Chuck
06-19-2006, 10:44 PM
This question shows my age (48).
When I was born, there were still a lot of high cars like the one the judge/former racer used in Cars. So high they had a runnerboard like today's SUVs - maybe these were the first CUVs. ;) It was not long before the 1960s came and cars became much lower.
I know most of you probably don't have a clue as I was barely alive and many of you were not around. Still I'm curious how low and (relatively) streamlined became cool in the 1960's. I know they were not talking about rollover hazards back in the 1950's....
Wazabi Owner
06-20-2006, 06:41 AM
1955 was pretty much the HUGE turning point in the automotive industry across the board. There were early examples here that were WAY ahead of their time but 55 was across the board. They weren't quite real low yet as 1959 the cars dropped down more.
As far as "how" they became cool I've asked my father such a question before and he just said, "It was the latest thing". From a lot of my studies (I'm a car guy) the European cars were that way first and we copied their styling with an American touch.
laurieaw
06-20-2006, 11:35 AM
This question shows my age (48).
When I was born, there were still a lot of high cars like the one the judge/former racer used in Cars. So high they had a runnerboard like today's SUVs - maybe these were the first CUVs. ;) It was not long before the 1960s came and cars became much lower.
I know most of you probably don't have a clue as I was barely alive and many of you were not around. Still I'm curious how low and (relatively) streamlined became cool in the 1960's. I know they were not talking about rollover hazards back in the 1950's....
as one who was driving in the 60s (now who's showing their age), i don't remember how they got that way, but they were streamlined and fast. looking back on how they were made, and how little we knew about safety, i am surprised not more of us were killed. i can remember they used to keep a running total of people killed in car accidents, as a reminder to drive safer. there were, in some cases, no seat belts yet, no cumple zones, everything was metal and when it hit something else metal, guess what gave way.....the people.
also, gas at the time was about 25 cents a gallon!
Hot Georgia
06-22-2006, 03:44 AM
Oh, the styles back then. This is probably my favorite concept car of the time, the 1956-Oldsmobile-Golden-Concept:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/1956-Oldsmobile-Golden-Concept.jpg
I had a 1959 Oldsmobile 98, it rode very low to the ground. The photo below is a '59 Olds 98.
Mine had an under dash chrome handle labeled "Elevator". When you came upon a tall obstruction like a manhole etc you pull on this knob and air shocks raise it a few inches.
http://www.1motormart.com/gallery/59olds01.jpg
Mine wasn't nearly as nice. It was aqua blue and a 4 door hardtop.
Mine rode a lot lower than this one. It is one of the largest cars I've ever seen- so long it had two drive shafts with a hanger bearing. The steel was like carved from an anvil. Curb weight was over 4,000lbs. I drove my '59 Olds from Minnesota to Savannah back in 1983. The 425CID engine with two speed automatic transmission got around 9 MPG. The incredible ride was like floating on a cloud.
Gas prices- I remember when I was very young and on a family vacation. Probably in the Dakota's - Wyoming region back in the mid 60's. My dad was really angry because the gas prices were up to 18 cents/gallon. He was sure if he drove a bit further it would come back down to 16 cents. I'm not sure if it did or not. We were driving the trusty Plymouth Belvedere and pulling a pop-up.
