US Car Makes & Models : 1950s Part I Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In addition to introducing what became an iconic sports model, this low-price line from one of Detroit's Big Three also marketed a fancy two-door station wagon with special trim and hard-top-style windows called the Nomad. Other models include: Biscayne, Delray and Bel Air. Which car was this?

Answer: Chevrolet

Chevrolet's iconic sports car was the Corvette, introduced in 1953. The Nomad's two-door version lasted from 1955-57; after three more years as a standard four-door wagon, the name was dropped. Biscayne, Delray and Bel Air were names applied to Chevrolet's more conventional models.

2. In the 1950s, the term "hard-top convertible" was applied to sedans and coupes that lacked a center post between the front and rear side windows. But this make introduced the Skyliner, a real convertible with a hard top that retracted into the trunk. Other models in the line were: Country Squire, Parklane, Ranchero and Mainline. Which car was this?

Answer: Ford

While the Skyliner's distinctive roofline profile was admired and influenced the design of standard Ford models, the retractable roof proved trouble-prone and severely limited trunk space. Sales were poor, and the model run lasted only from 1957-59. The Country Squire was one of Ford's station wagon models, the Ranchero a sedan design with a truck bed, and the prosaically-dubbed Mainline was just that, a basic, entry-level Ford.

3. "Star of the Forward Look" advertised one of Detroit's "low-price three" makes, whose models included: Belvedere, Cranbrook, Savoy and Fury. Which car was this?

Answer: Plymouth

Virgil Exner, who had been influenced during his stint at General Motors by Frank Hershey's prototype tail fins eventually used on the 1948 Cadillac, brought his styling philosophy to the Chrysler Corporation in 1955 in what was advertised as "The Forward Look." The upswept fins on the 1955 Plymouth were the most dramatic indication of what was to come.

4. "Ask the Man Who Owns One" was the slogan of what had once been one of the most prestigious luxury automobiles, a make that disappeared after its 1958 run. Its 1950s models included: Clipper, Patrician, Caribbean, Cavalier and Executive. Which car was this?

Answer: Packard

Packard purchased Studebaker in 1954 and continued to be produced separately from its lower-priced partner through the 1956 model year. It ended its long run ignominiously after two years as basically a gussied-up Studebaker.

5. You couldn't tell which way it was going. That was the gist of popular jokes about this make's novel post-war design. Its models included: Champion, Commander, Starline and President. Which car was this?

Answer: Studebaker

Its long, sloping rear deck and symmetrical roofline gave the Studebaker a profile that inspired all the which-end-is-which jokes. This basic outline continued until the introduction of the Lark in 1959, even though that model continued to use the same chassis as its predecessors.

6. Hot-rodders of the 1950s loved to customize this car's 1949-1951 models. Later in the decade, its marketing took aim at entry-level luxury buyers who wanted something flashier than its more sedate big brother Lincoln. The models included: Montclair, Monterey, Park Lane and Turnpike Cruiser. Which car was this?

Answer: Mercury

Print ads for both Lincoln and Mercury frequently depicted the vehicles parked before the homes of their owners. For Lincolns, these would generally be traditional stone or brick mansions, or high-columned manors, whereas those of Mercury owners were high-concept mid-century modern designs with floor-to-ceiling glass walls revealing interiors decorated with bullet lamps, primary-color cushions and abstract art on the walls.

7. A short clue for a short-lived make whose models included: Ranger, Corsair, Pacer and Citation. Which car was this?

Answer: Edsel

The Edsel, of course, has become synonymous with "flop" since its unsuccessful run between 1958 and 1960. The other three also had brief post-war existences: The Kaiser bore the name of its company's founder, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, and was produced from 1947-1955.

The Henry-J, likewise built by and named for Kaiser, was a smaller, low-priced car made from 1950-1953. The Willys Aero, produced as compact sedans from 1952-1954, also had a Kaiser connection, stemming from Kaiser's purchase of Willys-Overland Motors in 1953.

8. Several carmakers made use of the "inverted-bathtub" body design in their post-war vehicles. This line's version, dubbed the Airflyte, is often seen as police cars in early-1950s films and TV shows. Its principal models were the Ambassador and Statesman. Which car was this?

Answer: Nash

What came to be called the "bathtub" or "inverted bathtub" body grew out of the Streamline Moderne design style of the 1930s. It was commonly predicted to be the shape of the "car of the future," that is, those to come once consumer automobile production resumed after World War II. Mercury, Lincoln, Packard and Hudson also adopted this style, but it soon found disfavor with the public, who increasingly came to view the cars as appearing bloated and ungainly.

9. Space-age motifs and terminology were popular in 1950s cars, and rockets in particular with this make. Come away with me, Lucille, back into time when its principal models were the Rocket-88 and Rocket-98. Which car was this?

Answer: Oldsmobile

Early in the decade particularly, rockets were featured in the trim and hood ornaments of Oldsmobile models and displayed prominently in print ads. "Come away with me Lucille, In my merry Oldsmobile," goes the 1905 song whose melody was still used in Oldsmobile ads in the 1950s.

10. "Drive a ______ Before You Decide," suggested the ads for this mid-price line that ended its run with the 1961 model year. Its 1950s models included the Firedome, Fireflite and Firesweep. Which car was this?

Answer: DeSoto

Though it had been a successful and established (since 1928) brand, the DeSoto was a victim of some of the same forces that spelled disaster for the Ford Motor Company's notorious Edsel in its brief 1958-60 run. Both makes competed in the mid-price market niche against more popular lines from both within and without their parent companies at a time when the economic recession of 1958 was shrinking the demand for vehicles in their price range.

These same DeSotos, however, are highly prized by today's classic car collectors as among the most spectacular examples of the Chrysler Corporation's long, low, high-finned "Forward Look."

Source: Author PauFlP

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I'll give you several model names plus a slogan or other clue, you pick the make. NOTE: clues are all car-related.

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