Mad Men era - cars
'Mad Men', the US drama about Maddison Avenue advertising executives, is set in the first few years of the sixties. A stylish car was essential to a top executive, and in one episode Don Draper treated himself to a Cadillac, the ultimate expression of the American automotive dream.
In the early sixties, the US car industry was, by standards of what had gone before, slightly restrained. The gigantic fins of the fifties were getting smaller, there was less chrome and the big three, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM), all introduced 'compact' cars.
Pictured right, Chrysler's compact offering was the strangely styled Valiant. Ford competed with the Ford Falcon and GM introduced the Chevrolet Corvair, both of which were more conventional in looks and understated in style.
The US car industry was feeling the pinch from imports from Europe. The VW Beetle, the complete opposite of the V8 powered gas guzzlers from Detroit, was a big hit. It was cheap, economical and practical. A series of simple, honest and witty adverts helped sell the image. Mad Men's Don Draper was impressed, with the ads at least.
The Chevrolet Impala was a glittering chrome showboat from the late fifties (above left). Its rear lamps resembled large eyes and the fins were so wide, they met in the middle of the boot. This early sixties Chevrolet Impala (above right) is quite the opposite: sophisticated understated style. It is minimalist, like a Mies Van De Rohe sky scraper; it is modern jazz, rather than rock'n'roll.
Don Draper's choice of the Cadillac was an expensive purchase even for him. Cadillac was the ultimate American car, embodying luxury, style and status. Cadillac, like other manufacturers went for the big fins at the end of the fifties. The car, above right, is from 1959. The 1962 Cadillac, above left, is much more restrained. The fins are still there, but much reduced in size. It is still a Cadillac, but does not need to shout about it.
Big, luxury cars of this era boasted a staggering range of features, some of which are only just appearing on modern European cars. Those at the top end of the market had cruise control, air conditioning, self dipping head lamps and push button automatic transmission. They were selling the world of tomorrow, only you could buy it nearly fifty years ago.
See also:
For more on the glamour and style of the era see Mad Men era fashion.
Catch up on Mad Men series 1 and series 2:
Your comments on Mad Men era cars
"The Chev Corvair, possibly one the most attractive cars produced by GM in the early '60's, was actually quite revolutionary with it's rear mounted air cooled engine. Sadly it was killed by rather unfair bad publicity. Curiously, regarding the big three's compacts, GM and Ford could have saved their money and imported the more compact offerings of their European/UK outposts such as the Vauxhall Cresta or Ford Consul." Anthony Henning
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