In the latest edition of The Year in Cars, Mac’s Motor City Garage looks at a favorite year for many car enthusiasts: 1957.
Nineteen-fifty-seven is a signature year for the Motor City, starting with Chevrolet, which produced one of its most beloved cars in history. Ford’s Thunderbird was at full zenith in ’57, while Chrysler offered the 300C, Plymouth the Fury, and DeSoto the Adventurer. The Pontiac Bonneville, Rambler Rebel, and Studebaker Silver Hawk were also unveiled in 1957. It’s a noteworthy year for car enthusiasts.
Styling went lower, longer, and sleeker in ’57 as quad headlamps and 14-inch wheels made their first appearances. The quad lamps broadened the frontal aspect, while the 14-inch wheels lowered the stance. This is a gross generalization, but these were two key elements in the transformation from the tall, narrow, vertical designs of 1956 to the low, wide, horizontal designs of 1958. The ’57 model year negotiates the transition, connecting the previous era to the next.
What do you find memorable about the 1957 model year? Fuel injection? Retractable hardtops? Superchargers? There was a lot going on that year. Gallery below.
Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end. Abruptly, by 1962, they had !
Love the lead illustration. ’57 Packard never looked that good. The old automotive art was wonderful.