Making its world
premiere at the 49th
annual Chicago
Auto Show was the
magnificent1957
Chrysler 300-C
convertible. Billed
as America’s most
powerful car, the 300-C pumped out an amazing 390
horsepower. Chrysler’s new heavy duty three-speed
Torque-Flite was highlighted as an improvement on the
pushbutton drive introduced by the manufacturer the
previous year. Additional 1957 MoPar high-performance
vehicles on display at the International Amphitheatre
were the Plymouth Fury (290 horsepower), Dodge
D-500 (295 horsepower) and De Soto Adventurer (345
horsepower). All
were the finest
expressions of
Chrysler Motors
sensational new
“Forward Look”
styling led by
design chief Virgil
Exner.
Released as a springtime edition to the 1957 model
run, the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner was a huge hit
among the crowds attending the 49th annual Chicago
Auto Show. This was America’s first mass-produced
retractable hardtop automobile, dubbed the miracle car of
its generation. The hide-away all-steel hardtop changed
at the touch of your finger into a sun-loving convertible.
The two-seat Thunderbird was highlighted in the Ford
exhibit, one with removable hardtop roof in place, one
with convertible roof up and a third TBird with the roof
folded down.
A bird’s eye view of the “jewel case” décor inside
the International
Amphitheatre was
photographed
during the 49th
annual Chicago
Auto Show. Crowds
swarmed through
the 1957
Chevrolet
exhibit, which
featured the Bel Air convertible in the foreground.
For 1957, the “Sweet, Smooth and Sassy” Chevrolet
lineup, including the Corvette, could be ordered with
a “Ramjet” fuel injection 283-cid V-8 engine with
up to 283 horsepower. In the photo on the right, a
one-of-a-kind Chevrolet Corvette, the 1957 Super Sport,
caught the attention of Chicago Mayor Richard Joseph
Daley and three auto show officials.
A memorable dream car from
the 1957 Chicago Auto Show was
the space-age Buick Centurion.
Envisioned for superhighway
cruising, the Centurion featured a
transparent roof and weight-saving
fiberglass body. One of the futuristic ideas built into this
experimental Buick was a “seeing eye” television camera.
Housed in the trunk compartment, the camera replaced
the traditional rearview mirror by projecting the view of
the road behind to a television screen on the dashboard.
Visitors to the
49th annual Chicago
Auto Show had
the opportunity to
inspect a boatload
of imported vehicles
from England, France, Germany and Sweden. Many of
the European models were economical to purchase and
own, yet humorous in appearance and underpowered for
most mid-1950s American consumers. In the photo is a
pair of “Paris-styled” Renault four-door, four-passenger
sedans. The black Grand Luxe 4CV, which contained
a 28 horsepower four-cylinder engine, rode on an 82-
inch wheelbase. Next to the 4CV is a white Dauphine
that developed 30 horsepower and was built on an 89-
inch wheelbase. A world of cultural differences can be
appreciated when the French Renaults are compared to
the longer, wider and lower American-made Imperial
convertible. With
its lengthy 129-
inch wheelbase,
the Imperial was a
sparkling example
of Chrysler’s
Forward Look
styling.
In 1957, Pontiac
advertised that it
had a big surprise
for those attending that year’s Chicago Auto Show. It was
the brilliantly styled, limited edition
Bonneville convertible. This was the
first production Pontiac to wear the
Bonneville name. The Bonneville
came equipped with the mighty fuel
injection V-8 that delivered a “deep-
chested” 300 horsepower.
It was 60 Years Ago Today...
(continued from Page 19)
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