For some car enthusiasts, the decade of the 1950s is labeled the “nifty fifties” and is seen as a time when the American automobile industry reached its zenith in styling. The Big Three American automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler—ruthlessly competed against the “independents” and by the end of the decade many brands, such as Kaiser, Frazer, Packard, Hudson, Nash, and others, had gone extinct.
Shown below are photographs of some of the 1950s cars on display in LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Not shown below are the General Motors vehicles, British vehicles, and Packards in the museum as they have their own photo diaries.
Ford:
![photo DSCN4688_zps5734af96.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4688_zps5734af96.jpg)
Shown above is a 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, 2-Door Hardtop.
![photo DSCN4783_zps392825c0.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4783_zps392825c0.jpg)
Shown above is a 1956 Ford Fairlane, 2-Door Convertible.
![photo DSCN4552_zps045a3bce.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4552_zps045a3bce.jpg)
![photo DSCN4553_zps5896fd23.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4553_zps5896fd23.jpg)
Shown above is a 1958 Ford Thunderbird, 2-Door Hardtop. The 1958 Thunderbird was the first of the four-seater models. Sales of the 1958 Thunderbird were nearly double that of the 1957 Thunderbird.
Lincoln:
![photo DSCN4864_zpse81635af.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4864_zpse81635af.jpg)
Shown above is the 1954 Lincoln “Bardahl” Capri Convertible. This car was originally purchased by Ole Bardahl, owner and founder of Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation, for his wife Inga.
![photo DSCN4578_zpsb6e1df66.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4578_zpsb6e1df66.jpg)
![photo DSCN4579_zpsb1a632b8.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4579_zpsb1a632b8.jpg)
Shown above is a 1956 Continental Mark II.
![photo DSCN4950_zpsbe5414bd.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4950_zpsbe5414bd.jpg)
Shown above is a 1959 Lincoln Continental Convertible.
Mercury:
![photo DSCN4690_zps2a2863c6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4690_zps2a2863c6.jpg)
Shown above is a 1956 Mercury Custom, 4-Door Sedan.
Chrysler:
![photo DSCN4952_zps10c07f4d.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4952_zps10c07f4d.jpg)
![photo DSCN4953_zpse0b5a1a6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4953_zpse0b5a1a6.jpg)
Shown above is a 1950 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible. This car was originally priced at $3,236 and only 899 were produced. Today it is a rare car.
![photo DSCN4259_zpsac8d3a34.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4259_zpsac8d3a34.jpg)
![photo DSCN4258_zps09220dc6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4258_zps09220dc6.jpg)
Shown above is a 1959 Chrysler 300E. This was a top end luxury vehicle with a limited production run: only 550 two-door hardtops and 140 convertibles were built.
Plymouth:
![photo DSCN4925_zps12e624b5.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4925_zps12e624b5.jpg)
Shown above is a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere.
Dodge:
![photo DSCN4412_zpsea2ade79.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4412_zpsea2ade79.jpg)
![photo DSCN4413_zps1fa7fc97.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4413_zps1fa7fc97.jpg)
Shown above is a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal, 2-Door Hardtop.
Nash:
![photo DSCN4234_zpsd5b9ac50.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4234_zpsd5b9ac50.jpg)
![photo DSCN4235_zps2387435b.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4235_zps2387435b.jpg)
Shown above is a 1951 Nash Rambler Custom 2-Door Convertible. It sold new for $1,933. According to the museum display:
“George Mason, president of Nash-Kelvinator, insisted on big Nash features like unitized construction, Weather Eye heater, and skirted front wheels. The convertible cloth top unfurled like a roll-top desk, leaving the window frames and rails in place.”
![photo DSCN4918_zps7852c428.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4918_zps7852c428.jpg)
Shown above is a 1959 Nash Metropolitan, 2-Door Convertible.
Kaiser:
![photo DSCN4243_zps301a0bf1.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4243_zps301a0bf1.jpg)
![photo DSCN4244_zps1262e6da.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4244_zps1262e6da.jpg)
![photo DSCN4245_zps74f423d1.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4245_zps74f423d1.jpg)
Shown above is a 1953 Kaiser Dragon, 4-Door Sedan. According to the display:
“The Kaiser Dragon was the masterwork of Carleton Spencer, a pioneer in automotive color and trim. Before Spencer began his design, he decided to survey women about their likes and preferences in automobiles.”
Studebaker:
![photo DSCN4415_zpsa7c6c11d.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4415_zpsa7c6c11d.jpg)
![photo DSCN4418_zpse1c8a026.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4418_zpse1c8a026.jpg)
Shown above is a 1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight, 2-Door Coupe.
Hudson:
![photo DSCN4534_zps05a583f6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4534_zps05a583f6.jpg)
![photo DSCN4535_zps3adb95f6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4535_zps3adb95f6.jpg)
Shown above is a 1956 Hudson Hornet Custom, 4-Door Sedan.
Crosley:
![photo DSCN4714_zpsab607a47.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4714_zpsab607a47.jpg)
![photo DSCN4715_zps6f32fea1.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4715_zps6f32fea1.jpg)
Shown above is a 1952 Crosley Skorpion.
Citroen:
![photo DSCN4889_zps1ec7e1b5.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4889_zps1ec7e1b5.jpg)
![photo DSCN4890_zpsf68e34cb.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Tacoma/1950s/DSCN4890_zpsf68e34cb.jpg)
Shown above is a 1953 Citroen 2CV. The car was designed to carry two farmers wearing clogs, plus 110 pounds of potatoes or a small cask of wine, with a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour.