1950s cars were some of the most classic, powerful and unsafe cars ever driven. The modern designs and acceleration abilities were getting more and more amazing every year. The auto industry was starting to experiment with a new concept called a “sports car.” By the end of the 1950s, Americans fell in love with the sports car. After all, the 1950s gave birth to the Corvette.
In 1960, car buyers were demanding smaller vehicles. Compact cars were marketed heavily by every automobile manufacturer, in stark contrast to the 1950s. New models included the Ford Falcon, the Chevrolet Corvair and the Plymouth Valiant. Soon after, Lincoln-Mercury released the Comet and Dodge introduced the Dart.
Midway through 1960, General Motors announced that it would offer three smaller cars, the Buick Special, the Oldsmobile F-85 and the Pontiac Tempest. This focus on smaller cars domestically caused a sharp drop in import sales.
Here is a set of amazing vintage photos captured cars during the winter of the 1950s and 1960s.
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| 1950s and 1960s cars in Portland, Maine |
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| 1939 Mercury at The Christmas Tree Lodge on the Mount Rose Highway south of Reno, Nevada, 1950 |
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| 1941 Buick Special Sedanet |
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| 1950s and 1960s cars in snow |
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| 1950s cars in Georgetown |
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| 1950s Chevy, Ford and Plymouth cars |
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| 1950s Montreal |
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| 1950s used cars at Manny's Motor Mart |
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| 1953 Cars at Sunoco Gas Station, Columbus, Ohio, 1953 |
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| 1953 Mercury Monterey |
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| 1955 Mercury Monterey Sedan |
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| 1955 Opel Kapitän |
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| 1955 Studebaker Champion |
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| 1955-1958 Opel Kapitän |
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| 1956 Chevrolet 150 |
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| 1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord |
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| 1958 Cadillac Coupe Deville |
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| 1959 Buick Lesabre |
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| 1960 Rambler Custom |
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| 1960s trailer |
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| Buick Wildcat coupe in Minnesota, April 1965 |
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| Buick, registered to California during the early 1950s |
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| Early 1950s cars in city wintertime scene |
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| Early 1950s Chevrolets on a car dealers lot |
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| Early 1960s street scene with 1950s and 1960s cars |
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| Late 1940s Cadillac |
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| Mid 1950s Cadillac hardtop |
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| Mid 1950s winter ski trip with 1940s and 1950s cars |
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| Sedan and truck during winter, circa 1950s |
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| Vermont winter, 1956 |