I
n _1 9 5 5 . . .
Few years rival 1955 as a boom season,
or for signaling cultural shifts that were quickly taking place—in
and out of the auto industry. American auto production jumped 44
percent in the model year, topping 7.9 million cars—a new
record.
Close to seven out of 10 families had an
automobile (or even two). The horsepower race was in full swing,
led by the new Chrysler 300—so named for its engine output.
Kaiser-Willys Corporation was now the only automaker without a V-8
engine—and the company was about to exit the business.
Chrysler’s “Forward Look”
ranked a most dramatic of all American automobiles, helping that
beleaguered company to hike its market share to a healthy 17 percent—up
from 11 percent a year earlier. Imperial now listed as separate
make . . .some long-wheelbase Crown Imperial are built.
Legislation was introduced to make
seatbelts required. Ford and Chrysler announced dealer-installed
belts. Dealers in 311 cities launched a free safety program, aiming
at two million vehicles.
The American Automobile Association halted
sanctioning of auto races, and urged manufacturers to emphasize
safety, not speed. Michigan was the first state to require a driver’s
education course before issuing a license to youths under 18.
Not only did two-tone paint gain popularity,
but three-tones hit the market—some in strange pastel shades.
Color-coordinate interiors grew more lavish. Tubeless tires became
standard, and seven out of ten new cars had an automatic transmission.
In effort to modify its image, the National
Used Car Dealers Association voted to change its name to National
Independent Automobile Dealers Association—the designation
used today.
Even though today’s enthusiats
can easly discern a Ford from a Chevrolet, a Buick from a DeSoto,
experts at the time expressed dismay about the growing similarities
among car models. The wrapped windshield, for one, suggested to
some critics that automakers were merely following each other’s
lead—imitating rather than innovating.
In fact, each make had fewer unique mechanical
features than in past season. Therefore, ads pushed styling, size,
price, and power, along with less-tangible inducements such as atatus
and comfort. Dealers began to decry the profussion of color and
option possibilities, complaining that they couldn’t stock
enough cars to safety starry-eyed customers—who found it harder
than ever to make up their minds.
Wages had been rising faster than car prices
ever since the end of World War II. The average full-time worker
now earned $76 a week, or $3851 per year—and the average car
retailed for $2300.
More than half of families took in over $5000
yearly, up from one-third of families in 1950. Unemployment was
no cause for concern, dipping below four percent.
A whoopping 72 percent car purchasers bought
on time, versus 59 percent of those who signed on the dotted line
in ’53. Two-year payment periods were elbowed aside by longer-term
schedules and low, low down payments. Auto contracts totaled $14
billion—more than half the total installment credit.
The National Automobile Dealers Association
warned against “crazy credit terms.” Repossessions were
on the rise. Even General Motors Acceptance Corp. expresed concern
that “some customers who should buy used cars are being induced
through easy terms to take delivery of new cars.”
Americans also tended to order their cars
well-equipped, typically loaded down with options, shunning the
price-leader specials that might have satisfied them a few years
earlier.
The first McDonald’s was erected
in 1955—though few dared predict its eventual impact on American
culture. Colonel Sanders had Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
under way, and Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California. An LP (long-playing)
record cost $3.98 or so, and GM stock split three for one. Shoppers
could buy Crest toothpaste, and “Ann Landers” dispensed
her first snippets of advice to newspaper readers. Kids wore Davy
Crockett hats, in response to a TV series about the frontier hero.
Male teens turned to pink shirts and charcoal gray suits with “pegged”
(narrow) cuffs.
Some 4.5 million Americans read the scandal-riddled
Confidential magazine, and President Eisenhower gave his
firs televised presidential press conference. The minimum wage rose
from 75 cents an hour to a dólar an hour.
Marty won the
Oscar for best picture—and its star, Ernest Borgnine, took
best-actor honors. James Dean starred in three films before his
untimely death in an automobile accident on September 30. Meanwhile,
Elizabeth Taylor married singer Eddie Fischer.
Fats Domino warbled “Ain’t That
a Shame,” The Pletters crooned “Only You,” and
Chuck Berry rocked his ode to “Maybelline.” TV premieres
included The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason, and Bob
Keeshin’s Captain Kangaroo. Annette Funicello led
The Mickey Mouse Club, and Gunsmoke debuted as
the first “adult” western. A few critics condemned the
jungle of TV antennas dotting rooftops, but most American eagerly
sampled the latest video wares.
Best-selling-books included Sloan Wilson’s
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, an early warning of the conformity
that was building fast in white-collar America.
Housewives,not yet taking to the
workforce in droves, were encourage to own all the latest labor-saving
gadgets, so families might have more leisure time—perhaps
to tour the countryside in that dazzling new piece of Detroit iron.
In fact, the Ethyl Corporation launched a “Drive More”
campaign to encourage consumption of gasoline.
Auto dealers pushed hard to secure those
record-breaking sales in ’55, sometimes cutting their markups
to the bone in a quest for volume. More than 61 million vehicles
were on the road, eight-million of them more than 15 years old.
One-fourth of the American fleet had seen more than seven seasons,
and were thus prime candidates for replacement with a spanking-new
hardtop or sedan.
Detroit had another round of restylings in
the wings to grab a few million more sales. But danger for dealers—and
the industry—lay ahead. Not only did the Senate begin to probe
merchandising techniques, led by subcomittee chairman Mike Monroney,
but investigators alleged that GM might qualify as a monopoly—subject
to forced breakup.
