The U.S. automobile industry exploded in the years following World War II. As the industry worked to satisfy pent-up demand for new cars, automobile design was revolutionized. The late '40s through the early '60s was, indeed, the golden age of design as cars grew bigger and styling bolder.

It was truly an American phenomenon. There was no serious competition from the Europeans and Asians. American cars — and automobile design (fins and all) — set the standard for the world.

The following pictures are a cross-section of automotive hardware available for mass consumption from the late 1940s through the early '60s.

Spend a few minutes and relive through pictures the true golden age of modern automotive design.

1949 Kaiser Virginian

1949 Oldsmobile 88

1949 Pontiac

1950 Packard

1950 Nash Rambler

1950 Studebaker Starlight

1951 Ford

1951 Henry J

1953 Studebaker Commander

1953 Chevrolet Bel Air

1954 Chevrolet Corvette

1954 Hudson Hornet convertible

1954 Mercury Sun Valley

1954 Nash Metropolitan

1955 Packard Caribbean

1955 Oldsmobile 88

1955 Hudson Hornet

1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria

1956 Ford Thunderbird

1957 Ford


1957 Buick Roadmaster

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz


1957 Chevrolet convertible

1957 Lincoln

1958 Cadillac Fleetwood

1958 DeSoto

1958 Dodge Custom Sierra

1959 Edsel

1959 Chevrolet Impala

 
1959 Buick

1959 Studebaker Lark

1959 Mercury

1959 Mercury Country Cruiser

1960 Plymouth Fury

1960 Chevrolet Corvair

1960 Chrysler Valiant

1960 Imperial

 
1960 AMC Ambassador

1960 Dodge Polara

1960 Chrysler police car (Photo shot in Wisconsin by Jerry Brown)

1960 Dodge Dart

1960 Pontiac

1960 Lincoln

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