Ford Crestliner, Fresh Styling For For Others To Follow

The 1950's were by far the best decade that our country has experienced. Unemployment was at an all time low, production was up, and America wanted for nothing. The envy of the rest of the world, our nation had it all. Sharp minds were in full overdrive in this decade, and some really stunning cars were produced. One that stands above the crowd is the Ford Crestliner. Could this car have been ahead of it's time?

In 1950, the Blue Oval saw it's sales drop behind the Bow-Tie company and decided to start from scratch on a whole new model. The Crestliner was thus born, but with some never before seen features. More on those later. The power plants available for the Crestliner were the overhead valve 226 cubic inch L-head straight six or the 239 cubic inch flat head V-8. Bothe were mated to the industry standard column shift 3-speed transmission. The "three on the tree" was a reliable piece, but nothing to brag about. The six cylinder version was touted as a "Mileage Maker", but with gasoline at all time lows, no one really cared.

The unique features on the car are what really set it apart from the crowd. Two and three tone paint schemes, hard top, and even an industry first vinyl top. Couple this with aircraft styling and body lines, the car was an instant hit. Two tone dash boards matched and complimented the exterior, and was again the first of it's kind.

The Crestliner only lived a short few years, but is still one of the most sought after car for collectors. The original base price in 1950 was 1,711.00, and finding one for that same amount will not ever happen again. If lucky enough to own one, share your automotive history with the rest of the world!!

The Kaiser Darrin Roadster - Ahead Of It's Time?

As the 1950's roll along, more and more people were throwing their hat into the mass production ring of automobiles. One such individual was named Henry Kaiser. Originally a ship builder, Kaiser earned himself a respectable living building ships for the war effort. Kaiser sought out, and teamed up with, Joseph Frazer from the legendary Jeep-Willys company. Their union together produced the Kaiser car company.

The first models to roll of the assembly line was a four door sedan version. The new autos were well recieved, and by the end of the decade, a full 5% of all autos produced were from the Kaiser company. In the early 1950's a two door model named the Henry J was introduced and from there the idea and eventual birth of the Kaiser Darrin was formed. Other roadsters were being introduced at the same time, but what made the Darrin stand apart from the crowd was the doors. Instead of having two doors on a convential upper and lower hinge set up, the doors on the Darrin actually slid on rollers into the long front fenders.

Aimed at a more upper scale affluent crowd, the Darrin most certainly made a splash when first taken to the country club. Not a model known for it's performance, style was the main focus of the auto. Engine choices were quite simple, as the tried and true 161 cubic inch Willys straight six was your only option. Coupled to a manual 3-speed gear box, the car had plenty of pep to get the otherwise fiberglass auto down the road at a brisk pace. Those looking for more punch under the hood had to wait a couple of years. Henry Darrin, known among his friends as "Dutch", paired the unique auto with a Cadillac engine and an optional supercharger. Now that is one hot rod convertible!!

Sadly, the Darrin Roadster only lived for a short 435 examples. The line was dropped due to a lofty price tag and unconventional styling. Shortly after, the entire Kaiser Car Company was also shut down. If wanting to see this auto in person, keep a sharp eye out. Not too many of them around, you know.