It's snowing outside (again). It's cold outside (still). My coffee is hot! I guess one out of three isn't that bad. The news this morning announced that coffee is healthy for us, and the more, the better. It gives us a jump-start and a boost of energy. It's reported in a Harvard University study, that drinking 3 cups a day by elderly drinkers, it offered a decline in cognitive ability and was good for the heart. Finally, and this is the best news, those that drink coffee LIVE LONGER. So for now, POUR ANOTHER CUP!
For some reason as I'm hearing this news, my mind wandered to 1958 and of course the cars of that recession ridden year. Edsel debuted and flopped. Ford's dropped their trade-mark taillights, and Lincoln's looked like large yachts. Chrysler and company were working on reaching the moon with their tailfins, and General Motors just cranked out bulbous machines that to some eyes lacked any sense of beauty at all. The OLDSMOBILE seemed to win the award for most chrome and different places to put it, but Pontiac, Buick, and Cadillac weren't far behind. Heck, even the popular Two-Seater Thunderbird's were gone and replaced by, well you guessed it, just another BIG car.
Overall, 1958 stands out as a year of unattractive automobiles. Some news of note in '58 saw Elvis Presley called to serve his country, the space program launched Explorer, becoming the first U. S. satellite. And Rock'n'Roll music was still scaring parents of teenagers.
1958, the year my favorite make of car committed the most egregious example of "change for the sake of change". Why oh WHY else would they go from this BEAUTIFUL taillight design:
to this?????
It hurts my eyes to look at those shrunken '58 Chrysler taillights!!
Ah yes 1958 the year I graduated from high School. It was also the year that GM hit a home run with the beautiful all new Chevrolets and Pontiacs. As I sit here with my second cup of coffee I'm glad to know I'm doing something good for my health.
Ah yes 1958 the year I graduated from high School. It was also the year that GM hit a home run with the beautiful all new Chevrolets and Pontiacs. As I sit here with my second cup of coffee I'm glad to know I'm doing something good for my health.
Happy Graduation Year Bob! LOL, I graduated from Kindergarten in 1958. And hey, hope you also had that "third" cup of coffee.
1958, the year my favorite make of car committed the most egregious example of "change for the sake of change". Why oh WHY else would they go from this BEAUTIFUL taillight design:
to this?????
It hurts my eyes to look at those shrunken '58 Chrysler taillights!!
OMG! You took the words right out of my mouth. I too, hated what Chrysler did to those beautiful taillights in 1958. For me, the '57 Chrysler is the most beautiful car for '57. Even though I love the Oldsmobile that year so much, the Chrysler is (IMO) the stand-alone styling winner that year.
dual headlights looked good on the 58 Corvette. ☕️ (I was 4)
Good point about the Dual Headlights on all of the '58's that year. I liked them all. I remember being confused that some cars had them a year earlier in "57 until I heard about the goofy law that some states banned them. I remember asking my Dad, "What happens if someone drives from a state that allows them, to a state that doesn't". I sure they were going to be put in jail in my little 7 year old mind.
I agree that 1958 was an unusual year for American automobile styling. IMO 1957 was a fantastic year for styling and hard to beat but I have to say that generally speaking, I think stylists dropped the ball in '58. There are a number of exceptions though. I would say that the '58 Chevy and Pontiac, although completely changed, were very good looking cars; especially the sporty looking 2drhts. Cadillac updated its beautiful '57 to include quad headlights and made a nice job of it , as GM did with the Corvette. George mentioned the Thunderbird complete makeover which I definitely like the look of as a 4-seater, but as I have always loved the '55 and '57 2-seaters I remain disappointed. A smart business move though as sales for the T-Bird skyrocketed. If Ford hadn't made that change the Bird may have suffered an early demise. Many people pan the look of the '58 Ford Fairlane as too squarish and having unattractive tail lights. I must say that compared to the beautiful '57, which outsold Chevrolet that year, it doesn't measure up but I still like the car a lot anyway. IMO Ford redeemed themselves with their '59 Fairlane design, which I love. JK mentioned the other day that FOMOCO went with the squarish nose and tail end on the Ford to connect design cues to their new Thunderbird; something which I hadn't considered before. Rambler deserves kudo as well, for their update of their attractive '57 full size offerings. The grille and tail fin/tail light areas were very well done for '58 and a timely styling improvement, given what the competition was up to. I have to say that IMHO that is about where the highlights of 1958 car design end for me. George spoke about the Edsel, which it seems was simply introduced at the wrong time; just too radical looking and the '58 recession didn't help much either. Too bad Ford dumped it after just three years. The '58 Lincoln total redesign to me was an eyesore and to be honest I still feel the same about it today. Too bad they couldn't have updated the basic look of the gorgeous and very modern looking '56; IMO one of the prettiest Lincolns ever made. They did improve the '58 a lot by 1960 though, especially the headlight/grille area; much classier looking. I agree with earlier Forum comments about Chryco styling, although still impressive, being a disappointment compared to '57. I remember that even as a completely car crazy, but relatively well informed kid of just 6, I thought the amazing and radical styling statement of '57 made the '58 lineup look a bit more subdued in comparison. I recall thinking the tail lights of the '58 Plymouth and Chrysler were far less impressive; same went for the grilles of the Dodge and Plymouth. Their Imperial was changed minimally to incorporate the quad headlights and the car looked pretty decent; but let's be honest; how can you compare its styling to the incredible '55 & '56 Imperials? I appreciate that it was the dawn of a new styling era for sure but I love those earlier years of Imperial so much that nothing CHRYCO could have done would have impressed me more...lol. I would like to conclude with the '58 Studebaker and Packard styling changes for '58; specifically the Champion, President and Packard Hawk. Wow.....talk about how to polarize the buying public! The low budget changes (by necessity...I do appreciate their financial predicaments) to the noses and tail ends of these cars was absolutely shocking and certainly polarized public opinion. Personally I couldn't believe my eyes when I got my first look; compared to all other designs offered in '58 this was just plain ugly, hopelessly non-competitive and a sad statement from car companies that once competed with the best of them. Now of course most of us find those designs at least very interesting and love seeing these cars at shows, simply because they are so very unique and representative of a wild and crazy time in automotive styling.
The news this morning announced that coffee is healthy for us, and the more, the better. It gives us a jump-start and a boost of energy. It's reported in a Harvard University study, that drinking 3 cups a day by elderly drinkers, it offered a decline in cognitive ability and was good for the heart. Finally, and this is the best news, those that drink coffee LIVE LONGER. So for now, POUR ANOTHER CUP! 
