5 Classic Cars From The 50’s If there is one thing that classic car collectors can agree on, it’s that the 1950’s were a memorable decade in the car manufacturing industry.  There were new models being introduced all the time, and the post-war years were prosperous.  Sports cars took on a new importance, and luxury became the buzzword of the decade.  Many of the models introduced during the 1950’s are still in production today, though the technological upgrades and breakthroughs have made them all but unrecognizable from their original designs, first seen more than a half-century ago.  Most Popular Car Models There is hot debate over which car models are the most popular.  There were so many breakthroughs and design changes in the 1950’s that it’s difficult to get two collectors to agree over the most groundbreaking cars of the decade.  Some models, such as the Chevrolet Corvette, became classics almost immediately, when classic car collectors realized that the Corvette was a car that wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  Thankfully, many of the original 1950’s Corvettes have remained in top condition and are still around for the enjoyment of enthusiasts across the globe. Another of the most popular cars of the decade was the Ford Thunderbird.  It was heavy, fast, and stylish, and it was the car to have in post-war America.  Fewer of these original beauties survive in mint condition.  Ford and Chevrolet were well positioned during that decade to make lasting impressions on most any car collector.  Of course, a few models, including the offerings from Ford and Chevy, stand out above the rest. The Top 5 Models One of the iconic models of the 1950’s wasn’t an American model at all.  The Bentley R Type was one of the most popular of Bentley’s post-war automobiles.  Built by hand, the R Type used a new model of aluminum and iron straight-6 engine types.  What made the car so unique was the inclusion of two carburetors.  The dual-carburetor setup made the car fuel inefficient, certainly, but it also allowed the car to boast a 0-60 time of just over 13 seconds.  Because of the handmade nature of the car, there were very few built, and fewer than 2,500 came from Bentley.  There were a number of after-market coachbuilders who made modifications to the car to increase its luxury and amenities, but the base model still survives as one of the iconic post-war cars of the 50’s. No matter the preferences of the classic car collector, they all must admit one thing – that the Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most classic car models of the 1950’s.  While the first generation of Corvette offered limited production runs because they were all built by hand, the models that came after 1953 were much more widespread.  The 1953 is the most sought after of all Corvette models.  There are few surviving, because only 300 of the original units were produced.  The first two years, Corvettes were built with a 6-cylinder engine, but in 1955 all units were produced with the more powerful V-8.  The Corvettes built beginning in 1957 were offered with optional fuel injection, a definite rarity for cars of that time.  Collectors around the world argue with Ford-lovers constantly about which cars were the birth of the American muscle car, and for Chevrolet fans, it can only be the Corvette. Of course, Ford fans have their opinions, as well, and the 1950’s model Ford Thunderbird is their main weapon of choice in a debate.  The Thunderbird took to the streets in 1955, and it took the country by storm.  While the Thunderbird began its life as a two-door sports car, it was never advertised as such.  Ford’s advertising agency dubbed the new Thunderbird a “personal luxury car.”  Lewis Crusoe and Frank Hershey were chiefly responsible for the development of the new Ford Thunderbird, having been directed by then-CEO Henry Ford II to create such a vehicle.  The Thunderbird was built to challenge the Chevrolet Corvette, and sold a massive number of units.  More than 16,000 units were produced for 1955.  The 1950’s Thunderbird could use its massive V8 engine to reach speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour, despite weighing in excess of 4,000 pounds. Mercedes-Benz was the creator of another of the classics of the 1950’s.  The 300SL was one of the most groundbreaking of all car models of the 1950’s.  Introduced in 1954, the 300SL “Gullwing” was a two-seat sports car developed and built by Daimler-Benz.  The most distinctive feature of the 300SL of the 1950’s was its unique gull-wing doors.  The doors were hinged against the roof, and opened upward, instead of opening laterally.  What many people who aren’t classic car collectors don’t know is that the 300SL was also the first gasoline-powered car to offer direct fuel injection.  The gull-wing doors were hinged at the roof for a specific reason, and it had little to do with aesthetics.  The car sported an ultra-rigid tubular chassis, and part of the chassis occupied the space that would have been occupied by the lower half of a standard car door.  The 300SL was the first Mercedes that sold a large number of units outside the European market.  Of course, size and power aren’t everything, and British manufacturer British Motor Corporation proved that with the introduction in the 1950’s of the Mini.  The mini remains one of the smallest cars ever manufactured, and classic car collectors find it remarkably easy to obtain one, since they remain relatively common throughout European countries.  The front-wheel drive layout allowed a large portion of the car’s interior to be devoted to passenger space, as opposed to being taken up by the drive train.  The Mini was designed and built as a response to the mega-success of the Volkswagen Beetle, and the front wheel drive layout was one of the first of its kind.  The car has been marketed in nearly every country in the world, though its infiltration into the US en masse would have to wait until the introduction of the Mini Cooper by BMW nearly 50 years later.