In 1950s, Ford, like other American automakers, enjoyed the benefits of post-World War II economic prosperity. People had more money to spend on cars and other consumer goods. Ford cars in the 1950s were known for their distinctive styling, with iconic features like large chrome grilles, tailfins, and two-tone paint jobs.
The emphasis was on making cars look sleek and stylish. Ford introduced the Y-block V8 engine in the early 1950s, which was a significant development in engine technology at the time. This engine became popular in many Ford models.
1950
1950 Ford Crestliner
Ford unveils it’s new hood crest (shown below)
which is based on a 17th century coat of arms,
embedded in the grill spinner (shown on left) was an “8”
which symbolized it’s flat head V-8 engine
New Ford Hood Crest
Keep your classic car looking good with indoor and outdoor car covers for Ford
1951
1951 Ford DeLuxe Fordor
Popular with law enforcement, mostly because of it’s reliable V-8
Ford was a pioneer in marketing to the Government market
1951 Ford Crestliner Tudor
Even though Ford’s output tops one million units
it still isn’t enough to overtake Chevy
Cost: $1678.00 (base)
1952
1952 Ford Victoria Mainline
Ford came in three series: Mainline, Customline, Crestliner
this Mainline (shown) was an economy model automatic transmission was a $170. option
Cost: $1925.00 (base)
1953
1953 Crestline Victoria
Few body style changes were made this year,
instead customers received 41 “Worth More Features” these included:
push button door handles, self lifting rear deck lid, center fueling and 36 others
Cost: $1950.00 (base)
1954
1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner
The Crestline series was the most costly of the line
with the Sunliner being the highest with its rich appointments
this is the first year that Ford beats competitor Chevrolet
Cost: $2165.00 (base)
1955
1955 Ford Thunderbird
Finally, the show prototype that garnered so much attention, rolls off the production line,
touted as a high performance “personal” car
this drastic diversion to Detroit’s status quo only sold 16,000 units this year
1955 Ford Fairlane
While the T-Bird was grabbing all the attention the Fairlane
remained the best seller for Ford bringing it close to tied with Chevy
Cost: $1945.00 (base)
1956
1956 Ford Thunderbird
No body changes for the T-Bird but an outside spare tire was added
(formally called the Continental Kit) as well as a port hole in the hardtop
for improved visibility
1957
1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner
Fairlane gets a major overhaul with much of the styling
being borrowed from last years show car, the Mystere
the Skyliner (shown) had a retractable hardtop
1958
1958 Ford Thunderbird
T-Bird gets an entire makeover, it’s now a four seater
and no longer the domain of the sports car enthusiast,
it not only can carry the family but hold their luggage as well
Cost: $3930.00 (Convertible)
1959
1959 Ford Galaxie Club Sedan
The luxury Galaxie series is introduced at mid year
it was a big success accounting for over a quarter of total production
Cost: $2530.00 (base)