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Topic starter
06/04/2026 6:41 pm
CARS of 1957
The Greatest Cars of the Fifties!
Organizing my "Collectible Automobile" magazines and I came across this "Special Edition" featuring the great cars from the Big Three and the Independents too!
Browsing and reading this fun issue this afternoon, once again the incredible photos, stories, and facts are proof why "Collectible Automobile" is the absolute automotive authority.
And it includes all of the 1:25 model kits and promo models available and also all of the 1:24 diecast releases too. And last but not least, collectible literature available for '57! Cover to cover, this issue is a collectible itself! And inside close to 200 color photos of the beauties '57 offered.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
06/04/2026 6:56 pm
There sure were many great looking cars back in 1957. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
Topic starter
06/04/2026 7:42 pm
There sure were many great looking cars back in 1957. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
Oh yea, '57 was a banner year for styling from all of the auto makers. There a few that stand out to me as being the best of the lot, but all of them were different and bold. The Buick, Chrysler, DeSoto, and Oldsmobile are my personal favorites.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
06/04/2026 8:01 pm
Selecting from the everyday man cars I would pick in order, Ford Fairlane, Chevy Bel Air, Pontiac, Buick, Studebaker Golden Hawk for top 5.
06/04/2026 9:16 pm
Some beautiful automobiles were made in '57. Pontiac, Plymouth, and Ford are my top 3.😊
06/04/2026 9:23 pm
@georgeschire Very nice George - AND - they also released, in 1998, this good-sized 150 page, all color, slick & glossy coffee table hard cover edition. It's a favorite of mine! 😎 😎
Topic starter
06/04/2026 10:18 pm
That's one I don't have. THANKS for sharing the pics!
The books published by Publications International are all incredible. I have about 50 different ones. And though not in color, my other favorite old cars books were the Crestline series from the 1980's.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Topic starter
06/04/2026 10:20 pm
Some beautiful automobiles were made in '57. Pontiac, Plymouth, and Ford are my top 3.😊
If I were to pick my four favorites of '57, they'd be Chrysler, DeSoto, Buick, and Oldsmobile.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Topic starter
06/04/2026 10:23 pm
And hey, THANKS for sharing this page of the Oldsmobile. I know you probably did that just for me, knowing that I'm ga-ga for that split rear window. It's my favorite roof design of any car of the fifties.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Topic starter
06/04/2026 10:28 pm
Selecting from the everyday man cars I would pick in order, Ford Fairlane, Chevy Bel Air, Pontiac, Buick, Studebaker Golden Hawk for top 5.
I can honestly say that I've never heard of or considered Buick to be an, "everyday man car". Nor, the Hawk for that matter. I think they've generally been considered as more up scale on the car food chain.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
07/04/2026 3:58 am
My personal likes of the the big three in the 1950's:
Cadillac '57
Buick '57
Olds '57
Pontiac '57
Chevy '55
Lincoln Premier '56
Mercury '56
Edsel '59
Ford '56
T-bird '57
Imperial '56
Chrysler '57
DeSoto '57
Dodge '59
Plymouth '55
s
Topic starter
07/04/2026 4:01 am
@georgeschire Perhaps "mid price range" would have been a better term to use.
Yes, perhaps "mid price range" would have been better. But then, maybe not.
When I was a kid, I used to play "Car Dealer" and I had a Ledger book that I wrote "New Car Prices" in. Looking at my entries for "mid price range" in '57, it would break down like this:
1) Ford Fairlane: $2,339
2) Chevrolet Bel Air: $2,399
3) Pontiac Chieftan: $2,463
4) Buick Special: $2,332
5) Studebaker Hawk: $2,219
What's interesting to me when looking at these prices, is that, to my thinking they sort of negated the perception that having a Buick meant having a better car than a Chevrolet wasn't really the scenario at all, as they were practically the same price.
It was General Motors "ladder" of Brands that advertised had the Buick (3 Brands) above Chevrolet in their "ladder", so logic was excepted that a Buick was way better than a Chevrolet.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Topic starter
07/04/2026 4:15 am
My personal likes of the the big three in the 1950's:
Cadillac '57
Buick '57
Olds '57
Pontiac '57
Chevy '55
Lincoln Premier '56
Mercury '56
Edsel '59
Ford '56
T-bird '57
Imperial '56
Chrysler '57
DeSoto '57
Dodge '59
Plymouth '55
s
Brush, following up on you sharing your favorites from the Big Three in the Fifties, my list would look a little different. Here it is.
GENERAL MOTORS:
Cadillac '56
Buick '59
Oldsmobile '57
Pontiac '59
Chevrolet '58
FORD MOTOR COMPAN:
Lincoln '56
Mercury '54
Edsel '58
Ford '56
Thunderbird '59
CHRYSLER CORPORATION:
Imperial '56
Chrysler '57
DeSoto '56
Dodge '59
Plymouth '55
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
07/04/2026 5:40 am
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