Anyhoo, since we've already covered Ladies, Basketball and Dave Grohl, it's time to move on to the next thing that I love: cars. Over the next few weeks I'll break down my favourite cars from each decade, starting with the 50's. First off, notice that I said 'favourite' not 'best'. There might be better cars than these that were produced, but that doesn't mean they're my favourite. For example, in the first list the Lotus Elite made the cut but the Lotus Seven did not. Historically and performance-wise, the Seven is superior in every way, but, I like the Elite better. For no reason other than that, the list appears as it does. Secondly, I apologize to those of you that are big fans of pre-war automobiles, but I just didn't have enough 'true love' cars from each of those decades to make a Top 10 for each. Sorry.
So, per usual, feel free to chime in, in the comments section, and let's get started:
1958 Lotus Elite
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 1.2 L Inline-4
Horsepower: 95 bhp
Torque: 75 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 1110 lbs
Top Speed: 125 mph
Zero to Sixty: 7.9 seconds
This is a car that was a little ahead of it's time. Famous for it's innovative fiberglass monocoque, the Elite was extremely light weight and stuffed full of race technology. This made the car very expensive to maintain and resulted in Lotus selling every unit at a loss. But, historically it might have been worth it, as the Elite is considered by many to be the pinnacle of automotive engineering from it's era.
1956 BMW 507
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 3.2 L V8
Horsepower: 150 bhp
Torque: 163.7 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2579 lbs
Top Speed: 125 mph
Zero to Sixty: 8.8 seconds
I love roadsters. They may not be practical (especially in Edmonton) but practicality is vastly overrated. Especially when dealing with cars. The 507 is a sexy little number that was supposed to sell in the thousands, but ended up being far too expensive at the time for most people to buy. As such, as of today, barely 200 have survived, making this a rare collector's item.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 6.4 L V8
Horsepower: 345 bhp
Torque: 435 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 5060 lbs
Top Speed: 130 mph
Zero to Sixty: 10.5 seconds
This one is a fatty. There's no denying it. And, I know that most of my entries on these lists are going to be fast, sporty cars. But not all of them. Because despite all it's garish and excessive styling, I'm still smitten with the '59 Caddy. The chrome, the tail fins, the sheer size. It's everything an old-school Cadillac should be. Besides, as a child that loved few things in life more than Ghostbusters, the fact that they rode around in a Miller-Meteor ambulance version of this very car, is reason enough alone for me to always love it.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 3.4 L Inline-6
Horsepower: 210 bhp
Torque: 195 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2920 lbs
Top Speed: 120 mph (133 mph with no windscreen)
Zero to Sixty: 9.8 seconds
Sexy and British? Yes, please. When this car made it's debut in 1948, it was the fastest production vehicle ever produced (120 mph, thus the XK120 in the name). Nowadays, most cars are designed as a coupe first and then engineered to take the roof off and have a convertible option later on. In this case, the car started as a roadster and only had the roof added several years later in production. Needless to say, I love this about the Jag. Throw on some spoke wheels, and I'm sold.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 5.1 L V8
Horsepower: 225 bhp
Torque: 285 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2833 lbs
Top Speed: 120 mph
Zero to Sixty: 7.5 seconds
Why the '56 and not the '55 you ask? Well, that's a valid question, and the simple answer is that they looked nearly identical, but the '56 had an option for the 312 cu in V8 whereas the '55 only had the base 292 cu in V8. Those 0.3 extra litres are enough to put this one over the top.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 3.0 L Inline-6
Horsepower: 240 bhp
Torque: 217 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2410 lbs
Top Speed: 161 mph
Zero to Sixty: 8.5 seconds
Yes, it's the car most famous for it's gull-wing doors, but moving past that, it was still a sexy beast, and one heck of a performer (it was the fastest production car in the world when it launched). It was the first car with direct fuel injection, so it's pretty important historically as well. Although most people want the gull-wings, don't forget that the roadster was slightly different in styling, but no less appealing.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 2.0 L Inline-6
Horsepower: 170 bhp
Torque: unknown
Curb Weight: 1742 lbs
Top Speed: 146 mph
Zero to Sixty: unknown
Yes, it was a race car and not a production car. A few of the cars on this list are going to be. But with lines as sexy as these, how could I not include it here?
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 4.6 L V8
Horsepower: 290 bhp
Torque: 290 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 3080 lbs
Top Speed: 128 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.8 seconds
I loved Corvettes growing up. They were easily my favourite car. And, of the first generation, the '59 is probably my favourite. I was all about the double headlight, so that ruled out anything before '58. And '58 itself had subtle chrome additions that I prefer be left off. The '60 is close to the '59 and could be considered. Despite the larger engine options, the '61 and '62 are without the chrome teeth on the front and made a switch to the duck-style rear end, which I'm not as fond of. That just leaves the '59.
Layout: Mid Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 1.5 L Flat-4
Horsepower: 110 bhp
Torque: 88.5 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 1213 lbs
Top Speed: 137 mph
Zero to Sixty: 8.2 seconds
If it was good enough to kill James Dean, then it's good enough for me (what, too soon?). Porsche isn't known for making very attractive cars, so I think it's safe to say that this was easily the most beautiful one they ever built. Sure, the performance isn't staggering by today's standards, but it more than makes up for it with prestige and beauty.
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 4.6 L V8
Horsepower: 283 bhp
Torque: 290 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 4026 lbs
Top Speed: 111 mph
Zero to Sixty: 8 seconds
The '55-'57 Bel Airs are some of my favourite cars ever produced (my preference is for the '57 because of the tail fins...) And looking at the stats, it was really no slouch compared to other cars of the day (granted those stats are taken from a very rare, fuel-injected version of the V8). In terms of chrome and tail fins, I don't think it ever got much better than this.
Honourable Mentions:
1957 Morgan Plus 4
1955 Cadillac Series-62
1957 Lotus Seven
I'm surprised you didn't go with Naught to Sixty as the description for speed. Are you not a Top gear fan?
ReplyDeleteActually, creating lists is fun! Why would your followers be tired of it? Anyway, it's good that you've made your list of fave cars. It's a good way to remember and share all of those! These are vintage cars, Travis. A lot of people also like these cars! Some would just be too excited to see your favorite cars, decade by decade. The beauty of the history of cars can be clearly seen in your posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Flavia. I'm glad you enjoyed the list and took the time to comment. It really makes having done the list all the more worth while. And don't worry, I'm sure my followers aren't tired of my lists yet either, I just like to poke fun at myself from time to time.
ReplyDelete