1. Chevy
   Ford
2. Hudson
   Toyota

Ford touted the Edsel marque as "The car of the future" a year in advance of its 1958 release. Named for the son of Henry Ford, the over-hyped Edsel was dropped by 1960. The failure cost Ford hundreds of millions of dollars and made the name Edsel synonymous with business failure.

1. 2nd row of seats
   Standard record player
2. 26-inch tires
   Zebra-print trim

The iconic Ford Thunderbird was a sporty two-seater when it came out in 1955. Some people were critical when the company added a second row of seats to the vehicle in 1958, and the car only got bigger and bigger over the next few decades.

1. Jaguar
   Ford
2. Chevy
   AMC

The first generation of the Chevy Bel Air was a sporty bestseller when it came out in 1950, despite its solid, non-removable roof. The second generation of this classic car, produced between 1955 and 1957 and marketed as "The Hot One," is highly sought by car collectors to this day.

1. Hudson Hornet
   Nash Metropolitan
2. Buick LeSabre
   Sunbeam Alpine

The Hudson Hornet was a low-slung, full-size muscle car produced between 1951 and 1954. It was immortalized in the Pixar movie "Cars," with the character Doc Hudson, who was styled on the classic ride and voiced by none other than Paul Newman.

1. Trunk
   Triple headlights
2. Enormous tires
   Lack of doors

Studebaker produced the Starlight coupe between 1947 and 1952. This car stood out from other '50s rides thanks to a very long trunk cover that looked more like a typical car hood -- as well as a very over-sized wraparound rear window.

1. Toyota
   Volvo
2. Kaiser
   Chevy

Built by Kaiser and named for chairman Henry J. Kaiser, the Henry J was designed to be the '50s version of the Model T. Turns out, it wasn't all that much cheaper than its competitors, and was shelved after only four years.

1. Fourth row of seating
   Split windshield
2. Built-in record player
   Standard automatic transmission

First generation VW buses produced between 1950 and 1967 have a split front windshield, earning them the nickname Splitties. After 1967, the windshield on this classic ride was no longer divided in two.

1. Black
   Red
2. Blue
   White

The legendary Chevy Corvette came out in 1953. Around 300 units were made that first year, and all came with a white paint job. By 1955, buyers could choose from a wider range of colors -- and the car had been souped up thanks to a V8 engine.

1. Slanted headlights
   Single, central light bar
2. Rectangular lights
   Row of eight round lights

The headlights on the '59 LeSabre make this full-size Buick easy to recognize. Each side of the car features two circular headlights arranged at a diagonal, with either side of the front bumper area arranged at a slant. The car also came with round taillights and spectacular Delta wing fins.

1. Ford
   Chevy
2. Packard
   Pontiac

The Ford Anglia was a top seller in the UK in the '50s and beyond. You might recognize this car as the one that soared across the sky in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

1. Firedome
   Bonneville
2. Mark VII
   Caribbean

The full-size Firedome was DeSoto's top-of-the-line edition from 1953 to 1954, but became DeSoto's economy offering as new models were introduced between 1955 and 1956. New affordable DeSotos later in the decade pushed the Firedome to a mid-range offering.

1. Kensington
   Cambridge
2. Mayfair
   Ipswich

Named for the high-end Mayfair area of London, the Packard Mayfair sold briskly between 1951 and 1953. The hardtop coupe was replaced with Packard's Pacific model in 1954.

1. Nash
   Chevy
2. Jaguar
   VW

Nash introduced the Metropolitan in 1953 to serve as the second car in a two-car family -- a rare occurrence at the time. This tiny ride, which had a smaller wheelbase than the VW Bug, got stainless steel trim and a two-tone paint job starting in 1955.

1. Pontiac founder
   Racing area
2. Famous actor
   1920s car brand

The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah are a popular area for race car drivers. Pontiac borrowed the name for its full-size Bonneville, which endured from 1957 all the way through the early 21st century.

1. 1950
   1953
2. 1956
   1957

Ford introduced the second generation of its classic F-series in 1953. The trucks came with new names, with F-1 switched to F-100, F-2 and F-3 changed to F-250 and so on. The 1953 models also offered an automatic transmission option known as Ford-O-Matic.

1. Goldie
   Silver
2. Steel
   Woodie

Ford Country Squire wagons made in 1950 and 1951 had doors made of wood, earning them the nickname Woodie. While the model was continued throughout the '50s, later models were made entirely of steel, with the wood paneling added later, and aren't considered true Woodies.

1. Hudson
   Pontiac
2. Packard
   Jeep

Hudson made a major investment in its compact Jet model in 1953. While the car wasn't exactly a flop, its costly development left Hudson struggling, forcing a merger with Nash to form AMC.

1. SS Jaguar 100
   XK120
2. S-Type
   Mark VII

Jaguar produced the Mark VII between 1950 and 1956. Recognizable for its two-piece windshield, this model was also the first Jaguar to come with optional automatic transmission starting in 1952.

1. Post Office
   Sears
2. County fair
   Ford dealership

Allstate was a badged version of Kaiser's Henry J model, and was available exclusively at Sears stores. While most stores kept one sample on display, all 2,500 Allstate models sold in the '50s were built to order.

1. Pontiac
   Packard
2. Ford
   Buick

The Packard Caribbean was a personal luxury car produced between 1953 and 1956. The first year of production, the rear wheels were housed in cutouts, making them fully visible. Later models of this ride are easy to identify because the rear wheels are hidden by fender skirts.

1. Lancer
   Durango
2. Mountainero
   Ridge Runner

Hardtops were big business in the world of '50s cars. To make its full-size hardtops stand out, Dodge gave them the name Lancer. This moniker was used on Dodge Coronets, Regals and Custom Royals throughout the decade.

1. Crown Victoria
   Rambler
2. Skylark
   Townsman

Despite a high price tag for the period, the Buick Skylark enjoyed brisk sales. The company introduced this convertible in 1953 to commemorate its golden anniversary, then used the Skylark name on later models from the '60s through the '90s.

1. Alpine
   Mark III
2. Galaxie
   Silver Hawk

Around 1,500 Sunbeam Alpine sport coupes were built by hand between 1953 and 1955. Roughly 1,000 of these two-seaters were imported to the U.S., and one was immortalized on film in the movie "To Catch a Thief" in 1955.

1. Lion
   Bluebird
2. Panther
   Viper

Nissan's Bluebird line of cars was produced for decades. During the '50s, a rebadged version of the Bluebird was sold in the U.S. as the Datsun 210, while a truck version of this compact was sold under the name Datsun 220.

1. Sport coupe
   Sedan
2. Pickup
   Station wagon

To make its wagon models stand out, Chevy gave them the Townsman moniker between 1953 and 1957. This badge was used on both the 210 series and the Bel Air wagon models throughout the decade.

1. Studebaker
   Kaiser
2. Toyota
   Volvo

Studebaker marketed the Hawk line as family sports cars. With model names like Flight, Power or Sky, the line was sold from 1956 to 1964.

1. One-ton
   Dually
2. Two-wheel drive
   Automatic transmission

Chevy produced the iconic C/K line of pickups in 1959, and produced these trucks all the way through 1999, when they were replaced by the Silverado. The C designation was used on two-wheel drive models, while the K stood for four-wheel drive.

1. Glass bubble roof
   Electric motor
2. Standard television on dash
   Seating for 12

Mercury produced the full-size Monterey between 1952 and 1974. It came in many different variations, from sedans to wagons. One very unique '54 version, the Monterey Sun Valley, offered a see-through bubble top made up acrylic.

1. Cruise
   Impala
2. Corvette
   Bel Air

The 1958 Impala was released in celebration of GM's 50th anniversary, and had very distinctive dual headlights and triple taillights. Impala models that came out after '58 had more traditional teardrop-shaped taillights, as well as fins that stretched out toward the rear of the vehicle.

1. Chevy
   Jaguar
2. Ford
   Nash

Ford introduced the Continental line of personal luxury cars to succeed the Lincoln line in 1956. The Continental Mark II was the most expensive American production car when it came out in 1956.

1. Seating for 12
   Power steering standard
2. Compact size
   Standard V8

Produced from 1950 to 1954, the Nash Rambler was one of the first compact cars to find success in the U.S. market. It featured seating for five, as well as a sporty style and distinctive fender skirts covering the front wheels.

1. Venus
   Sirius
2. Galaxie
   Pluto

Ford used the Galaxie badge on full-size models starting in 1959. It helped to distinguish full-size versions of models like the Fairlane or Skyline from other brands, and was Ford's top-of-the-line trim from 1959 through 1961.

1. LeSabre
   Montenegro
2. LeBaron
   Eldorado

Cadillac produced the Eldorado personal luxury car between 1952 and 2002. The first models, which were all two-door convertibles, came out in 1952 in time for the company's 50th anniversary celebration. The name of the car comes from the Spanish and roughly means "City of gold."

1. Prius
   Land Cruiser
2. RAV4
   Tacoma

Toyota first introduced its iconic Land Cruiser in 1951 to take on Jeep. The company was inspired to produce an off-road vehicle thanks to the outbreak of the Korean War. The vehicle didn't get the Land Cruiser moniker until 1954, the year before it was first modified to appeal to civilian buyers.

1. Galaxie
   Anglia
2. Fairlane
   Country Squire

Ford first used the Crown Victoria name in 1955 and 1956 on certain versions of the Ford Fairlane. The moniker was used to identify hardtop Fairlanes with B-pillar roofs. A stainless steel trim on these models formed a crown of sorts on the roof, which included a fixed acrylic panel built into the top.