Text by Patrick Bell.
Two and three tone color applications were very popular during the 1950’s and catch much of the attention now, but that does not mean they were the only car color styles on the road. To make that case, today we have a gallery of single color cars from that era, with the variety of shades that also defined the two and three tones. Let’s take a look.
The lead image today was an all new 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe from California. It was equipped with the new Hy-Fire V8 that was available in 241 or 260 cubic inches. And it was dressed up with the typical full wheel cover and white wall tire combination, but it was a single, very nice color.
This clean sedan was a 1950 Plymouth Special De Luxe that was likely 10 or 12 years old in this image. The narrow white walls did not become popular until the early 1960’s, and on the right edge was a 1959 Ford Country Squire.
This was the most popular Plymouth of the year, and had a base list price of $1629.
Although gray is a popular color today, you didn’t get the chrome effect that was so popular in the 1950’s. Shown here was a 1950 Buick Roadmaster convertible with a 1951 New York license plate, the top of the line at your local Buick dealer. Only 2964 of these were produced for the year, while the less expensive Super convertible sold over four times as many.
A couple of ladies were posing with a 1951 Studebaker Commander State 4 door sedan, and the backdrop may have been the Notch Trail area of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
Studebaker’s new 232 ci V8 made its debut in 1951, and was available only in the Commander model. Ahead of it was a 1952 Chevrolet Styleline De Luxe 2 door sedan.
Here was a military man with a 1951 Ford Custom Tudor Sedan with some period custom touches. The paint color does not look original, but the repaint was a few years old, going by the rusty rocker panel. And it had Oldsmobile wheel covers that were a popular custom upgrade. It was also V8 equipped and had at least one chrome tailpipe extension.
And a lady that looked happy to be in the picture with a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain De Luxe convertible with some serious curb rash on the front tire. It most likely had the 268 ci straight eight for power, though a six cylinder was also available. Parked in the street was a 1951 Buick.
Now we have the opposite end of the Pontiac spectrum in this 1950 Streamliner Eight 4 door sedan. The Streamliner was their fastback body style that was also available in a 2 door sedan. It looked close to new and had a sun visor as well as a California license plate used from 1947-1950. To the right was a 1942-1948 Mercury Sedan Coupe.
A likely mom and son were enjoying a cool day along with an all red 1951 or 1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe. The Holiday Coupe was Oldsmobile’s entry in the new hardtop market, but they did not catch on all that well in the early years. In 1951 the 4 door sedan’s outsold them by over a 6 to 1 margin. By 1952 it was down to a 5 to 1 margin, so it was slow growth.
A 1954 Ford Mainline Business Coupe was this car’s pedigree when it was born, and it later received some mild customizing. The emblems had been shaved, so it is hard to tell what engine it originally came with. In addition the taillight lens were custom, it had Oldsmobile wheel covers, and Laker exhaust pipes, or at least one. In the background looks like a white over green 1955 Oldsmobile.
The girl in the back seat of this 1954 Buick Special 2 door sedan did not look too happy; perhaps she wanted the front seat, but the dog got there first. This was Buick’s entry level model, a car for those who wanted a Buick but did not want to spend a bunch of money. $2207 would get you a 264 ci version of the new for 1953 Fireball V8, and of course you could add more options as your wallet and desire allowed.
The 1955 Chevrolet was the car America was waiting for; a low priced, simple and reliable car that was stylish and had the new Turbo-Fire V8 if you desired some power. This one was a Bel Air 4 door sedan, the most popular single model of the year, with over 345,000 sold. It had a California license plate, and behind the fence may have been a military base.
Speaking of military, here was a pair of Army men with a V8 powered 1955 Plymouth Savoy 4 door sedan. It had an Illinois license plate from 1956, and could have passed as an Army staff car, except it was a little too fancy. The Savoy was the mid range series, and this model was the best seller that year. In the background facing away was a maroon 1951 Mercury, blue 1953 Chevrolet, and a tan 1950-1952 Nash Rambler convertible.
This green machine was a 1956 Hudson Rambler Deluxe 4 door sedan. The compact Rambler was replaced in 1956 by this new mid sized car, and since Nash and Hudson had merged, it was offered under both the Nash and Hudson nameplates. About 5,000 Hudsons and 10,000 Nashes were produced that first year. 1957 was the last year for the old names, and beginning in 1958 they were all called Ramblers.
The only difference on the outside was the “H” hubcaps, as Nash used “R” for Rambler. The featured car’s windshield and back glass moldings were painted, which meant it was a repaint. On a car like this, it was probably a fleet color. Beyond it was a 1953 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight 4 door sedan, and passing by was a red and white 1956 Chevrolet.
There was a lot of green on this 1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 Holiday Coupe. The Rocket V8 received a boost to 371 ci with 277 horsepower this year, and was standard in all series. The new J-2 triple carburetor Rocket V8 was a new option in all series, and it had 300 hp.
On the other side of it were a green 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air 2 door sedan, and a 1956 Buick Super or Roadmaster 2 door Riviera.
A man was about to enter a 1957 Plymouth Custom Suburban 4 door wagon that was V8 powered. This was the wagon version of the “Suddenly, it’s 1960” car that was round two of the Forward Look. It was part of the Savoy series, and was available in 2 door, 4 door 6 passenger, and 4 door 9 passenger styles. All told, it was the most popular wagon series, and sold over 60,000 units that year.
Varying shades of pink were a somewhat common 1950’s color, although it was seldom revealed in the name. This 1958 Cadillac color was called Tahitian Coral.
The featured car could have been either a Sixty-Two Coupe, or Coupe de Ville, as the was no difference on the outside. It had what appeared to be a California license plate, plus a twisted front bumper. Parked on the other side of it was a 1948-1950 Hudson Custom Commodore 4 door sedan.
We close today with a 1959 Plymouth Savoy 4 door sedan. The Savoy was now the entry level series, as the Fury was now a full series of its own. It still retained its most popular series title, and this sedan was the most popular single body style. Plymouth people were penny pinchers.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
The two “Army men” are officers, likely lieutenants given their youthful look. The interesting thing is their uniforms from the 1950s are back with official issue starting about 4 or years ago as “legacy uniforms” to commemorate WW II. Their lapel brass shows they were in the Army Corps of Engineers and might have been West Point graduates given the emphasis on engineering in that service academy.
Phil Henning, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
I do miss all the color choices!
Very nice collection. Like many others, I am disappointed in the colors available on today’s cars. The ’50’s were the best!
Hmm, I remember a lot of white, gray, brown 1950’s cars when I was a kid in the 60’s. At least cars from the early 50’s. Maybe the people that bought them were more frugal and maintained them better. In general cars over ten years old were pretty rare even in our rust-free state.
By the end of the “60’s”, in my western “PA” world, “50’s” cars were waay, few in every day life. The ones that were still going were frequently, “beaters”. ((in varying states of being))
The 50 Buick. A four holer…massive grille…gun sight hood ornament. What a way to start the new 50s decade!
What a great collection of people and cars! As with all photos as there is usually a lot more to look at and digest in the background.
Terrific (again). Rich.
Thx!
Patrick, ever think of taking over TOM? A few frames once a week, a few trucks for JoAnn and me, make a lot of people happy! 🙂
I believe vintage cars endure as they are repairable!! Cars built in past 20+ years often incur technology problems and are viewed unworthy of the great expense to repair- I see many rust free cars without body damage here in NE Colorado in salvage yards.
How much styling evolved from the look of that 1950 Plymouth to those of 1955. Wow.
Great shots.
Blue was a very popular color, late ’40’s into mid ’60’s, when browns and greens took over. Today, it is still seems to be the most popular actual color, followed by red. My Fit is blue.
My dad drove a 1955 Plymouth Savoy. When I turned 15 in 1967 my classmate’s mom sold me her beautiful 1955 Plymouth Belvedere for $120 and it carried me through high school and most of college years. Twas the only car that got a design award in 1955. Today I am the curator of an unrestored and all original 55 Belvedere with 25000 miles. It is my turquoise toy!
Love all the colors .
I don’t remember there being many two or three tone cars back then, these look more like what I recall .
Hard to choose just one…..
-Nate