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The Class of '58
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OldiesNut
Posted 2013-07-15 8:19 PM (#385992)
Subject: The Class of '58



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A swell article from "Hemmings Classic Car," of which I am a subscriber.

http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2012/02/01/hmn_feature2.html

Hey Doc, is this what '58 G.M. cars look like to you? You sure rag on 'em enough!




(1069202_508930089178338_947752971_n.jpg)



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Attachments 1069202_508930089178338_947752971_n.jpg (133KB - 90 downloads)
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d500neil
Posted 2013-07-15 8:33 PM (#385993 - in reply to #385992)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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I like the size of the occupants.


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christine-lover
Posted 2013-07-15 8:44 PM (#385998 - in reply to #385992)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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Are they taking orders for these cars?
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OldiesNut
Posted 2013-07-15 9:15 PM (#386007 - in reply to #385993)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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d500neil - 2013-07-15 7:33 PM

I like the size of the occupants.




How else was the in-house artist for the Bulgemobile account supposed to portray the cars' "mile-wide bench" seats? Forced perspective, that's how!
Perhaps that's what led to the demise of Bulgemobile a year or so later: The ad art was so embellished, the cars themselves were disappointingly small in person.

Dig the chain gang watching with appropriate awe at the passing of such a grand example of tasteful, refined styling!
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2013-07-15 9:22 PM (#386008 - in reply to #385998)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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That is a nifty article - thanks for sharing that one.  At least one note resonated for me:

"When it was happening, 1958 was a strange year, out of step with the rest of the decade's ebullient, forward-thinking, jet-age spirit. Yet now, decades on, the cars of this turbulent year hold their own appeal, which continues to get stronger with each passing year. Smaller production numbers mean fewer survivors, ensuring that whatever 1958 model you covet or own, it'll likely be more rare than a comparable 1957 or '59 model."

I have always preferred the 1958 Chrysler Corporation line-up - and this may be why.

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Myke
Posted 2013-07-15 11:10 PM (#386021 - in reply to #385993)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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d500neil - 2013-07-15 8:33 PM

I like the size of the occupants.




"Honey The Car Shrunk Us" Coming To Theaters In January
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2013-07-15 11:21 PM (#386023 - in reply to #386008)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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The writers clearly had GM in mind when they dreamed this up. Mopar took 1958 off to
only tweak a few details before unleashing their response to the bloated 58 GM cars with
a more jaunty or disjointed trim theme. Still, not big, over-bloated cars like the 58 GM
monsters.
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d500neil
Posted 2013-07-16 5:27 PM (#386123 - in reply to #385992)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!

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The ad-writer forgot about the Bulgemobile's top line model; The RoadMonster.

For slightly less money, you could invest in the Oldsmobuick line of fine automobiles.



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Powerflite
Posted 2013-07-18 2:33 PM (#386397 - in reply to #386023)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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I agree that Mopar retained their sense of good taste during this time, but in addition to GM, Ford swung the ugly stick pretty hard with the new Edsel and the absolutely hideous '58 Lincoln.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2013-07-18 3:50 PM (#386412 - in reply to #386397)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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Make no mistake about it, Mopar took queue and got with the excessive program for 59. While
not huge or bloated, they ditched a minimalist theme for one of more cartoonish and over-adorned
details. Remember: "Good taste is never extreme" - 59 Plymouth ad.

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Boris56
Posted 2013-07-18 5:32 PM (#386437 - in reply to #385992)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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I think that '58 might be the most interesting year of postwar automotive styling. Actually I like the 1958 Lincoln in a perverse sort of way.

1959 was pretty extreme for all the American manufacturers as well, but some designs actually worked, like the delta-wing Buick.
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jimntempe
Posted 2013-07-18 7:58 PM (#386466 - in reply to #386397)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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Powerflite - 2013-07-18 11:33 AM I agree that Mopar retained their sense of good taste during this time, but in addition to GM, Ford swung the ugly stick pretty hard with the new Edsel and the absolutely hideous '58 Lincoln.

 

The 58 Lincoln wasn't quite right, I'll agree with that. But by 1960 they had dialed it in perfectly and it had turned into a beautiful car.  Yes, it's huge and over the top, that's part of it's appeal, but it's done so beautifully within the paradigm.  It's one of the cars that would have a special place in my Dream Garage if I win the Lottery.





(lincoln premier 60.jpg)



(1960-Lincoln-Continental-Mark-V.jpg)



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Attachments lincoln premier 60.jpg (191KB - 96 downloads)
Attachments 1960-Lincoln-Continental-Mark-V.jpg (103KB - 1617 downloads)
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2013-07-18 8:01 PM (#386467 - in reply to #386437)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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I have tried to explain styling to my wife in terms of "periods", my personal preference for the
more "playful" 55-56 era cars, or the more "refined" styling on the 57-58's (I am talking Mopar
here) and how it extends to architecture and furniture and ad copy and everything. This would
be as opposed to later styling that tended to be more "aggressive" or jaunty in its basis.

Last night we were looking at an ad for Hardie Panel boards from 1955. Brightly colored panel
board in all those crazy pastels our cars were offered in. The ad showed a "dowdy, old" garage
with a gable-end type construction in one image and a tilt-roof remodel with clerestory windows
over these Hardie panels in a random mix of bright colors. Made with real asbestos too !

This kind of thing extended all the way down to alarm clocks and toasters, and while a 1963-
vintage radio might be cool in it's Mid-Century styling, it is not the same as the high-styled radio
made in 1956.

I was addressing this, as this girl has gotten "the bug" and I came home to find all sorts of household
doo-dads around the place that are a jumbled mix of everything. She sees it all as one-dimensional.

Years ago I was into Buicks. I had some dandies. If it was a 58 thru 60, I was all over it. That was
before I stumbled into ownership of a 57 NY'er coupe and lost my mind. But it sets my tone of
outlook for big, overly bloated cars (were they ever more bloated and overdone than a 58 Buick ?)
as something cool, to comparisons about the angry-faced 59's and how the overall "mood" of Detroit
styling changed overnight. In 1956 it was imagery like stubby-fat rockets blasting off that set the
tone. In 1958 that wasn't "good enough" and the rockets became leaner, longer, and more menacing.
By 1960, rockets weren't cutting it anymore, and it was about satellites and killer laser beams. The
cars and everything else reflected this.

I find this "playful" first half of the fin era to be the most fun. It was so super corny. I hated it at the
time. Are these people serious ? I thought. Do they really think we're so stupid ? But with all that followed,
it came to shine as the great zenith of post-war American "good times", and what then seemed nauseatingly
corny slowly lured me back for it's quaint simplicity and "honest" dishonesty. Like the asbestos siding,
or the playful musings of moon colonies. The future was so bright and social strife and political scandal
seemed as far away as the distant stars we were aiming for. As the years went by, things got more and
more serious, until (at least for me) it wasn't "fun" any more.

Looking back, it all seems better than what we have today. But in its day, it wasn't all the same and there
were distinctions in mood and design from one period to the next.

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Powerflite
Posted 2023-01-07 12:41 AM (#626779 - in reply to #386397)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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This is a great video on the subject of '58 GM cars. It really shows that the '59-'61 GM designs from Chevy to Cadillac would never have happened without the influence of the '57 Mopar cars. I suspect that the same could be said of the '60 Ford design. Take a look at the hideous original '58 GM designs they were going to produce! They would have been pulverized by Chrysler with those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT3i3q1pCQo




(59GM Designs.jpg)



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mstrug
Posted 2023-01-07 12:52 PM (#626786 - in reply to #385992)
Subject: Re: The Class of '58



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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT3i3q1pCQo
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