1950s Cars – Ford

by Michael RichComment — Updated September 14, 2023

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

1950s car1950 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

Cost: $1624.00 1950s auto

New Ford Hood Crest

Keep your classic car looking good with indoor and outdoor car covers for Ford


1951

1951 Ford Police Special1951 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 1950s cars

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

1950s autos1952 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

1950s automobiles1953 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)

50’s car
Ford V-8 powered race car

1954

50’s autos1954 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 T-Bird1955 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

Cost: $2944.00 (base)
50’s cars

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

50’s autos1956 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

1956 Ford Thunderbird

1950s American cars


1957

1950s classic cars1957 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

Cost: $2940.00 (base) 1950s vintage cars

1950s Fords


1958

1958 Ford T-Bird Convertible1958 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

1950s old cars
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)

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