Classic American Sedans of the 1950s: The Four-Doors

In the new 'baby boomer' era of postwar North America, newly prosperous young families in the US and Canada purchased cars in the millions, using the vast new network of interstate highways to move to a better life in the suburbs.

Almost unlimited demand in the 1950s brought automobile production to record levels, with the main effort going towards four-door family sedans. Each model year would see new designs, enticingly marketed to a range of consumer types intent on 'keeping up with the Joneses' by purchasing a brand new car. By the end of the decade these were invariably sporting chrome embellishments and tailfins so characteristic of the time.

Though buffeted by a recession and the disappearance of several manufacturers that could not keep up with Detroit's Big Three automakers (Ford, General Motors and Chrysler), the 1950s ended with further styling evolution already under way.

Covering a decade of immense change, this lavishly illustrated volume features a panorama of some of North America's most popular four-door family sedans. An in-depth, year-by-year examination of the multitude of postwar manufacturers reveals an era that began with great conservatism but evolved to see the creation of some of the most stylistically flamboyant and uniquely equipped sedans in automotive history.