1959 Ford Fairlane 500Skyliner

The Fairlane 500 Skyliner was introduced in 1957 and featured a power retractable hardtop that folded down into the trunk space at the touch of a button. The retractable roof mechanism — also known as "Hide-Away Hardtop" — was unique to Ford-branded products and was not offered on Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, or Edsel-branded vehicles during this period. Because the unique option was expensive, suspected to be unreliable, and took up almost all the trunk space when retracted, the Fairlane 500 Skyliner attracted more attention than sales.

The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner was produced for the model years 1957 to 1959. A total of 48,394 units were built, with 20,766 produced in the first model year.

In 1959 the model name changed to Ford Galaxie Skyliner very shortly after production of the 1959 models had started.

For your own amusement, try searching YouTube for "Lucy Desi Ford hardtop convertible" to see an ancient advertisement for this vehicle.

1981 DMC DeLorean

The DeLorean is a rear-engine two-passenger sports car. Ultimately the only car brought to market by the fledgling DeLorean company. This model is sometimes referred to by its internal DMC pre-production designation, DMC-12. However, the DMC-12 name was never used in sales or marketing materials for the production model. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and noted for its gull-wing doors and brushed stainless-steel outer body panels, the sports car was also noted for a lack of power and performance, not in harmony with its looks and price. Though its production was short-lived, the DeLorean became widely known after it was featured as the time machine in the Back to the Future films.

With the first production car completed on January 21, 1981, the design incorporated numerous minor revisions to the hood, wheels, and interior before production ended in late December 1982, shortly after DMC filed for bankruptcy and after total production reached about 9,000 units.

Despite the poor quality and unsatisfactory driving experience, the DeLorean continues to have a strong following in part due to the popularity of Back to the Future. 6,500 DeLoreans were estimated to still be on the road as of 2015.

1955 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman

The Fireflite was introduced in 1955 as DeSoto's flagship model. It was wider and longer than previous DeSoto models and it came equipped with a V-8 Hemi engine producing 200 horsepower when equipped with the 4-barrel carburetor and PowerFlite automatic transmission. The transmission was operated by a Flite-Control lever located on the dashboard.

The Fireflite's bold new design increased sales for DeSoto. A total of 114,765 DeSotos were produced in 1955, making it the best year for the company since 1946. This was due in large part to the 37,725 Fireflites that were sold, including 10,313 of the 2-door hardtop Sportsman.

The car weighed 4,070 pounds and cost less than $3,000 in 1955. An AM radio was a $110 option.

1956 Hudson Hornet Custom 8 Hollywood Hardtop

The Hudson Hornet was manufactured by Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan from 1951 until 1954, when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Hudson automobiles continued to be marketed under the Hudson brand name through 1957.

For the 1956 model year, AMC executives decided to give the Hudson more character, and the design for the vehicle was given over to Richard Arbib, who provided the Hornet with one of the more distinctive looks in the 1950s. Taking the traditional Hudson tri-angle, Arbib applied its "V" form in every conceivable manner across the interior and exterior of the car. Combined with tri-tone paint combinations, Hudson's look was unique and immediately noticeable.

Probably the best-known Hudson Hornet is the animated 1951 Hudson Hornet based on the real-life Fabulous Hudson Hornets from NASCAR Grand National Series and AAA stock car racing. Doc, voiced by Paul Newman in the 2006 Pixar film Cars, is the medical doctor and local judge for Radiator Springs, After meeting Lightning McQueen, Doc reveals that he is a former Piston Cup racer known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, and returns to the Piston Cup to act as Lightning's crew chief in his races.

1954 Custom Movie Car

At a glance, you may think you know the make and model of this 1954 car... but look a little closer.

This car is one-of-a-kind and was produced for the 1977 movie The Late Show, a mystery starring Art Carney and Lily Tomlin. The front end of this convertible is a 1954 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire and the rear is a 1954 Cadillac El Dorado.

Curiously, The Late Show is set in 1951 and 1952 although both cars used to construct this vehicle were from the 1954 model year. This did not go unnoticed by moviegoers.

A movie poster for that film.