Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Rhiannon12866

(221,384 posts)
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 02:51 AM Oct 2019

The Most Popular Car the Year You Were Born



1951: Studebaker Starlight Coupe
Despite not surviving long enough to see out the decade, Studebaker, in name alone, screams "1950s!" loud and clear. The 1951 Starlight Coupe featured an innovative wraparound greenhouse rear window that, nearly 60 years on, looks sharp, futuristic, and just plain cool. No one would ever call the Starlight a weird vehicle, then or now, but the same cannot be said of these truly wacky cars.




1954 to 1955: Chevrolet Bel-Air
Come 1954, cars in the United States were more affordable and being made safer and easier to drive. Power steering and automatic transmission were in more than 50 percent of new models. GM also introduced a new invention called the "Autotronic-Eye" which would automatically dim the high beams when a car would approach and then turn them back up when the oncoming car passed (something not even standard in all new cars today!). By 1954 and 1955, one of the most iconic rides of this era was now being offered with power brakes, power 2-way front seat, and power front windows. It was also available in stunning seafoam green. Interior carpet, a Ferrari-inspired grille, V8 engine, and 2-speed automatic transmission also helped to make Chevy's "Hot One" a popular car in the mid-1950s. Find out what your favorite car color says about you.




1964: Ford Mustang
Zero to 60 Times says it best when it comes to the Mustang: "Probably the single most iconic '60s car in America, the 1964 Mustang started a revolution. Good looking and cheap, the original Mustang wasn't fast, but offered a V8 option that showed the capability of the design."





1972: VW Beetle
Sadly gone today, the Beetle was unlike any other vehicle for much of its 65 years. No car aside from the Model T is more instantly recognizable. It was with the 1972 model that the VW Beetle overtook Ford's famous Model T as the world's all-time most-produced automobile.


Much more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/the-most-popular-car-the-year-you-were-born/ss-AAJjFl3?ocid=spartanntp
20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Most Popular Car the Year You Were Born (Original Post) Rhiannon12866 Oct 2019 OP
That's a '57 Chevy, and the VW beetle is not a '72 sop Oct 2019 #1
That makes sense to me - since I think my grandmother had that Chevy Rhiannon12866 Oct 2019 #3
What, there are no photos of a 54-55 Chevy Bel-air? ZZenith Oct 2019 #2
That Beetle is about an early 1960s model bucolic_frolic Oct 2019 #4
And it floated. tecelote Oct 2019 #6
Good thing, there was no current to float it downstream. 3Hotdogs Oct 2019 #8
They sure could! ChazInAz Oct 2019 #13
'62 & a right hander at that rickyhall Oct 2019 #7
When I was in college BumRushDaShow Oct 2019 #11
In the year I was born Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #5
They don't go back far enough for me either. keithbvadu2 Oct 2019 #10
1942. 3Hotdogs Oct 2019 #9
I was born in 1949, but I guess those born before 1950 do not count. TNNurse Oct 2019 #12
I know! That does not make sense! Rhiannon12866 Nov 2019 #17
My 73 Super Beetle was the best car I ever owned. Dem2theMax Oct 2019 #14
Rambler Ambassador. bluedigger Oct 2019 #15
Buick Riviera Eugene Oct 2019 #16
Spam deleted by MIR Team Evallon Jun 2020 #18
Cool car, dude. marble falls Jun 2020 #19
Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2020 #20

Rhiannon12866

(221,384 posts)
3. That makes sense to me - since I think my grandmother had that Chevy
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 03:08 AM
Oct 2019

And that Beetle does look pretty new. But I just used the photos they had in the article.

bucolic_frolic

(46,825 posts)
4. That Beetle is about an early 1960s model
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 05:19 AM
Oct 2019

My dad had one, I think it was a '63. $1875 brand new. Amazing storage capacity for its size. Had a handle in front of the passenger seat, mounted on the dashboard above the glove compartment, to hold onto. I remember standing up in the front and holding it.

tecelote

(5,141 posts)
6. And it floated.
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 05:42 AM
Oct 2019

The old beetles could float across a flooded road. My Dad did it once proving my Mom right that he really was a bit crazy.

ChazInAz

(2,772 posts)
13. They sure could!
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 12:12 PM
Oct 2019

Had to play submarine a couple of times when I misjudged the depths of those Central Illinois puddles, but that was in the Sixties.
The most "popular" (Read "available".) car when and where I was born was a Trabant, and it was roundly hated!

BumRushDaShow

(141,657 posts)
11. When I was in college
Mon Oct 28, 2019, 10:16 AM
Oct 2019

I remember while working as a counselor there for new students over a summer, one of our fellow counselors had one and on July 4th, we fit 9 of us in one and drove from Amherst, MA to Brewster, MA on the Cape (a bit more than 90 miles). On the trip back, we only 7 in there (the other 2 hopped a ride in another car).

It's unbelievable how "small" they look on the outside but with the bench seats front and back, they were roomy as hell inside.

Rhiannon12866

(221,384 posts)
17. I know! That does not make sense!
Sun Nov 10, 2019, 06:48 AM
Nov 2019

My Dad was born in January 1928 and my grandmother said that my grandfather kept driving their car around the block so it didn't freeze while she was in the small town hospital giving birth. I never thought to ask her what kind of car that was...

Response to Rhiannon12866 (Original post)

Response to Rhiannon12866 (Original post)

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Automobile Enthusiasts»The Most Popular Car the ...