The Cars of 1959

Fins had been growing on cars for several years and 1959 saw the apex of the fin era. General Motors had the wildest fins: Chevrolet had giant gull wing fins. Pontiac had a four fin creation. Buicks looked like they were ready to fly and Cadillacs fins were so big that some considered them a threat to pedestrians. Questions about fin functionality would prompt Detroit to bring out an engineer every so often to to explain how fins would enhance the stability of the cars.

It was an era of yearly all new body designs, an era before regulation and safety concerns, and an era where a stylists futuristic sketches became reality.

1959 was a time of gadgetry designed to bring you an effortless driving experience. Swivel seats, record players, removable radios, push button transmissions, automatic headlight dimmers and power seats, windows, steering and brakes were now common on the 59's.

Big powerful V8 engines, just a few years earlier either non-existent or only found in the higher priced cars were now common in almost all vehicles.

The cars had become bigger and wider also. A 1959 Chevrolet was 211 inches long. 14 inches longer than a 1955 Chevy. At 208 inches, the 1959 Ford was 3 inches longer and 300 pounds heavier than a 55 Mercury.

Ford, with its more conservative styling was the big winner in 1959, outselling Chevrolet for the last time except in 1970 when a GM strike shut down production.

Studebaker came out with the compact Lark, a year before the big three unveiled there compacts. The Lark was engineered by a three man team that had the car in production in just 6 months.

American Motors Ramblers were raved by Consumer Reports as well as other magazines for their solid build quality and dependability.