it down to 15. So without further ado, the best looking car of the 1950s is....................................
Credit- TopSpeed.com
1- 1951 Porsche 356 Speedster
From the moment I thought of writing this list, I always knew that the Porsche 356 Speedster was going to be the winner. The challenge was to find 14 other gorgeous cars to compete with it. The Porsche 356 was the first car that the company made and I still think it is one of the best looking cars they have ever made, if not the best. The idea behind this car was that Ferry Porsche was fed up with heavy overpowered cars and he believed that a small car with a decently sized engine could offer a pleasurable driving experience. Porsche was an unproven name in the automobile world but the success of the 356 in the racing world slowly but surely made them the talk of the town. Automotive and racing enthusiasts had noticed the aerodynamics, superior build quality and crisp handling of the 356 and they were impressed. Eventually Porsche ended up selling around 75,000 cars bearing the 356 badge, it is estimated that around half of them still exist today.
There you have it, the Porsche 356 Speedster is the best looking car of the 1950s as picked by The Car Connoisseur. Let me know what you thought about my list in the comments below.
All pictures belong to their rightful owners and I have given all of them credit as they deserve.
Words by Matthew D'souza
Special thanks to the lovely Susanne Kainer for giving me fashion tips, check out her tribe Bizarre Solutions below-
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Comments (28)
Great article Matthew! It must have been difficult to only choose 15, you were right when you said the 50s had some gorgeous cars! 😍
Thanks for reading Aimee, I appreciate the comment🙂 Yes, it was incredibly hard to narrow it down to even 15 and I fear that the best of the 60s is going to be an even harder list to compile
Well if anybody can choose great cars it's you! I'll look forward to reading it when you're ready to publish 🙂
There are some pretty stunning cars in this list 😍 the Merc is one of the prettiest I ever had the honour of seeing in the "flesh"
(Also thank you for the plug, that was sweet as - I hope that was correct 🤓)
Thanks for reading Susanne! Wow, you are so lucky that you have seen the 300SL in the flesh🙄 Ha ha, no problem and I think the word that you are looking for is nice as😉😂
Okay, the Gullwing is there in, and ended on the best Porsche ever. That was a really good list, and I'm happy. You also put some American cars in there. Too often they seem to get excluded, despite the fact they reached magnificent heights in the '50s.
By the way, 1950s Matthew is very distinguished. I would definitely trust him with my accounting.
Yes, American cars can have class and good looks just like the European cars had! Thanks John, I appreciate it! I would happily take over accounting for ATW😂 Thanks for reading!
Accounting for ATW can be done with one hand, almost.
Great article Matt, I can honestly say the 50s was a great era for Cars. The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing has got to be one of the best looking cars of all time and the winner in my opinion but the Porsche 356 Speedster is a very close second!.
Thanks for reading Steven! Yup, there was not to much to separate those top 7 cars, but the 356 emerged superior for me. The 300SL is a fantastic looking car though.
Great article the Belair and the Gullwing Merc are the best looking in my opinion
Those are very good choices Seb, thanks for reading!