To better compete with luxury brands Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler made the Imperial a stand-alone brand in 1955. The Imperial's wheelbase was stretched four inches over the big Chryslers and all models came with a 5.4-liter FirePower V-8 engine making 250 horsepower mated to a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. An option was air conditioning for $535. This 1955 model was found in a auto graveyard near Denton, Texas. (Photo by Peter Hubbard)

Someone left this post-war (Circa 1947-1950) Chevrolet pickup permanently parked by the side of the road in the Maggie Valley area of western North Carolina. Chevrolet came out with its new "Advance Design" pickups in June 1947, beating Ford to the punch with the first all-new truck following World War II. (Photo by Nancy Howell)

This 1964/65 Ford Thunderbird was found in a yard full of old used-up cars on Route 66. We have for years thought the fourth-generation (1964-1966) the best designed four-place Bird. Its squared-off look moved away from earlier Thunderbirds.  (Photo by Jim Prueter)

If we didn't know better we'd think this might have been the Bonnie and Clyde car. This used up bullet-ridden 1950 Nash Statesman must have been used for target practice. The radically restyled 1949-1951 Nash was called the Airflyte. Pundits quickly dubbed it the "bathtub" Nash. During the three years of the Airflyte, Nash increased sales annually from 110,00 in 1948 to 205,307 in 1951. (Photo by Peter Hubbard)

A rusty hulk is all that remains of this 1966 Chevrolet in eastern North Carolina. Its small block V-8 is gone, perhaps removed to give new life to another car. 1966 was a good year for Chevrolet with 2.2 million in sales. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

Studebaker adopted a bullet-nose look in 1950 giving its car a fresh appearance. Studebaker called it "The Next Look" in cars perhaps implying it would start a trend. Apparently the redesign worked — 1950 sales jumped nearly 250 percent rising to 320,884 units from 129,301 in 1949. This restorable '50 Studebaker was found in Casa Grande, Ariz. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

An old Sinclair gas station has been restored and turned into a Route 66 attraction in the village of Paris Springs Junction, Mo. The gas station, which was established in 1926 on the Chicago to Los Angeles highway, is now a tourist stop on the old route and contains some artful displays of old cars. One of those displays features a 1952 Packard that is being worked on by a "thirsty" mechanic. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

With the introduction of the Rambler in 1950, Nash established a new segment that is acknowledged to be the first successful modern American compact car. The original Rambler, produced from 1950 through 1955, came in sedan, station wagon, hardtop and convertible formats. This Nash "Country Club" 2-door hardtop was found in an automobile graveyard along Route 66. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1990s GMC Sonoma compact pickup truck was found languishing in the weeds in eastern North Carolina with a load of junk in its bed. The Sonoma was the GMC version of the Chevrolet S-10, built from 1981 through 2004 in North America. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

It's possible to find more than just Harley-Davidson motorcycles at some Harley dealerships. Take the Lindon, Utah, store for example. Outside on display was a used up 1959 Chevrolet station wagon complete with  boat on top, presumably ready for a summer vacation. Chevrolet sold 1,462,140 cars in 1959 outselling Ford by a scant 10,000 units. (Photo by Jim Meachen)