1. 1958
   1951
2. 1952

The Ford Edsel was named for Henry Ford's only son, Edsel, who died in 1943. Discontinued in 1959, the Edsel was Ford's biggest failure.

1. V-8 engine
   Cruise control
2. Heated seats

The super powerful V-8 engine had been around for some time, but it became common in the '50s. Due to how large the cars were, it just fit, literally and figuratively​.

1. The hardtop convertible
   The mini sedan
2. The pickup truck

Hardtop convertibles were quite popular in the '50s. The first power hardtop was the Ford Skyliner.

1. The industry's plan to restore old cars from the junk heap
   The GM plan for introducing a new style every three years
2. A plan to make fins bigger each year

GM designer Harley Earl thought that by introducing something new every three years or so, it would induce people to buy the new model. This was "planned obsolescence."

1. Great Britain
   France
2. Germany
   All of the above

The U.S. out-produced all these countries several times over in terms of car production. In fact, they were the world leaders at the time.

1. They were safer than today's cars
   They were fuel efficient
2. They were unsafe

Although quite beautiful, '50s cars were incredibly unsafe! That being said, they were still very innovative.

1. Chevrolet
   Oldsmobile
2. Pontiac

Chevrolet was the top seller in the '50s! They sold 13,419,048 vehicles in total! Go Chevy!

1. General Motors
   Chrysler
2. Ford
   All of the above

These three car manufacturers were at the top of their game. They made innovations in both design and technology.

1. Car headlights
   Car bumpers
2. Car fins

The fins kept growing! They started out as modest, but by 1959 cars like Cadillacs had flamboyant fins, to say the least.

1. Chevrolet Bel Air
   Chrysler 300 letter series
2. Ford Retractable Hardtop
   All of the above

All of these cars were big winners during the '50s. They would define the decade in terms of automobiles.

1. The low-rider
   The sports car
2. The smart car

The '50s marked the birth of the sports car. In fact, it was when the Corvette was born.

1. Volkswagen
   BMW
2. Hyundai

Volkswagen was the most popular foreign car at the time. And the U.S. was importing more cars that it exported!

1. Nash
   Studebaker
2. Crosley
   All of the above

RIP to these car manufacturers. The list also includes Hudson, Packard, and Kaiser-Frazer.

1. Cars with radios
   Cars with leather seats
2. Cars with automatic transmissions

There was a huge increase in automatic transmissions in 1951. 1.5 million fully automatic cars were made that year.

1. They were great!
   They should be a thing of the past
2. They didn't exist

The automotive industry wanted the one-car family to be a thing of the past. They imagined a world where families had different cars for various uses.

1. Small, independent auto makers
   Big manufacturers
2. Parts manufacturers

Small auto makers were a thing of the past. Large manufacturers literally swallowed up the whole industry.

1. They used garish paint colors
   They thought people would want compact cars
2. Their engines often failed

Crosley Motors banked on consumers purchasing their compact cars. The company folded in 1952.

1. 1950
   1955
2. 1959

The Chrysler 300 letter series definitely broke with the past. It was the answer to the old pre-WWII​ style and presented a great design innovation.

1. The Automotive Museum in Tucson, AZ
   The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan
2. The National Car Museum in Poughkeepsie

The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan is home to some of the most amazing '50s cars. This includes the famous 1951 GM LeSabre.

1. Cadillac
   Studebaker
2. Packard

If you owned a Cadillac, you got a boost in status. I mean, Elvis owned one, so that says everything right there.

1. People's incomes doubled
   There were tax incentives attached to buying a car
2. The suburbs

Simply put, everyone moved to the suburbs. This meant that folks had to have a car to get around.

1. Volkswagen
   Studebaker
2. Nash

Studebaker merged with Packard in 1954. They were hoping to compete with the "Big Three" manufacturers.

1. Chrysler
   General Motors
2. Suzuki

Chrysler really went for the aerodynamic look thanks to Virgil Exner. Dodge and Plymouth went the same route.

1. The sports car
   The station wagon
2. The RV

There was a huge boom in station wagon sales in 1957. Before that, it was considered a luxury for most people, but on this year it turned into a family car.

1. Wider
   Longer
2. Lower
   All of the above

'50s cars were longer, lower and wider in general. Today, these cars seem more like ships than automobiles.

1. Put foreign manufacturers out of business
   Make the U.S. an economic superpower
2. Pull the country out of recession

Cars in the '50s literally made the U.S. the superpower that it is today. Manufacturing led to incredible prosperity for this country.

1. Simple
   Streamlined
2. Flamboyant

Cars in the '50s were down for being flamboyant. There were some serious chrome-laden body designs.

1. The Hemi engine
   The Stallion engine
2. The Chrome engine

The Hemi engine was a huge step forward in terms of power. Chrysler was seriously leading the way in terms of what cars would eventually be capable of.

1. Almost 8 million
   Less than 5 million
2. More than 10 million

Almost 8 million cars were made in 1950. In fact, the number was 7,987,000 to be exact.

1. 1950
   1953
2. The '60s

In 1953, a few car models featured air conditioning. This was definitely optional equipment.

1. Cadillac
   Packard
2. Dodge

In 1959, Cadillac came out with the Cyclone, a car that seriously looked like a rocket. It had a clear plastic "bubble" top.

1. 1940s
   1950s
2. 1960s

In the 1950s, automatic windows were no longer for luxury cars only. The design feature became widespread.

1. Power brakes
   Power steering
2. Andriod Auto
   All of the above

Chrysler introduced power steering in 1951. It was known as Hydraguide.

1. 1953
   1958
2. 1959

1953 was the automotive industry's best year. This followed two years of shortages and restrictions.

1. Bankruptcy
   Rubber shortage
2. Steel strike

There was a nation-wide steel strike in 1952. This seriously hindered automotive production.