1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible Sedan

"In every part of the world where highways exist and quality is recognized, Cadillac has become the accepted symbol of automotive goodness. And certainly, this international affection for Cadillac has never been more soundly based — or more richly deserved — than it is at the present time. For the Cadillac car has never before been so bountiful in all those things which command respect and admiration in a motor car. In styling, in performance, in craftsmanship, and in practicality — it is the Standard of the World. We believe that an inspection and demonstration will prove this fact beyond question. Visit your dealer soon and learn for yourself why Cadillac is first in the world's esteem."

This mighty Cadillac from Varadero usually takes tourists on a sightseeing tour around the peninsula. The tourists enjoy the ride in the "authentic" drop-top, and not many take notice that Cadillac never offered a four-door convertible in 1959.

"Grancar", the state-owned company which operates this car, is quite infamous for quick cut-off jobs like this one for the sake of tourist entertainment. Seems like the Peso is earned easier with a convertible. Before the conversion, this car was a luxurious Fleetwood Sixty Special Sedan, as the embossed letters on its rear deck lid indicate. At least, they left the original V-8 engine installed.

Albán, the driver of this Cadillac, likes to pretend that he actually owns the car. But blue "chapas", numberplates of a state-owned vehicle, set him straight. However, for Cuban conditions, he's in a comfortable position: the Estado gives him this car and a monthly ration of fuel, and in return, he must do the maintenance and bring in cash at the end of the month. Private tours or extra work for the own pocket? No problem! The established Cuban system of rationing, rather than billing, fosters this kind of corruption. In common sense, it would be abnormal not to do it.

The only drawback of having a 1959 Cadillac is that no extra ride gets unnoticed. Wherever this thing shows up, it's turning heads. Anyway, the extra tours can't be long, as the V-8 engine quickly consumes the monthly fuel ration. So, Albán found another way to better his income: he's selling some of the Cadillac's fuel and cruises just a little slower...

1955 Buick Special 4-door Tourback Sedan

"Sky-high style and Snap to match! Up front you note first a stunning new Wide-Screen Grille that's distinctive as the name above it. Curbside, you take in the rake of the silvery sweep-spear, the sports-car cut of the wheel wells, the arching sweep of the broad panoramic windshield that has set a complete new trend for the industry to follow. To the rear, you find still more modernity — in the smart slash-back styling of the tail-light grouping that adds a new fashion profile to the whole gleaming grace of the car. This, you see, is Buick for 1955 — and there's a tilt to the lines of it that we believe you will find nowhere else on the new automotive horizon."

The 1955 Buick perfectly embodies the massive grace that made cars of GM's "chrome-and-glamour" division so desirable for many customers. In 1955, Buick's sales soared by more than 60 percent, and with 738,814 cars produced, the company scored third in the annual production statistics, ousting Plymouth from its long-standing position. Buick was by far the most successful American luxury car make, and a large part of this success is owed to the classy styling, which, by the way, is said to have been one of Harley Earl's personal favorite designs.

Buicks of this generation are an interesting showcase of strategic product development: in the lineup's lifecycle between 1954 and 1956, the appearance of Buicks evolved gradually, but decidedly, from pretty curvaceous volumes to a leaner and more modern look. All Buick Special of this period were based on the same corporate "B-body", as you can notice in their similar rooflines. The outer sheetmetal, though, was slightly altered each year. The 1954 Buick, for instance, still sported the sculptural hood of earlier Buicks, with the middle part raised atop the front fenders. In 1955, a much flatter hood appeared and the dip between hood and fenders became very shallow, which made for a lower and boxier overall look. The front fenders became straightened out even more for 1956, further emphasizing on the horizontal lines of the car.

The car's front grille, too, became wider and more angular each year, while the cone-shaped "dagmars" were pushed out to the sides, anticipating the full-width grille of the 1957 Buicks. Along with these changes went yearly revisions of the rear end and chrome trim.

Of course, all these changes didn't happen randomly, but were carefully orchestrated by Harley Earl and his GM design team to ensure a constant evolution of the "Buick look" while, at the same time, being able to please the customer's thirst for novelties by introducing an "all-new“ design, each year.

1951 Ford DeLuxe Fordor Sedan

"Feature For Feature, Ford is Finer by Far."

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This might have been the credo at Ford since the company recovered from prospective bankruptcy and, induced by the Fords for 1949, went back on to the road to success. We covered the genesis of these models here.

At a glance, the Fords for 1949 and 1950 virtually looked identical. There was no need for change anyway, as these cars sold incredibly well: with the 1949 models, Ford's production nearly tripled, boasting the company to the first place in the annual industry ranking, and the sales figures remained strong through 1950. In 1951, the last year of the lineup's life cycle, the Fords finally received a minor facelift, and proud Ford owners now polished two characteristic chrome spinners in the front grille, instead of one.

More substantial improvements happened underneath the hood: this year, Ford introduced the "Fordomatic" automatic transmission. Now, Ford customers could finally opt for the same comfort that Chevrolet drivers enjoyed already since 1950.

Yet, rather than technical marvels, style and glamour became increasingly important factors for car buyers in the early 50s, and Ford's arch-rival Chevrolet sure had an edge on Dearborn when it came to fancy looks. A Ford was clearly the more sensible choice, but in hindsight, we think, the Ford certainly sported a leaner and thus ultimately more modern design than the flashy GM cars.

1958 Chrysler New Yorker 4-door Sedan

"Watch your spirits rise as you slip behind the wheel of this mightiest-of-all Chryslers and head for the open road. Its long, low (barely over 4 1/2 feet), Flight-Sweep styling and FirePower V8 10 to 1 compression ratio performance and economy put you in full command of everything on the road."

Chrysler had surprised the automotive world with Virgil Exner's gorgeous "Forward Look" styling in 1955. Just two years later, an even bolder design direction, now called "Flight-Sweep styling", bore some more surprises, although not all of them were favorable to the company.

The new Chryslers sure looked stunning, because their compact torsion bar suspension allowed for a much lower silhouette than most of their competitors. Over at GM, where "longer and lower" was Harley Earl's eternal mantra for the look of new cars, the arrival of the new Chryslers caused quite a dismay when GM designers, who certainly had been spoiled by their own long-time success, suddenly realized that they weren't the trend setters anymore. In response to the new low-slung Chryslers, GM designers decided on a posthaste rework of the whole lineup for 1959.

With such stunning design, the Chrysler lineup only needed minor updates to stay "fresh" in 1958: quad headlights and different chrome trim were the most notable changes.

Yet, as gorgeous as the Chryslers looked, as badly they were built: a severe lack of quality control meant very lousily assembled cars. Some Chryslers literally fell apart before even reaching the dealers. On top of that, most cars were plagued by early corrosion, due to the use of poor quality steel. Although Chrysler addressed many issues within the 1957 production run, the damage was already done. The 1958 models were better, but the customers were alarmed and backed off from these elegant cars. The economic recession of 1958 added insult to injury, as most bigger cars anyway sat like ducks at the dealer's. Thus, in 1958, Chrysler could sell just about half as many cars as in the year before.