turning on nickels and dimes

by Art Chantry ( art@artchantry.com )

1958 was an important year for american automobile design. after the hugely popular success of the new stream-liningg space age styling of the previous few years, along with the enormous extended lengths and equally enormous interiors and all that chrome and tail-fins and swept sci-fi lines and bright colors – MORE MORE MORE!!! – that were reached in the classic year of 1957? detroit just ASSUMED that americans simply wanted even MORE of the same approach. excess, family cars, sci-fi tanks with even MORE chrome jetsons style. but, what actually happened in 1958 is that all those crazy-ass new cars hit the market and totally tanked! they sold so badly that the american economy actually went into a small recession!

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it came as a total surprise to detroit auto manufacturers – of course. they seem to be taken by surprise by everything. their idea is always to ‘give ‘em what they want’ and give them ‘planned obsolescence’ – basically the idea that last years’ model is old and no good and that you need the very same car – but THIS YEAR’S MODEL! it’s NEW, therefore BETTER! that sort of thinking has proven disastrous for the country’s economic health and well-being in the long run. and it was first and most importantly promoted by the auto industry. in the olden days, a model T was built to last a lifetime. now, we accept yearly changeover in our fleets.

so, after the spectacular year of 1957 where space age car design hit it’s peak , detroit ASSUMED even more was better. so, they took all of those now classic models like the 57 chevy (for instance) and re-tooled to make them bigger, badder, mucho chrome madness rocket sleds. ever seen a 58 chevy? yeow! what happened?

well, detroit happened. american industry at it’s ‘huge supertanker turning a right angle’ best happened. what seemed to have occurred is that america changed between 57 and 58 – and changed significantly. out was the flash gordon/jayne mansfield future of sexy space conquest. now, “in” was the fearful, cold war, euro-trash italian-suited 007 and the jackie kennedy camelot look. from flash to sleek in one sudden lurch. as soon as detroit could get their footing, they began a slow (but lightning fast for detroit) change in direction. cars got sleeker, boxier, sportier, even smaller. the classy LINES became the rage and chrome was a slight hi-lite to accent those lines. fashion lost curvy and bodacious and adopted sleek and sophisticated. most of all, still fast and deadly. it’s like we went from decorative armor to lazer beams in one big step. in reality, the space age looked like sputnik and fear of annihilation rather than buck rogers conquers the universe.


so, nobody, but NOBODY bought the 1958 models. they suddenly looked clunky and corny. and when we look back and see them from our current perspective, we tend to lump all 1950′s and early 1960′s automobiles into one big category of retro modern space age. but, that period we think of as the greatest single era of auto design was actually many distinct eras directed by disaster and rebirth on a sudden notice. the peak was also the nadir. and turning on a dime was impossible. but, turn it did.

ADDENDUM:

AC: …i always look at design as the product of our shared culture, not ‘great men.”…i prefer the jayne mansfield analogy. it’s much more ticky tacky and appropriate….it takes some time for a supertanker to turn 90%. cadillac had tail fins for years after 58. not all of detroit changed much of anything at first glance. but, money speaks and they were changing fast….let’s be honest – that 58 pontiac station wagon really stinks. be honest. that clunky monorail above it looks light years beyond that car. and IT stinks, too….if you gauge by what caddy was doing as your barometer, well, yes. 59 was peak excess. but, caddy is a slow traditional market of slow slow change. chevy spoke louder to the american market. and just look at the difference between a 57 and 58 chevy. 59 vanished into the miasma. 60 started to sleek out. that’s really FAST for detroit….i often wonder what harley earl would have done if he hadn’t left….i posted an ad i found (from 50/60) of harley earl pitching pre-fab corigated metal buildings for your business use. the examples he showed were all the same basic structure (a fancy quonset hut) but one was a transmission shop, one was a hospital and one was a grocery store. really awful….

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