Let’s revisit the “Suddenly It’s 1960!” generation of Chrysler products through these vintage images. Many words have been devoted on this site and elsewhere to these products, in many ways the apex of the postwar Jet-Age fascination. As many have said, the arrival of these Chrysler products in 1957 was a defining moment.
It’s also commonly known that their quality woes in their rush to production soured many buyers, leaving a starcrossed legacy. But before all that happened, the cars were an eye-grabbing presence on the roads, as these images will show. As known, the whole fin-age would quickly die after ’57-’58. But the impression they caused left an impression for decades to come.
At least one product of each of Chrysler’s divisions is featured in this gallery, either posing on their own or alongside some admirer.
In the last picture, I wonder if thats Levitown PA where they were in a hurry to build the neighborhood and the last thing they did was pave the streets. Thats gravel.
Sorry to say that the couple with the 58 Imperial look like they are going to a funeral 😬. THEIR OWN!
A family friend bought a 1958 Chrysler. On the way home from the dealership the gas tank detached and partly fell off. He hiked to a pay phone and called the dealer. “Hi. The gas tank fell off the car you just sold me.”
The dealer told him “Oh, just bring it on in and we’ll fasten it back on again.”
“Um…I can’t bring it in– there’s no gas tank.”
They eventually agreed to send a tow truck.
These were such great-looking cars and probably the sleekest, most graceful 4-door hardtops of the era. Too bad about the body integrity issues.
The HUGE black Imperial didn’t look to be spreading JOY to it’s owner? 🙁 DFO
Nice, I love the big fins, Space age.
I recall my dads 58 Plymouth 6 cyl, 3-on-the-tree, when it rained and he hit a puddle, the engine would stall. He figured it out: it was a flathead six and water would fill up around the spark plugs. Let it sit for a minute or two and the engine heat would evaporate the water.
Good times!
I was 5 years old when these 1st hit the streets. Every other car on the road suddenly looked so dated. I was envious of a friend whose parents bought a ’57 Plymouth wagon. It was so cool riding in the wayback of their Plymouth with the window open. Unlike the Ford or Chevy wagons of the day, the Plymouth back window rolled down into the tailgate. I resolved to own one of these futuristic cars some day.
I’ll never be able to explain why I held such an irrational attachment to these cars but the urge to own one never left me. In 1976, I happened upon a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere sedan on the back row of a “We Tote the Note” lot on 11th street in Tulsa. The space age look was long outdated, but I finally had a chance to buy the car I dreamed of as a kid. Then my dream met reality.
A western Oklahoma car, the top of the car was well bleached and surface rusted from the sun. Foam in the upholstery was completely dead and the seats required several rolls of duct tape to hold what was left of the fabric together. The car reminded me of an aging beauty queen. Still wearing jewelry and perfume, the but the clothes were now rags and the skin tone was long gone. Body wise, these were never durable cars and age had not done my Plymouth any favors.
The mechanical components were the saving grace. The 318/TF was a stout powertrain that never gave me problems. The factory AC was easily made operational with a new set of clutch brushes. My 1st car with AC! The torsion bar suspension was sound. After I re-arched the sagging rear leaf springs and replaced the tie rod ends, the Plymouth drove and handled as well as most contemporary 1970’s full size American sedans. Not a high bar, but still impressive for such dated mechanicals.
I drove that Plymouth all over the country from Key West to Wisconsin to SoCal. I was really sorry to have to sell it when I drew my 1st overseas assignment in the Army.
Had an uncle that bought a new Chrysler in the early sixties and it had two bolts holding the front chrome bumper. One was a flat chromed bolt and the other was a regular rusty bolt and he worked at their factory in Indy.
I’ve never seen this photo of what was planned for the Forward Look next–this appears to be a 1960 De Soto proposal: