The 1950s was an excellent era for motor cars, with some of the best in the world introduced during this decade. However, many cars built during that time would likely never pass any of today’s safety tests, given how far safety has come.
That should not detract from how good some cars of the 1950s were.
Ford F100
The Ford F100 might not be immediately familiar. However, the name of the Ford pickup truck would kickstart the F-150 family of vehicles and, of course, lead to the larger, heavier trucks in the form of the F-250 and F-350. The F100 was the first model that saw Ford switch from the previous F1 nameplate to a triple-number system.
The F100 also marked a significant departure from the previous Ford pickup trucks. It set the Blue Oval on the path it is on now, producing some of the best trucks in the world. The F100 was Ford’s first pickup with an adjustable three-person bench seat, optional automatic transmission, and power brakes.
Chevrolet Corvette C1
Despite the Corvette’s success since the 1950s, it is easy to forget that the first-ever Chevy Corvette nearly killed the whole project. Chevrolet rushed the C1 into production, failing to deliver on the performance promised largely thanks to its 150 hp Stovebolt straight-six under the hood rather than a big V8 engine.
This led to poor sales, and Chevrolet discussed whether to cancel the entire project. Adding a small-block V8 saved the Corvette, and now the C1 Corvette is seen as one of the all-time classics of the 1950s and is highly sought after when it comes up for sale.
Fiat 8V Supersonic
The impressive Fiat 8V Supersonic is one of the cars the Italian manufacturer has forgotten. Fiat first introduced its V8 sports car in 1952, surprising many consumers. The engine was initially intended for a luxury saloon that never finished production.
This 2.0-liter V8, installed at 70 degrees, was good for 104 hp, but Fiat would later improve the camshaft timing, bringing power up even higher to 125 hp. From 1952 to 1954, Fiat produced 114 examples of the little sports car with some of the most iconic styling of any 1950s vehicle. With so few made, they are rare and can go for big money at auctions.
Citroen DS
While it is undoubtedly excellent, the Citroen DS is a car that wouldn’t pass modern safety standards! The DS still looks modern even in 2024, and the literal French pronunciation of its name translates to “Goddess.” Citroen developed the DS for two years as it looked to replace the Traction Avant, making its debut at the 1955 Paris Motor Show.
Within the first 15 minutes of the show, nearly 800 orders were placed, and during the ten days of the show, Citroen received 80,000 orders in total. The DS was a genuinely pioneering car, becoming the first in the world to feature all-around disc brakes and power steering. Plus, it used the incredible Citroen hydropneumatic suspension that made its cars comfortable.
1954 Buick
Sadly, not every car from the 1950s could be considered significant. While many of Buick’s offerings were some of the best-looking on the market, its 1954 offering was far from its other models. The front end, in particular, of the 1954 Buicks was slightly strange, with all four models, the Special, Century, Skylark, Super, and Roadmaster, looking rather unhappy at their existence.
They all featured drooping headlight bezels and grilles that gave them an unhappy look. The best way to describe Buick’s 1954 offerings is that they were all incredibly depressed about something. Thankfully, Buick sorted this out for the 1955 models, and they had the face to match the rest of the body.
1955 Porsche 550 Spyder
Porsche is most famous for producing the iconic 911, and rightly so. But another true Porsche classic is the beautiful 550 Spyder, the German manufacturer’s first purpose-built production car, which set them on the path of the 911. Originally conceived as a race car, the 550 Spyder became a popular sports car in its own right.
Under the hood is a 1.5-liter Fuhrmann four-cam flat-four-cylinder engine, which is air-cooled and produces 110 hp. The 550 Spyder won the first-ever race it participated in, the 1953 Nürburgring Eifel Race, and it showcased that more significant displacement and more powerful engines did not equal success. The 550 Spyder would win 95 overall races and take 75 class wins during its career.
1955 BMW Isetta
The BMW Isetta is not an ugly car, nor is it a particularly terrible one. Its three-wheel concept, with one wheel at the back and two at the front, actually works well. Plus, it’s small enough to work through towns and cities efficiently, and it’s one of the most recognizable cars of the decade.
The Isetta came during a craze for bubble cars, and the BMW also had surprisingly good fuel economy, becoming the world’s first mass-production car to achieve 94 MPG. The Isetta can trace its roots back to the Italian Iso, which had a similar design except for a different headlight and window arrangement that made it easy to tell the Iso and BMW apart.
1955 Messerschmitt KR200
After World War II, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt was banned from producing aircraft again, so it had to turn to other products to survive. Instead, Messerschmitt turned to cars, including the KR200 bubble car, similar to the BMW Isetta. It was a quirky-looking car that proved incredibly successful, as Messerschmitt sold nearly 50,000.
It was perfect for Germans looking to get out and about cheaply while the country rebuilt itself. While it wasn’t swift and could be noisy, it did an excellent job as a stopgap before Germany’s automotive industry regained its feet. Bubble cars like the Isetta and Messerschmitt have now gained their cult following.
BMC Mini
The original Mini is arguably the car that popularized the whole concept of small, city cars. It’s easily the most well-known segment, starting with the BMC Mini-Minor in 1959. The car would also sell as the Austin Seven, and it was the first car with a transversely mounted engine under the hood driving the front wheels.
The iconic Mini was the brainchild of Sir Alex Issigonis, who wanted to maximize the space available to drivers and passengers in as small a footprint as possible. Over the years, the Mini has evolved into multiple versions, and of course, the name is still in use, albeit as a division of BMW and as a car much larger than the 1950s classic.
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
Zagato is famous for its incredible coach-built bodies that elevate already eye-catching designs. These bodies would slot neatly onto the chassis of already built cars, and one of those was the Aston Martin DB4 that Zagato would turn into the DB4 GT Zagato.
This limited-production car was lighter and shorter than the regular DB4. Most were sold to gentleman racers who drove them daily, Monday through Friday. They would then take them to a racetrack over the weekend before moving their cars back home. Each had a 3.7-liver double-overhead-cam straight-six engine under the hood producing 310 hp. In total, Zagato produced just 19 of its incredible DB4 GTs. 2024, they are preci, ous, with one selling for $9,520,000 in 2021.
1956 Tatra 603
Back to another unusual classic from the 1950s, the Tatra 603 is one of the most bizarre-looking cars of the decade. Its streamlined shape and triple headlights certainly make it stand out. A two-tone paint job also made it pop, and at the rear, it had some oversized air scoops that looked out of place.
Sleek, yes, but pretty no. Despite this, the Czechs refined and reworked the Tatra 603 right into the 1960s, making it more outlandish each time. Future Tatras were less “out there” than the 603, but this mad-looking gadget has its own unique following in the Czech Republic, and its quirkiness makes it so lovable.
1957 Jaguar XKSS
An open-top racer is perhaps not the safest car in 2024. But in 1957, Jaguar’s exceptional XKSS was one of the planet’s best race and sports cars. Jaguar started creating the XKSS as a D-Type racer before it became a fully blown road-going sports car, with surplus D-Types, which were converted after Jaguar tested the XKSS with a prototype.
Jaguar would go on to sell 25 examples of the XKSS to the public, one of which went to Steve McQueen. Each XKSS had a 3.4-liter twin-cam straight-six XK6 engine under the hood, producing 200 hp. Tragically, a fire broke out in Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory in 1957. This destroyed multiple examples of the XKSS and reduced the total in existence to just 16.
1956 Aston Martin DBR1
Another legendary car from the 1950s that wouldn’t pass modern safety tests is the gorgeous DBR1. This car was pivotal to the life of the late great Carroll Shelby as it gave the American his first and only win at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959. Following this, Shelby set up his own company and went on to help Ford produce the stunning GT40.
Aston Martin would produce five DBR1s, each on a tubular frame chassis, and the DBR1 was 50 lbs lighter than its predecessor, the DB3S. The 1959 win at Le Mans was the first and only outright Le Mans win for Aston Martin. Under the hood, the DBR1 had a 2.5-liter or 3.0-liter straight-six-cylinder engine producing 250 hp.
