1. Chevy
   Ford
2. Toyota

In 1955, Ford unleashed the famous rear-wheel drive Thunderbird. The badge was so popular that it survived 11 generations.

1. six doors
   eight headlights
2. gigantic tail fins

The '59 Coupe de Ville took its styling to an extreme. It had two of the biggest tail fins ever to hit mass production … and people loved them.

1. about 1,300 pounds
   about 2,000 pounds
2. about 4,000 pounds

Remember when gas was so cheap that car makers gave not a lick about vehicle weight? See the C-300 as evidence -- this luxury sedan weighed about 4,000 pounds.

1. Chrysler
   Saturn
2. Chevy

The '57 Chevy isn't just a car, it's an icon of America. There may never again be a car so beloved by so many everyday people.

1. sporty drivers
   everyday commuters
2. the ultra-rich

In the '50s, Ford wanted to bring back Lincoln in a big way … with the crazily refined Continental. The car's jaw-dropping price tag meant it was best for robber barons and Hollywood celebs.

1. Ford
   Cadillac
2. Mini

The Edsel was a doomed car from Ford. With its hideous grille and other quirky aspects, it had terrible sales, resulting in major losses for the maker.

1. high-end luxury
   sedan
2. roadster

The Dodge Wayfarer was a rarity, in that it was one of the few mass-produced roadsters in the early '50s. But it didn't survive … it was put on the chopping block after '52.

1. C-300
   Bel Air
2. Chieftain Catalina Coupe

The 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina Coupe was a true luxury machine. It had heaters under the seat and a shaver, for those men who were already rushing into the frenetic pace of the late 20th century.

1. Rolls-Royce
   Ford
2. Cadillac

The fourth generation of Cadillac's Series 62 launched in 1954 and lasted for three years. The car was so popular that it accounted for nearly 9 out of every 10 Cadillacs sold.

1. automatic-dimming headlights
   automatic transmission
2. power windows

Before the 1950s, most cars featured manual transmissions. But in the '50s, automatics became the norm, marking a major shift in car operation.

1. single seat
   cockpit styling
2. gullwing doors

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL had fantastic gullwing doors. And they were tiny things, meaning drivers had to climb in and out of the seat as if the car was a fighter jet.

1. XK120
   Skylark
2. Bel Air

The Bel Air was a Chevy product. Better known as simply the '57 Chevy, it captured the hearts of Americans from coast to coast.

1. afterburners
   retractable hardtop
2. airbags

The '57 Skyliner had a very fun feature -- a retractable hard top. The top was a marvel of engineering that required three motors and hundreds of feet of electrical wiring.

1. small-block V8
   Hemi V8
2. flathead V8

The 1955 C-300 was a big, heavy car. As such, it needed a heavy-duty motor … and the Hemi V8 definitely fit the bill.

1. BMW
   Mini
2. Bentley

The 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental was a post-war icon. Its swooping lines and 4.6 L V6 motor made it fun to drive … but only if you could afford the smarmy $18,000 price tag.

1. about 14 seconds
   under 10 seconds
2. about 5.6 seconds

The Jaguar XK120 had a 3.4 L six-cylinder engine. It was enough to propel this sleek machine to 60 MPH in less than 10 seconds.

1. 1
   2
2. 6

Ford intended the Thunderbird as a personal luxury sports car. As such, it was anything but a sedan -- the '55 was just a two-seater.

1. Buick
   Ford
2. Chrysler

Chrysler did its best to keep the DeSoto name alive in the '50s, significantly cutting the price. But then the company abruptly discontinued the line, causing a major uproar with consumers who'd just bought one.

1. $3,400
   $5,500
2. $10,000

The Mark II Continental was a luxury car for the wealthy, with a sticker price of about $10,000. After inflation, that'd be more than $90,000 today.

1. VW
   BMW
2. Rolls-Royce

The 1956 BMW 503 Cabriolet is a very famous car from a very famous car company. In a notable move, the gear shifter was mounted to the floor instead of the steering column, as with most of the company's earlier models.

1. Nissan
   Chevy
2. Mazda

Chevy really hit its stride in the mid-1950s. Its incredibly popular models meant the company made up about 25% of all cars sold in the country.

1. Chrysler
   Mazda
2. Honda

The Imperial was a laughably expensive luxury car from Chrysler. It had a powerful Hemi V8 … and a neck-snapping price of more than $15,000 -- or about $150,000 in today's cash.

1. 1973
   1985
2. 2005

Ford axed the Thunderbird in 1997. But due to popular demand, the model returned from 2002 to 2005 … and since then, the name's not been used.

1. first generation
   second generation
2. fourth generation

In 1956, Lincoln unveiled the second generation of the Continental, aptly named the Mark II. The car's Y-block V8 was a 6.0 L monster.

1. sports cars
   luxury cars
2. compact cars

In a decade when most cars were trending bigger and heavier, Crosley went into compacts. The little cars topped out at 50 MPH but sold for less than $1,000. They were failures.

1. lack of seat belts
   recession
2. major recalls

A recession struck in 1957, and it made a significant dent in consumer spending. Car sales dropped by more than 30% in 1958 before bouncing back in a big way.

1. Chevy
   Cadillac
2. Nissan

"Tri-Five" is shorthand for the '55, '56, and '57 Chevys. These rear-wheel-drive cars spawned a craze in their own time and even more fanaticism today.

1. station wagon
   pickup
2. sports car

In the late '50s, Plymouth sold its Suburban station wagons to families across the land. The '56 Fury model was no slouch on the highway, as it had a 240 hp engine.

1. 1,200 pounds
   5,500 pounds
2. 7,300 pounds

You didn't need a semi parked out front if you had the '59 Continental. This blue whale of a car crushed the scales at 5,500 pounds.

1. Cadillac
   Ford
2. Dodge

In 1955, Dodge was on the ropes financially and came out swinging, in part with innovative models like the La Femme. The colors and terminology were all meant to expand the company's reach in the female market … but the concept only lasted for two years.