Five American Automotive Failures of the 1950s
During Detroit’s heyday, some cars couldn’t finish the race
America was car crazy in the 1950s. That’s when NASCAR started, hot rods and drag racing went mainstream, and cruisin’ the streets was the preferred teen weekend activity.
American roads started to crisscross the country in 1955 thanks to the Interstate Highway System. With those roads came the birth of roadside conveniences, such as Holiday Inn motor inns and Howard Johnson restaurants, drive-in and drive-thru fast food restaurants, drive-in movie theatres, shopping malls and car washes. Thanks to the automobile, one third of the country’s population lived in the suburbs by the end of the 1950s.
The U.S. auto industry, centered in Detroit, Michigan, was then the largest in the world, supporting one in six American jobs. More than eight million cars were manufactured in 1950 alone, and more than sixty-seven million automobiles were registered in the U.S. by 1958. The “Big Three” — Chrysler, Ford and General Motors — dominated the marketplace, producing a dazzling array of car models, each a distinctive brand. But sometimes, American automakers came up with a dud — such as these five failures of the ’50s.
