In 1958, Dwight Eisenhower was President and when Vice President Richard Nixon visited South America on a good will tour, he was greeted with open hostility. In the United States, the desegregation of schools is a major issue in the South and Arkansas defies the Supreme Court by closing all public schools in Little Rock. With regard to automobiles, some of the 1958 models are shown below.
Ford Thunderbird
Shown below is a Ford Thunderbird, 2-Door Hardtop on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. The 1958 Thunderbird was the first of the four-seater models. Sales of the 1958 Thunderbird were nearly double that of the 1957 Thunderbird.
Edsel
Shown below is an Edsel Citation with its unique “horse-collar” grille. It sold for $3,580. This vehicle is on display in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.
Mercury Monterey
This car has the Mercomatic Push Button transmission on the dash. This vehicle is on display in the Classic Auto Museum—The Flathead V8 Ford Collection in Bigfork, Montana.
Plymouth
Shown below is a Plymouth Belvedere on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
Pontiac
Shown below is a Pontiac Bonneville, 2-Door Hardtop on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
Chevrolet
Shown below is a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible. It sold for $2,841. According to the display in the Montana Auto Museum:
“In 1958 Chevrolet introduced the Impala, a model name destined to become one of the most famous in the history of the American automobile. Impala restyling included triple taillights and all-new dual headlights accented by the smoothly sculpted sides of this ‘longer, lower, wider’ cruiser.”
Chevrolet Apache Cameo
This vehicle is on display in the LeMay Family Collection in Tacoma, Washington.
Packard
The Packard shown below is on display in the LeMay Family Collection in Tacoma, Washington: 1958 was the last year for the Packard marque. Only 1,200 were made. It sold for $3,212,
BMW
BMW acquired a license from the Italian manufacturer Iso Rivolta to produce Isettas. Shown below is a BMW Isetta 300, 1-Door Coupe on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
Dual-Ghia
This vehicle, on display in the LeMay Family Collection in Tacoma, Washington, sold new for $7,800. It has a Hemi V-8 with a Powerflight auto transmission.
More Automobiles
LeMay Family Collection: The White Building (Automobile Photo Diary)
Museums 101: BMW Automobiles (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Packards in America's Car Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: GM Cars of the 1950s in America's Car Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Automobiles of the 1950s in America's Car Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: 1950s Fords in the Classic Auto Museum (photo diary)
Museums 101: Fords and Chevrolets of the 1950s (Photo Diary)