Post War American Luxury Showing Off At the Concours

 With the end of World War II American industry reverted from war time manufacturing back to normal. This we never more evident than in the automobile industry which had put all of its resources toward building the war machine. Add to this the fact that the economy had recovered and was soaring and it was a cry for American cars with luxury. One fine example was the 1957 Oldsmobile Starfire 98 convertible. This fifth generation Starfire 98 was one of only 750 to come equipped with the 371 cubic inch J2 Rocket V8 engine that was developed for stock car racing.

A former museum piece, this 1955 Buick Super Riviera is a past Senior Gold award winner at the Buick Nationals. It sports a 322 cubic inch nailhead V8 engine that was good for 236 horse power.

Nothing in the late 1950s said luxury like a Cadillac. This hand made 1958 Eldorado Brougham is number 103 of 304 sold that year. It features a 365 cubic inch over head valve V8 power plant.

This 1956 Lincoln Continental Mk II is one of only 1325 sold that year. Only 3400 Mark II models were ever sold. Costing $9695 it was the most expensive domestically produced automobile at the time. It made 385 horse power from its 368 cubic inch V8 engine.

Only 263 Packard Caribbeans were sold in 1956 and this is number 56. Features on this car included advanced  front and rear torsion bar self-leveling suspension. It ran on a 374 cubic inch V8 with twin barrel carburetors that turned out 310 horse power.

This 1959 Cadillac 60 Special had a body by Fleetwood. The car is completely unrestored. It has a 390 cubic inch V8 engine that turns out 345 horse power.

Starting in 1956 and running for two years, Studebaker made a halo automobile called the Golden Hawk. This first year example runs on a Packard sourced 352 cubic inch V8 the produces 270 horse power.

Here is a 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan. This year marked the 50th anniversary of Cadillac. This car was designed by the famed Harley Earl and was garaged for 50 years itself. It has a 331 cubic inch over head valve V8 engine that generates 210 horse power.

This 1958 Dual Ghia is a multinational enterprise with a chassis by Dodge that was shipped to Italy where Ghia hand made the body. It then came back to Detroit for final assembly. Only 117 of these cars were made between 1956 and 1958 and fewer than 40 are known to still exist. It has a 315 cubic inch Dodge Red Ram V8 engine that generates 230 horse power.