Though Motor Trend had been covering the new 1957 cars in several issues that released with 1956 cover dates, the January 1957 issue–out in December 1956, was the most comprehensive wrap-up of all the new model year news. The issue was also chock-full of ads for new model year cars. Have a look at some of the marketing that ran in Motor Trend’s Auto Show Issue, along with detailed comparison specification tables of all the domestics. And as a bonus, there’s a tongue-in-cheek commentary that ran on the last page of the December 1956 issue, that gave a bit of perspective around the notion that “all of today’s cars look alike.”
In terms of true radical innovation, arguably the most advanced car available in the U.S. for 1957 came from France. No color pictures or sweeping fins here, just function with quirky French flair.
Tom McCahill from Mechanix Illustrated could always be counted on for colorful comments. No doubt FoMoCo was looking for that impact to promote their English Ford, though featuring a shot of McCahill’s disembodied head was rather a strange touch…
I’m sure many Motor Trend readers pored over this tiny print chart back in the day, making note of how their favorites stacked up.
This is proof positive that each and every era has critics who lament that too many cars are copying each other. Of course, then as now, adopting successful ideas is good business strategy, so don’t expect this merry-go-round to stop anytime soon.
My cousins had a 57 Dodge Custom Royal sedan with the D-500 – definitely a “hurricane of power.”
MT was worried about looking alike but not worried about BEING alike.
1956-1957 were probably a peak of variability in looks. Those two years were the only time when you could distinguish every brand “in the dark”, by actual difference in sheet metal shapes. Before and after those years, several brands were only distinguished by bolt-on pieces or grille details or just nameplates.
But the spec chart shows a remarkable uniformity of engines and sizes. Everything was front-engine and rear drive, almost everything was OHV V8, almost everything was close to 120″ wheelbase. The late 50s were a peak of uniformity. Before and after this peak there were more sizes, more variety in basic configurations, and more engine types.
Tom McCahill’s head? I thought that was the cannonball
I was amused by the “Suddenly it’s 1960!” slogan from Chrysler Corp. Because when 1960 actually arrived, their cars looked dated and they were dazed and confused about which design direction the new decade would take and fumbled around in the dark for several years before sorting it out.
It truly could be said that the fresh, clean 1957 MoPars looked more modern than the 1960s, which appeared over-ornamented, junked-up and even (Plymouth) bloated in comparison with the 1957s.
I would agree with that.
The 60 Dodge Dart, De Soto, and Chrysler look ace to me. The Plymouth, senior Dodge, Imperial, and Valiant previewed the various freak show Mopars on their way.
I thought the facelift 59 Mopars were terrible.
The running joke on the street when the 1960 Mopars came out was, “Suddenly its 1957!” Which got a good bit of traction, much to the company’s dismay.
Tastes are funny and not always logical.
1957 was a pivotal year for a young car obsessed me.
I thought the Mercurys and Dodges were “overwrought”. I was 13, so that’s not the term I actually used. More a matter of “Like” and “Do Not Like”.
Ok, I did not “Like” Mercurys, Dodges, or any of the independents. Because they were dorky. And overwrought. And probably not too fast. Well, the Dodges were fast, I’ll give you that. Especially the D500s. But still dorky.
However, a beautiful young woman who was a friend of my mother drove a 1957 Metropolitan, so I liked Metropolitans. Because “Barbara Harris”. She was a goddess. And a flight attendant. Even then at age 13 I knew.
I liked 1957 Pontiacs, Chryslers, and Desotos because sleek and cool and fast and great dashboards. 1957 Bonnevilles, 300Cs, and Adventurers almost made me cry.
I did not like Imperials, or Chevies, or Buicks, because. Just because. You got a problem with that?
1957 Fords were beautiful but their dashboards needed work. What’s with the dorky and floppy painted shift levers with little white plastic end covers. You want to see a real shift lever, look at Oldsmobile’s.
And Studebakers, bless the Golden Hawk hardtop and its supercharged 289. If Al Black hadn’t taken my parents on a 100 mph ride on the Island Park to Jones Beach Loop parkway in 1957 (same road where Sonny Corleone met his demise), I would never have appreciated the goodness of the white with gold fins Hawk. (Never got a ride in that beauty).
100 mph in 1957 was an ungodly speed. With 4 adult passengers no less. With bias ply tires and drum brakes, I could have been made an orphan.
And 1957 Oldsmobiles, yes the 1957 Oldsmobiles, were created by the hand of God. Perfection.
The only 1957 car I ever owned was a white Oldsmobile 88 four door sedan.
It was old when I got it, so it wasn’t perfect. But, it was perfect.
You know what I mean?
I don’t remember seeing the ’57 Olds in your COAL series.
for your convenience; it was the one where I married my first wife:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1957-oldsmobile-88-chrome-reflections-rockets-and-dog-leg-windshields/
Now it comes back! The series ran so long that I forgot some details.:)
All of TODAY`S cars look the same, especially those faceless SUVs. If nothing else, most of the `57s -from every manufacturer- have character.
In the automotive world there is the call of the hidebound old fart:
1. “All the modern cars look the same.”
2. “The cars of my youth had more style, class and were altogether more desirable.”
In all honesty, a lot of those Fifties cars were ugly as hell. What’s incredibly beautiful about them is that we were totally entranced by them at age 5/8/11/14/17.
Very true. When I arrived in the US in the fall of 1960, when the new ’61s were just coming out, I found the cars from this era to be pretty absurd looking, for the most part. I immediately felt drawn to the ’55 Chevy, and a few other clean designs from the early/mid 50s, but most everything from ’56 -’59/60 was ridiculous. Yes, I was “impressed” by some of them, like the Imperial and Cadillac, but not for the right reasons, simply because they were so over the top.
I’m curious about the that ‘turbo-electric’ supercharger. Did anyone actually test this thing? It makes me think of the Judson supercharger for the VW, which did work and gave it startling power increases on the order of 40%. You just had to make sure the oil reservoir was kept full.
By the time I was really paying attention, these 57s were 7-8 years old, and in 1964-65 they seemed even older. As a kid I used to love looking at the ads in old magazines to see what the rusty old Clunkers that fascinated me looked like when they were fresh and new.
It’s fun reading the old ads. The marketers were more shameless then they are now. The Pontiac looks to be about the most old school car in this bunch, maybe a lot of firsts for 1955, not so much in ’57. You know the writer was reaching for something when mentioning fashion forward interiors as somehow more leading edge than the competition.
I’m going to be stuck all day wondering what the heck “Off-the-Shoulder” Look Interior Styling is.
Pontiac’s “Off-the-Shoulder Look” refers to the two-tone seat upholstery pattern on the vertical seat cushion that mimics an off-the-shoulder evening gown (a formal gown with only one shoulder strap).
That type of gown was considered to be high fashion at that time.
It was still kind of stylish in 1983, albeit with sweatshirts worn by female welders.
I remember that movie! It’s hard to believe that it debuted 33 years ago. Ms. Beals is aging quite well, judging by recent photos.
There were one or two 1957 Chevrolets and Fords around my town in the early 1970s, but the Mopars of that era had vanished.
There were some early 1960s Mopars around – including our neighbor’s 1962 Dodge Dart station wagon, which was their “beater” car – and even then I thought that they looked like something from outer space!
I never saw even a photo of a 1957 Chrysler or DeSoto until the mid-1970s, when I convinced my parents to buy me a paperback book about Chrysler Corporation’s history.
If MT thought the ’57’s were look alike, they would be amazed by some of the anonymous Hyundai / Kia / Mazda / Suzuki / Daewoo small sedans of the ’90s. Absolutely unidentifiable until you read the name badge.
Their cartoon today almost speaks to the diversity of looks in 1957, and is surprisingly forward looking. The lead car on the merry-go-round predicts the ’59 Cadillac in no small way. The guy with his nose in the air is in an interesting amalgamation of Mopar and the Chevy Nomad / Pontiac Safari. The last car picks up on the stacked headlights that were new and rare in ’57, but would be trendy off and on for the next 20 years. The wheel opening on the last car also predicts the 1960 Plymouth to some degree.
“Turbo Electric Supercharger”… today’s kits don’t work so I doubt they did in the 50’s either. To take 3 to 4 seconds off of a 0-60 time is a big deal; that would require at lease 50 more horsepower.
Aside from a vent / defroster blower motor, it look like the kit includes dual carburetors. I wonder if was easier to sell dual-carb kits if they include a “supercharger”.