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Submitted by Justinwbyers on March 22, 2005
Category: American History
Words: 1285 | Pages: 6
Views: 302
Popularity Rank: 31,979
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Another element that was present in the 1950’s was automobiles. Automobiles were
something that everyone once dreamed of owning. Now after the war. they could finally own
one. Automobiles of the 1940’s were dull and very plain. This was because designers were too
busy designing tanks, planes, etc... for the ongoing war. The major event that took place that
changed the way cars looked and how they performed happened on October 14, 1947. This was
when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. From this point on everyone wanted to go faster.
People wanted automobiles with larger displacement engines. They also wanted sleek and
aerodynamic cars. This prompted General Motors Corporation to hold Motorama in 1949. This
was a giant exposition of concept cars that had an emphasis on power, style, convenience, and
features. These for features would be what many cars of the 1950’s would be based on.
One car that was a design evolution was the Chevrolet Corvette. The first Corvette was
built on June 30th, 1953 at the Flint, Michigan plant and continues to be produced today. In 1953
it featured an all fiberglass body with a chromed grill. The car had no side windows and no
outside door handles. Each 1953 Corvette was virtually hand built and all 1953 models were
white and had red interiors. This may have not been the most technologically advanced car but it
would pave the way for the true performance and sports car.
Concept cars also played a part in the 1950’s. They were designed to attract the publics
eye, introduce and gauge the publics reaction to new styling and engineering ideas, help attract
the public to the auto dealerships where they were displayed at,...
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