The USPS has released its "America on the Move: 50s Sporty Cars"
commemorative stamps. The choices for the cars honored were quite obvious
- 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, 1954 Kaiser Darrin, 1952 Nash-Healey, 1953
Studebaker Starliner, and 1955 Ford Thunderbird. There were not any other
serious contenders, though readers might differ.
Prior to the early 1950s, if you wanted a sports car, or even a sporty
car, you had to opt for an import. Detroit iron was still sedans and
station wagons. The closest thing to a sporty car was a convertible,
actually just a topless sedan.
The Nash Healey was the only true sports car with its chassis engineered
by Donald Healey in England, the body designed by Pinin Farina in Italy
and motivated by a six-cylinder Nash engine. The Nash-Healey was good
enough to earn a first in its class and third overall at LeMans in 1952.
The first 1953 Corvette’s fiberglass body looked liked a sport car, but
its mechanics including a “Stovebolt Six” and Powerglide wasn’t sports car
material. By 1955, GM, actually Zora Arkus-Duntov, had got it right with a
V8 now offered.
While the original Corvette floundered and was almost dropped, the Ford
Thunderbird was an instant hit when introduced as a 1955 model. Like the
Corvette, the T-Bird could have evolved into a real sports car, but by
1958 Ford had elected to put the Thunderbird on an even more luxurious
path with the four-passenger T-Bird. The next “closest” to a true sports
car was probably the fiberglass-bodied Kaiser Darrin, but only the last of
the 435 Kaiser Darrins built were fitted with a Cadillac V8 in lieu of the
earlier Willys six-cylinder. Though definitely not a sports car, the
Studebaker Starliner had a definite Grand Turismo look. Of all five, the
Raymond Loewy-inspired coupe design had the longest life as a sporty car.
It was still in production in 1964, albeit with several major facelifts,
as the Studebaker Grand Turismo Hawk.
The new 37-cent stamps are available in a variety of forms including
booklets of 20 stamps, First-Day Cover, stamped postal cards, and Digital
Color Postmark First-Day Cover. For more information visit your local Post
Offices and Philatelic Centers, call 800 STAMP-24 or click onto
www.usps.com.
Prior to the early 1950s, if you wanted a sports car, or even a sporty
car, you had to opt for an import. Detroit iron was still sedans and
station wagons. The closest thing to a sporty car was a convertible,
actually just a topless sedan.
The Nash Healey was the only true sports car with its chassis engineered
by Donald Healey in England, the body designed by Pinin Farina in Italy
and motivated by a six-cylinder Nash engine. The Nash-Healey was good
enough to earn a first in its class and third overall at LeMans in 1952.
The first 1953 Corvette’s fiberglass body looked liked a sport car, but
its mechanics including a “Stovebolt Six” and Powerglide wasn’t sports car
material. By 1955, GM, actually Zora Arkus-Duntov, had got it right with a
V8 now offered.
While the original Corvette floundered and was almost dropped, the Ford
Thunderbird was an instant hit when introduced as a 1955 model. Like the
Corvette, the T-Bird could have evolved into a real sports car, but by
1958 Ford had elected to put the Thunderbird on an even more luxurious
path with the four-passenger T-Bird. The next “closest” to a true sports
car was probably the fiberglass-bodied Kaiser Darrin, but only the last of
the 435 Kaiser Darrins built were fitted with a Cadillac V8 in lieu of the
earlier Willys six-cylinder. Though definitely not a sports car, the
Studebaker Starliner had a definite Grand Turismo look. Of all five, the
Raymond Loewy-inspired coupe design had the longest life as a sporty car.
It was still in production in 1964, albeit with several major facelifts,
as the Studebaker Grand Turismo Hawk.
The new 37-cent stamps are available in a variety of forms including
booklets of 20 stamps, First-Day Cover, stamped postal cards, and Digital
Color Postmark First-Day Cover. For more information visit your local Post
Offices and Philatelic Centers, call 800 STAMP-24 or click onto
www.usps.com.
