1950s Popular Cars

1950s popular cars included The Thunderbord, Chevy and Mini among many other classic cars that defined 1950s automobiles as the most iconic cars ever built.

As the economy of the 1950s kicked into life following the disruption of the war torn 1940s, more and people were able to afford to own their own car.

That fact was aptly demonstrated in the car capital of the world, the USA, where by the of the 1950's, helped by plenty of work and cheap credit, four out of five families owned their own motor car.

Such was the increase in car ownership that the United States Congress granted $25 billion dollars for the building of over 40,000 miles of interstate highway in 1956.

So what makes were the 1950s most popular cars? There is no doubt that American motor car brands were the most popular among the driving public during the 1950s. Research appears to suggest that the most popular car of the decade was the Chevrolet Corvette first produced in 1957.

Another popular car during the decade was the Ford Thunderbird, produced in the same year as the Corvette. Both Chevrolet and Ford were the top sellers of motor cars in the United States throughout the 1950s.

Other cars to catch the public's imagination were the Nash Metropolitan, an imported vehicle, small, but with the look of a sports model. Buick also produced a range of popular models, including the Buick Lesabre in 1958 and the Electra which was named the best looking car of 1959. The Lesabre had many “extras”, such as safety glass, electric wipers, power steering and ventilation which we all take for granted today.

The upsurge in car ownership not only occurred in the United States. By 1955 the number of cars registered in the United Kingdom shot up to three million. Car ownership actually doubled in the UK during the 1950s.

At the end of the decade the legendary Mini, which was designed by Alec Issigonis, was launched and became the country's best selling car ever. The Mini was on sale for £496. However, that figure is not so modest as may first appear as it was the annual salary for many British people at the time.

1959 also provided more joy for Britain's burgeoning number of car drivers as the first stretch of the M1 was opened. It stretched between the capital London and up through the West Midlands to Birmingham.

There was no speed limit on Britain's first motorway at the time, and the congestion of today was almost unknown during the 1950s.

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