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This figure was to be exceeded only once during the decade, in 1955, when almost eight million were sold. Sales of new cars in 1950 were over 1½-million units up on the previous year and totalled 6,665,863. Chevrolet, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Pontiac, introduced additional body styles, particularly hardtops, and automatic transmission became available on more models. Apart from the Crossley, it was America's first post-war compact car and unique in that it was initially offered as a convertible sedan, i.e. Nash pioneered another new car type in 1950, the compact Rambler, on a 100-inch (254 cm) wheelbase. The car met with success and was to become the prototype for the Austin A powered Metropolitan of 1954, sharing a fender-less envelope body and one-piece curved wind shield with its larger relations from Kenosha. It was Nash Motors' NXI (for Nash Experimental International). During January, 1950, a little two-seater toured the country to test public reaction to an interesting design. The Ford styling section also created a line of future-orientated 'one-off special bodies, while Chrysler left the realization of their dream-car schemes to Ghia, in Turin. Trend-setting dream cars such as Chevrolet's Corvette made their appearances in these wandering car shows combined with staged song dance numbers, testing public opinion throughout the United States. 'Motoramas', Bill Mitchell having taken over the helm of G.M. Buick and Cadillac, as well as Oldsmobile for its 98 Series, had entirely new Fisher bodywork.īut Detroit styling departments were about to come into their own in the coming years.
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There was as a consequence little or no reason for extensive changes, especially as the American public continued trading their pre-war cars in for new ones. This was hardly surprising since for the 1949 model year they had introduced their first real post-war designs. With the main exceptions of Buick and Cadillac most United States auto makers continued production of their 1949 models, albeit with distinguishable detail changes. Since technical development concerned itself more with comfort and straight-line acceleration from traffic lights-and also with a good acceleration potential when feeding onto a divided highway-a large portion of time and budgeted money could be spent on styling. At moderate speeds the American cars of the Fifties were predestined for day-long journeys on smooth roads.
1950 BUICK ROADMASTER WOODY WAGON DRIVER
Electric power windows moved silently up and down at the touch of a button, six-way power seats could be adjusted for height, rake and reach automatically, and the inside temperature was cool during the hottest, most humid weather conditions if an air-conditioning unit was fitted.īig, new V8 engines with an excess of power and torque made it all possible, and power steering and braking further reduced physical effort, encapsulating driver and occupants in a silent, smoothly curved envelope body. If the buyer could afford it, all effort other than directing and stopping the car could be handled automatically. The 'Fifties witnessed a further revolution: that of interior design. They had, however, to be extremely comfortable. Seats didn't need to provide lateral support for fast cornering speeds since no one ever thought of cornering rapidly. Interior comfort came to be of prime importance.ĭue to general speed limits, active driving was never a major requirement, and underneath the then new sheet metal was a suspension system of the Nineteen-Thirties, with live-axle leaf-spring rear suspension, soft springing and damping. Vacation trips became longer in actual distances covered and that meant more time spent in the family car. New highway systems were conceived and constructed, bringing main cities and all states nearer to one another - and Americans, thanks to the freedom the automobile provided, began to discover their own country. America, as never before, moved out on the open road. The 'Fifties were to bring even more drastic changes.