Trim From The 50s Essay

Top 5 Classic Car Accessories and Trim from the 50s

Review the Top 5 Classic Car Trim and Accessories of the Mid-50s

Many consider the 1950s the Golden age of the American automobile. Flamboyant styling showcasing the imagination of car designers turned into increased sales at the dealership. For me it was more than the tail fins and heavy chrome bullet bumpers found on [the Tri-Five Chevrolet Bel Air].

The attention to detail and the thoughtfulness behind it made the launch of a new model year an exciting event. In the 1950s buying a car was a family affair that included aunts, uncles, cousins and sometimes neighbors.

Heading to the dealer was like going to a car show. This is because manufacturers began to realize the value of investing

In the early days the hood ornament often doubled as the radiator cap. Throughout the years companies used the highly visible decorative device to distinguish their automobiles from other products. Jaguars leaping cat ornament is a good example of marketing through bonnet mounted metal statues. In the late 1940s Ford started upping their game in this department.

One of their early examples is [the classic postwar Mercury Eight Sedan]. As the division moved into the 1950s they used both a solid fixed ornament and a redesigned three-dimensional emblem. The emblem featured the head of the Greek God of commerce and speed mounted in the valley of a giant M. The solid mounted ornament represented the jet age and the exploration of space. Combining these two elements on one hood seemed overkill to some, but beautiful to others.

People often wonder why car companies stopped installing large solid hood ornaments. We can thank our government for changing the regulations in 1968. Officials believed that these decorative devices proposed a risk to pedestrians. The regulations were relaxed a few years later, but manufacturers were required to spring mount any hood ornamentation to reduce the risk of injury.

Chrysler Gunsight Taillight