1957: It Was A Very Good Year!
Continuing the Car Lust lust list of memorable automotive years, whether good or bad, we now come to the era of the Drive-In theater, the Drive-In restaurant, the sock hop, Marlon Brando, leather jackets, greasy hair, Inspiration Point, short skirts, and, oh yeah, some pretty amazing cars and stuff!
•1957 Chevrolet Bel Air• Has there ever been a more iconic American car than a '57 Chevy? You see them now at large and small auto shows, sometimes trailered to the event. They are a favorite restoration vehicle on Hot Rod TV shows. Today, you can buy a brand new one, ready to roll, for just $180,000.
I guess my favorite '57 Chevy would be the Nomad. It's a big car that looks like a small car, at least to me, anyway. I really wish the Corvette had been offered as a Nomad variant. Speaking of the Corvette...
•1957 Corvette• The 283-cubic inch V-8 was offered with a revolutionary fuel injection system that gave the car one horsepower per cubic inch, maybe more. A full 240 cars were sold with it. A 4-speed manual was offered, and suspension tweaks made the car truly world-class. The Corvette, as a serious sports/performance car, had finally come of age.
•Elvis Presley• Was Elvis a car or even a trim package? No. But he liked them and he had them. 1957 was the year the 22-year-old wrote a $100,000 check for Graceland to shelter his family from the invasion of well-meaning but increasingly overzealous fans. He built a garage behind the mansion to house his growing collection of Cadillacs, motorcycles, a Bronco, Jeeps, a Stutz or two, and eventually a snowmobile with special tracks just for the Whitehaven lawn.
•1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Series 70• A 4-door Cadillac with rear suicide doors? Yes! Only 400 of these were ever made, and each one commanded a king's ransom of $13,074 (a 1957 Cadillac limousine with passenger divider was "just" $7,586). One was featured briefly in "Driving Miss Daisy."
These cars had stainless steel roofs, no center post, and dual horn outlets, each mounted under a pair of headlights, which were very rare in 1957. Cadillac did everything they could to make this the finest car ever produced. They may have succeeded.
•Ford Skyliner Retractable Convertible• So, so far ahead of its time! Where would today's Mazda Miata, BMW 335i, Mercedes-Benz SLK320, and others be without it? This is a '58 model, but it was introduced in 1957.
In the pre-transistor era, its mechanism with 10 power relays, 10 limit switches, four lock motors, three drive motors, eight circuit breakers, and 610 feet of electrical wire could raise or lower the top in about 40 seconds—when it worked.
•The Edsel• On Sept. 4, 1957, Ford rolled this icon out to the world. The unique grille and push-button transmission did little to woo buyers, and the rest of the story speaks for itself. What makes this a great event? Why, all the great jokes, of course!
•Toyota/ Toyopet• On October 31, 1957, Toyota came to America with just two models, the truckish Land Cruiser and a car, the Crown. Daihatsu tried the same approach 30 years later with the Rocky and Charade, but perhaps we can say that Toyota's venture has been much more successful.
Over on the east side of The Big Pond, a little company named Lotus was getting its feet wet. Their first production street car, the Type 14 Elite, came about. Some call the car the "Most beautiful road car ever built," and with good reason.
It was also the first car built in monocoque fiberglass without a steel frame to tip the scales as lightly as possible. In 1984, it was "Where's the beef?" In 1957, it was "Where's the frame?"
Lotus' Seven was also introduced in 1957, and remains in production today, known since 1973 as the Caterham. This car pioneered the kit car type being offered as completely disassembled vehicles, and did not need a donor car. They were offered in kit form to avoid "new car" taxes.
Earlier, I mentioned Marlon Brando, leather jackets, and greasy hair. Well, to make your image complete and become a true "Wild One," you could now add a brand-new Harley-Davidson Sportster to your ensemble. 1957 gave birth to this truly all-American legend, whose name and tradition still stand proudly today.
The 883cc "Ironhead" V-Twin had 55 horsepower. It was built until 1972 when it was enlarged to 1,000cc, then replaced entirely in 1986 by Harley-Davidson's "Evolution" engine.
The only Japanese motorcycles sold in America back then were ... well, there weren't any that I can find. In 1957, Honda introduced their first twin-cylinder motorcycle, the sophisticated 250cc OHC four-stroke C70 Dream, to overseas markets, but they did not open shop here for two more years.
•The Mackinac Bridge• Opened on November 1, 1957, it connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. The "Mighty Mac" took 3½ years to build, since construction had to be halted during the winters. Five men were killed building it.
Though the bridge looks impressive from any angle, it's a little-known fact that 75% of this structure is actually hidden under water. From shoreline to shoreline it is 5 miles long, and cost $100 million to build.
Another famous bridge opened in theaters in 1957. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" whistled its way to receive seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The Boeing 747 came in 1969, but 1957 sprouted the amazing 707. John Travolta owns this plane, a Boeing 707, repainted to look like a QANTAS jet. He parks it at his front door.
By the way, QANTAS stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services, should you ever be asked about that while you're on "Jeopardy."
1957 was an All-American Year, hopefully the type we'll see again as soon as this economic mess clears up.
Happy New Year!
--That Car Guy (Chuck)
Wikipedia provided information and images for this post. The Eldorado Series 70 photo is from Cadillac Photos-1957, and the The Sportster image is from "How Things Work," which also supplied technical knowledge. The Corvette image is from www.usedcorvettesforsale.com
John B on December 31, 2009 at 01:13 PM
Nice post, but I can't believe you forgot the last year of the two-seat T-Bird. Wasn't 57 the only year you could get a supercharger?
Also, don't forget the Lincoln Mark II. It was (and remains) a landmark in clean design that pointed the way to the 61 Lincoln Continental, 63 Buick Riveria and the 63 Studebaker Avanti.
Also for 57, don't forget the introduction of the Exner "forward look" MOPARS.
And, it was the first year in a long time that Ford outsold Chevy.
...m... on January 01, 2010 at 10:45 AM
...wow - the mackinac bridge is impressive, timeless enough to look contemporary even today...
Shawn on January 01, 2010 at 06:34 PM
The classic Cinquecento, aka the Fiat 500, also was first introduced this year. Its impact is still felt as the new one may help save Chrysler's fortunes in the U.S.!
Karl Egenberger on January 02, 2010 at 12:21 PM
And that is a 1957 Cadillac Coupe deVille on the masthead!
Bruce Garrett on January 02, 2010 at 12:56 PM
The Harley Sportster had 55 cubic inches, not horsepower
John on January 02, 2010 at 12:59 PM
That is a 1958 Skyliner photo. Just sayin' is all.
Regards
Tom on January 02, 2010 at 01:12 PM
Where's the '57 T-Bird?
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on January 02, 2010 at 01:17 PM
IIRC the Mackinac bridge has people who will drive your car across it for you if you're afraid of heights?
Karl Egenberger on January 02, 2010 at 01:39 PM
John: sorry- but that is my car- my photo, and it is a 57 Cad Coupe deVille- look at the gallery of previously featured cars and you will see another view of it. Or you can see that photo here: http://gallery.me.com/klegenberger#100344/DSC_8447&bgcolor=black
dvan on January 02, 2010 at 01:41 PM
Unfortunately, you used a 1958 Ford, not a 1957 Ford to illustrate the Skyliner paragraph.
geoffgo on January 02, 2010 at 01:44 PM
57' Chrysler 300 Convertible?
Karl on January 02, 2010 at 02:07 PM
Whooops. My bad. My apologies to John. I thought you were referencing the Cad in the masthead. And I didn't catch the 57 vs 58 in the Skyliner. Never mind.
That Car Guy on January 02, 2010 at 02:21 PM
Thank you for the Skyliner comments. The post read as follows: "This is a '58 model, but it was introduced in 1957."
Writing a post about a car year is difficult. The '57 models were introduced in '56, and the '58s came out in '57. So, the actual year line is a little blurred. Sorry about any confusion.
Smilin' Jack on January 02, 2010 at 02:49 PM
'57 was a very good year, but I think you need a do-over on this article. You missed way too much good stuff and included too much dumb stuff. No '57 'Bird? C'mon!
Still feeling the effects of New Year's eve?
That Car Guy on January 02, 2010 at 05:15 PM
Thanks for the suggestions for the other '57 model vehicles. I was afraid the post was running long as it was. That shows that this truly was a landmark year for cars!
Lee Bollow on January 02, 2010 at 06:41 PM
In the summer of 1958, our family drove across the Mackinac Bridge taking an 8mm movie with our old Bell & Howell movie camera through the windshield of our 1957 Ford Ranch wagon. Thanks for the memories. Hey you forgot to list the 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon!
TRS on January 02, 2010 at 07:41 PM
Re: John B's 31 December comment/question: Yes, only the '57 "F"-series bird had a supercharger. It was a Paxton blower with a 6-7 lb boost, although I recall some claiming 9#. The same unit was also used on the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk. All '57s had serial numbers beginning with 'D7FH' (single 4v carburetor,) 'E7FH' (2 X 4v [a.k.a. "dual quad"] carburetors,) or 'E7FH' (single carb with Paxton supercharger.) I owned two '57s - still have a leftover dual quad air cleaner.
Re: The Mark II Continental, produced for model years '56 and '57 were the only Continentals manufactured which did not have the word "Lincoln" anywhere on the car; the patent plate noted the manufacturer to be the "Continental Division, Ford Motor Company." The Mark II was also the design progenitor of the downscaled '65 Mustang. Same Ford designer for both. Look at silhouettes of the two to see the similarity. And yes, the spare tire really was located in that big round hump in the trunk lid. A real bear to try to lift a suitcase over it to place in the trunk.
TRS on January 02, 2010 at 07:47 PM
Correction: I entered the wrong VIN designator for '57 supercharged variant - it was "F7" instead of my fat-fingered second "E7."
Daddio on January 02, 2010 at 08:51 PM
'57's: The Hot Ones.
Alan on January 02, 2010 at 09:29 PM
Oh Geez, 1957 was absolutely high point of American cars, but the '57 Chevy is the worst cliche in all of autodom. And you couldn't even find a picture of a stock one?. And where's the '57 T-Bird, the '57 300, all the tailfin Mopars, and the Rambler Rebel, the fastest stock car that year....
Alan on January 02, 2010 at 09:32 PM
Oh, and the Ranchero.....
That Car Guy on January 02, 2010 at 09:46 PM
Oh, darn, I also forgot the 1957 King Midget Model III. Now I REALLY feel bad!
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1657867_1657682,00.html
Anthony Cagle on January 03, 2010 at 09:41 AM
Yes indeedy the '56-'57 Continental was a fabu car: http://www.carlustblog.com/2008/08/1956-57-contine.html
Don't worry too much about what cars were "missed", it's an intro to a year, not a comprehensive review. Besides, that's what we have all these fabulous commenters for!
Stephan F- on January 03, 2010 at 07:50 PM
The most amazing thing about the 707 is the barrel roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHiYA6Dmws
Bob Sistek on January 04, 2010 at 03:33 PM
I agree that the 50s and particularly 1957 was a good time for cars, as was noted in the post. I disagree on the '57 Chevy however. I know they are a hot item today and they are seen regularly at car shows, but my favorite Chevy of the '50s was the '58 Impala 2 door hardtop. Preferably in black with red interior, 348 cid engine and four on the floor. Call me crazy, but it had great style and the prettiest rear end on any car for a long time.