Shared Pan At G.M. 1959

@charles-rockett, 

Me likes! 

I've always admired the different and uniquely styled General Motors 1959 line-up.  And those "Flat-Tops", WOW!  Like driving in a Green House, there were absolutely no blind spots, which was one of the advertised features.  And be honest, most of todays cars have blind spots galore.  A driver can lose an entire semi-truck hidden behind a roof pillar of the modern day look-a-likes.  But not in those GM '59's!

And with the exception of the roof-lines, each brand did have its own distinct look.  The Chevy had those flat Bat-Wings, the Pontiac actually appears to have a fin on a fin, and Oldsmobile seems to spout Rocket Ship protrusions, while Buick gives us canted and sharp look.  Finally, Cadillac just out did all of them with sky-high fins.  

And what about the incredible interiors?  Colorful and dazzling, inviting and spacious.  Yup, the '59's were cars for the ages!  

@georgeschire I could not agree with you more about today's blind spots; not to mention the high bonnet lines and overbearing dashboards.  And from outside, there is barely a windshield that is not raked so as to completely conceal the driver behind reflection: there is no eye contact. Just like today's utopian bubbles we're all in.

Good points, gents. But, unless you're driving an ultra-low, mid-engine exotic. There should be no blind spots when your mirrors are adjusted properly. 

@jkuvakas Thank-you John for sharing this video. Fascinating and not what one might have thought.

@jkuvakas Even my Outback's mirrors flash a yellow warning light if a vehicle is in my blindspot. And with a backup camera I don't have to twist my aged neck around when backing up.

@charles-rockett, I was shown this several years ago and it changed the way I drive. Our Golf Sportwagen has an incredibly large blind spot when the mirrors are set to the typical position, showing a portion of the rear quarter car in each. Properly set, you don't see any of your car at all. That takes a little getting used to. But when you can see a vehicle move from your rearview mirror to the side view mirror than to your side window, you feel safer. 

Like Harvey, I enjoy some of the new technology that doesn't require craning your neck to look behind while you're moving forward. As it turns out, we've had that technology all along. 

@georgeschire  I like all the GM '59 models except the Cadillac.  I noticed the color separation on the 59 Buick convertible shown here.  It's kind of cool but I don't recall ever seeing it before.

@jack-dodds I agree with you on the split two-toning of the Buick: I've never seen it before which is why I included it here; for its interest's sake.  Maybe it's a promotional shot, so possibly this is a special paint edition solely for the purpose of advertising.  Or maybe - as I believe - it's a design studio proposal and this is a presentation shot? I think for advertising, the shot is not as slick as it might otherwise be.

Of course, having written the above, I immediately find other examples...........

@jkuvakas,

I appreciate your video and it is indeed good to see how to better position our side mirrors.  

However, the major "blind spot" I find with new cars today is the post between the front doors and the windshield.  When at a intersection or stop sign, and looking to your right, a car or truck can literally be "in that post spot", thus not seeing it and could and has caused accidents when a driver pulls out.  

This is what I personally was referring to when I mention blind spots.  On the 1950's cars with their "curved windshields" and no "big post" where the "wing windows" used to be, seeing an oncoming car at an intersection was very easy.  

The video you shared doesn't reference that "blind spot" on today's cars, and in my opinion, it's quite possibly more dangerous that the proper adjustments of side mirrors which have nothing to do with seeing that oncoming car hidden in the huge post on new cars.  

A small correction: only the GM A-bodies were new in 1958. The A-bodies were used on all Chevrolet's (except Corvette) and Pontiac's. In '58, the GM B, C and D bodies were carry-overs.

A bit over 1.2 million full-size 1958 Chevy's were produced. All that money spent on development, engineering and such for just one model year.

John

"GM Five for 1958":

https://www.youtube.com/embed/95W_D29do1M

Posted by: @john-sharisky

A small correction: only the GM A-bodies were new in 1958. The A-bodies were used on all Chevrolet's (except Corvette) and Pontiac's. In '58, the GM B, C and D bodies were carry-overs.

A bit over 1.2 million full-size 1958 Chevy's were produced. All that money spent on development, engineering and such for just one model year.

John

"GM Five for 1958":

https://www.youtube.com/embed/95W_D29do1M

 

Thank-you John for this correction I had always thought it was the entire line-up that was new.

Fabulous video, too.

Posted by: @john-sharisky

A small correction: only the GM A-bodies were new in 1958. The A-bodies were used on all Chevrolet's (except Corvette) and Pontiac's. In '58, the GM B, C and D bodies were carry-overs.

A bit over 1.2 million full-size 1958 Chevy's were produced. All that money spent on development, engineering and such for just one model year.

John

"GM Five for 1958":

https://www.youtube.com/embed/95W_D29do1M

 

And then it turned out to be a recession year with big drops in sales from prior years to top it off.

@john-quilter I imagine, at least this made them pleased they took the long term, cost cutting steps when they did, though.