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I love the sight of chrome in the afternoon...
This fine 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air Four Door Sedan even has some gold-coloured trim to compliment the chrome. Very nice.
A Crossfolf Camera Presentation.
This fine 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air Four Door Sedan even has some gold-coloured trim to compliment the chrome. Very nice.
A Crossfolf Camera Presentation.
Category Photography / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 960 x 1280px
File Size 259.3 kB
Late reply, I know, but thanks; I'm glad you like this one.
Gold trim was a bit of a thing among American cars in the mid-late 1950s. The Cadillac Eldorado probably started the trend, and other carmakers picked up on it to distinguish their "special edition" models like the Plymouth Fury, the DeSoto Adventurer or the Studebaker Golden Hawk.
Old American cars not only have style, they have very cool names.
Gold trim was a bit of a thing among American cars in the mid-late 1950s. The Cadillac Eldorado probably started the trend, and other carmakers picked up on it to distinguish their "special edition" models like the Plymouth Fury, the DeSoto Adventurer or the Studebaker Golden Hawk.
Old American cars not only have style, they have very cool names.
I love the '57 Chevrolet; it's an American icon.
That said...on a purely aesthetic level, I've always preferred the 1957 Plymouth over that year's Ford and Chevrolet. I like them all, but to my eye, the Plymouth is the prettiest, and in 1957, it would have looked very sleek and modern by comparison.
It's a real pity that the Chrysler Company rushed the redesigned 1957s into production before the engineers had the time to properly sort them out. The quality problems that resulted destroyed Chrysler's reputation, and they've never really fully recovered it.
That we see more '57 Chevys than '57 Plymouths these days tells the whole story. Which one has become an American icon? ;)
That said...on a purely aesthetic level, I've always preferred the 1957 Plymouth over that year's Ford and Chevrolet. I like them all, but to my eye, the Plymouth is the prettiest, and in 1957, it would have looked very sleek and modern by comparison.
It's a real pity that the Chrysler Company rushed the redesigned 1957s into production before the engineers had the time to properly sort them out. The quality problems that resulted destroyed Chrysler's reputation, and they've never really fully recovered it.
That we see more '57 Chevys than '57 Plymouths these days tells the whole story. Which one has become an American icon? ;)
Ford offered some decent competition at the time but they were struggling to catch up to GM in general and Chevrolet in particular. They just didn't have the market penetration afforded to the Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac and Chevrolet lines. The Thunderbird was a good counter to the Corvette, but I feel that stretching it to a four-seat family car injured its appeal, although sales of the '58s were brisk. Ford didn't have a real Chevy killer until they debuted the 1964½ Mustang.
I certainly agree that Ford caught GM off guard with the Mustang, and it took a few years for GM to reply with the Chevy Camaro.
I also agree that the original Thunderbird was a good counter to the Corvette, but even then, I think that the Thunderbird was a bit more of a stylish cruiser than the all-out sports car that the original Corvette aspired to.
In fact, I think that Ford's decision to expand the Thunderbird to a four-seat car helped pioneer the so-called "personal luxury" car. It appealed to those who wanted luxury and style, but who didn't want a big Cadillac or Lincoln.
I think it's fair to suggest that the '58 Thunderbird also caught GM by surprise; it wouldn't be until 1963 that GM had a successful answer to the current Thunderbird when Buick introduced the Riviera; a stylish, well-appointed four-seat car on a smaller platform than GM's other premium cars.
Car-themed discussion...great fun! :)
I also agree that the original Thunderbird was a good counter to the Corvette, but even then, I think that the Thunderbird was a bit more of a stylish cruiser than the all-out sports car that the original Corvette aspired to.
In fact, I think that Ford's decision to expand the Thunderbird to a four-seat car helped pioneer the so-called "personal luxury" car. It appealed to those who wanted luxury and style, but who didn't want a big Cadillac or Lincoln.
I think it's fair to suggest that the '58 Thunderbird also caught GM by surprise; it wouldn't be until 1963 that GM had a successful answer to the current Thunderbird when Buick introduced the Riviera; a stylish, well-appointed four-seat car on a smaller platform than GM's other premium cars.
Car-themed discussion...great fun! :)
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