1950s Sports Cars

1950s Sports Cars Saw Europe Invade America With Triumph And Mercedes-Benz Batting With Home Grown Thunderbirds And Corvettes

Sports Cars are associated with glamour and money and the United States had plenty of that during the 1950s.

As the rest of the world slowly pulled themselves up by the boot straps following the Second World War, America was a beacon of hope, cash and a glamorous lifestyle, so was a breeding ground for a burgeoning spots car industry.

As the United States boomed, a middle class grew with more and more families able to afford a second car.

And if you have the cash to spend on a second motor car, why not make it a sports model?

It is also became good economics for motor manufacturers to add a sports model to their line, and the likes of Morgan and Aston, small beer compared to the huge car builders in the United States, saw a profitable market in sports cars.

Foreign motor manufacturers sought to capture the market for sports cars in the United States, as well as making inroads in their own countries which were also enjoying an economic recovery. Tempting the upwardly mobile motorist with their luxury range of 1950s sports cars were Porche, Ferrari and Jaguar.

The amount of cash people were prepared to spend on luxury 1950's sports cars was demonstrated towards the middle of the decade German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz launched the 300SL Gullwing coupé, priced at a then eye watering £7,000, a cost which dwarfed that of luxurious Cadillac limousine.

For those Americans unable or not prepared to stump up a king's ransom for their 1950s sports cars, there were also cheaper versions on the market.

And as with the dearer, luxury brands, companies from abroad were there to help feed the Americans desire for 1950s sports cars. British companies such as Austin- Healey, who exported the Austin-Healey 100, and Triumph with their TR2, both found a niche in the American market.

Sports car sales across the Atlantic were a great boost to British and European manufacturers, but the American companied themselves also played a role in their home market.

Ford launched the Thunderbird and General Motors matched the competition with the Corvette. Nash-Healey also produced a home grown sports car, popular with enthusiasts in the first half of the 1950s.

Despite the best efforts of American manufacturers to meet the home markets craving for 1950s sports cars, the recession of 1958 proved to be a setback. Rather than turn their back on the sports car, that recession saw the consumer plump for the more economic European models.

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