Tailfins – Fantastic Fins of the ’50s and ’60s
The tailfin era began when small fins were introduced on the 1948 Cadillac. Tailfins were the dominant styling feature through the 1950s and 1960s, regarded by many as the “golden age” of American auto design.
Here are some of the cars we spotted that sported tailfins during that time.
1959 De Soto Adventurer
Produced from 1956 – 1960, the DeSoto Adventure was restyled for 1959. It’s new “Forward Look,” styling began to rival that of the up-market Chrysler 300.
Although limited in its color schemes, the Adventurer was powered by a dual quad 383 V8 engine and a pushbutton automatic transmission.
It came equipped with most of the standard features found on any DeSoto automobile, including the standard swivel out seats.
1960 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
Emblematic of the finned era, the Cadillac was powered by a 390 ci engine topped off with tri-power carburetors and a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Cadillac produced just 1285 Eldorado Biarritz convertible coupes. Only 200-250 are still known to exist today.
1957 Chevrolet Nomad
1959 Chevy El Camino
1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville Hardtop
1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville Coupe
1965 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
1957 Ford Custom 300
The 1957 Ford models still featured a single-headlight front end, but really stood out with their long flanks and tailfins. The Custom 300 was a step up from the basic Custom model, but below the Fairland and Fairlane 500 models for 1957.
1960 Chevrolet Impala
1958 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe
The last of the fifth generation of Series 62 cars, this Cadillac was powered by a 365 cu in (6.0 L) OHV V8 and a 3-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
This was the last year before Cadillac spun off the de Ville and El Dorado models from the Series 62 lineup, into their own separate model lines.
