1950s American
Car Styling

Attached is a 1956 article from Gentry Magazine by Eugene Bordinat (1920 – 1987), one of Detroit’s more prominent automotive designers; during his reign at Ford, Bordinat oversaw the styling of such cars as the Mustang and the Falcon:

“The average American likes to think that he is an independent thinker and a rugged individualist, while actually he is closer to a sheep and follows the herd. He resists change. He wants just enough change in cars so his neighbors will know it is the latest model, but not so much that he has to explain to his friends why he bought the strange contraption…The stylist must consider these factors when he out-lines his advanced thinking on trim and color…he must be sure that the scheme isn’t so radical that it will frighten the color-timid public.”

Read a car design article by Harley J. Earl