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69-397: In response to its design, the model line would become called the "Shoebox Ford", denoting its slab-sided " ponton " design. While the design theme had been in use since the late 1920s to streamline automobiles, the 1949 Ford marked its widest-scale use, removing running boards entirely and integrating front and rear fenders into a single, smooth body form. Following the 1948 introduction of

138-451: A "High-Performance PowerPAC" at extra cost. A manual transmission was standard with the push-button two-speed PowerFlite optional and the push-button three-speed TorqueFlite automatic also optional on V8 cars. The front suspension introduced Chrysler's Torsion-Aire Torsion bar suspension shared with all Chrysler products starting in 1957. In 1957, Chrysler products offered a choice of either single or dual headlights. Plymouth installed

207-488: A "family appearance" for their automobiles that also included the Nash-Healey . The 1952 redesign of the two-seat sports car took on an "even closer family appearance" to the redesigned Nash models by featuring "pontoon-type fenders fore and aft." The new styling also moved the headlights "from the pontoon fenders to the grille." The term is also used in reference to Mercedes-Benz models from 1953 to 1962. For example,

276-569: A 217.8 cubic inch (4,107 cc) side-valve six-cylinder engine, imported from Chrysler UK. It was produced as a four-door sedan and as a locally developed two-door coupe utility , along with similar Cranbrook and Savoy models, until it was replaced by the Chrysler Royal in 1957. The Belvedere was reintroduced to the Australian market in early 1958 when Chrysler Australia began assembling the current model Belvedere four-door hardtop which

345-570: A Belvedere. The GTX came standard with the 440 CID engine and the Road Runner with the 383 Magnum, with the 440 six-barrel or the 426 Hemi engines optional. The Belvedere name was dropped at the end of the 1970 model year, replaced by the Satellite name originally reserved for higher-end Belvederes. It lasted only through 1974, becoming the Fury in 1975 when the longer-wheelbase Fury model became

414-568: A Ford vehicle. In a functional upgrade, Ford replaced the starter button with a keyed ignition. For 1949, Ford of Canada introduced the Meteor brand, intended as an entry-level brand to be marketed within the Lincoln-Mercury dealership network; in smaller communities, the two brands did not share dealership networks. Using a Ford body, chassis, and V8 drivetrain with a Mercury grille (and brand-specific trim), Meteor gave Lincoln-Mercury

483-420: A block that was inclined 30 degrees to the right to permit a lower hood line with maximum displacement. This engine used a single-barrel Holley carburetor and became known for its extremely rugged construction, exceptional reliability, and longevity. The V8 engines continued to be optionally available, in displacements of 318 cu in (5.2 L) and 361 cu in (5.9 L). Unit body construction

552-483: A book about the marque refers to "the Ponton", the "Ponton saloon", "Ponton 220", "Ponton 220S and SE coupes and cabriolets", and "the Ponton models". A General Motors document refers to the 1953 Olympia Record as "the first Opel with a full-width, or ponton, body shell". The Volkswagen Beetle carried articulated running boards and fenders, but the subsequent Volkswagen Type 3 became known for its ponton styling; in

621-399: A lower-price vehicle, effectively giving Ford Canada a brand to compete against Pontiac and Dodge. For 1949 to 1951, Meteor-brand vehicles shared their model names with Ford vehicles, including a Custom Deluxe Victoria coupe. The 1949 Ford V8 generation was also produced by Ford Australia from 1949 to 1951, serving the Australian market. Alongside a right-hand drive Fordor 4-door sedan,

690-525: A one-piece windshield, flush rear fenders, and a lower hood line. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy-Drive semi-automatic transmission . The engine was carried over from 1952, with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10:1, which yielded a rating of 100 hp (75 kW). A total of 35,185 Belvederes were sold in 1953. The Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as

759-514: A pair of rakish tail-fins. In early 1956, the Fury joined the Belvedere line as a special-edition high-performance coupe. Belvedere remained the top full-line series through 1958. In 1956, Plymouth added seat belts. In 1956, Chrysler's chief engineer George Huebner in a public-relations campaign took a Belvedere and had a Chrysler turbine engine fitted instead of the standard gasoline engine, and

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828-460: A patent for a streamlined car with an evenly shaped lower body, that covers the wheels and runs parallel to the floor space. A year later he presented his first running prototype with such a body, the "Ley T6", and in 1923 Auto Union presented a streamliner concept car, designed by Jaray. Another of the first known cars with a ponton body is the Bugatti Type 32 "Tank" which participated in

897-492: A styling element adopted by Studebaker for the 1950 facelift of the Studebaker Starlight . During the 1950s, the slab-sided exterior design would go on to influence many European manufacturers, including Mercedes Benz, Borgward , Austin , Volvo and many others. For 1949, Ford returned to first place among American manufacturers, selling 1,118,740 Ford cars. While bolstered by an extended 16-month model year,

966-531: A time capsule in downtown Tulsa on the grounds of the brand-new county courthouse. It was unearthed on June 14, 2007, during the state's centennial celebrations, and was publicly unveiled the following day. In line with the Cold War realities of late-1950s America, the concrete enclosure was advertised as having been built to withstand a nuclear attack. The concrete enclosure, however, was not airtight and allowed water to leak in, which caused significant damage to

1035-590: A two-door coupe utility was produced; the latter was developed specifically for sale in Australia. By 1950, locally produced models of Ford Australia had adopted a level of 80% Australian-sourced content. For 2001, Ford debuted the Ford Forty-Nine concept car at the 2001 North American International Auto Show . Designed by J Mays and Chip Foose (designer of the Plymouth Prowler ),

1104-534: Is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954, the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a full model line with sedans , station wagons , and convertible body styles. The Belvedere continued as Plymouth's full-sized car until 1965 when it became an intermediate. It

1173-524: The Cord 810/812 , the Auburn Speedster and several designs by French Carrossiers, notably Figoni et Falaschi . In 1938, The Buick Y-Job , the auto industry's first concept car was "meant to be a vision of the future of the automobile and test the reaction of customers to the new design with streamline and ponton elements", displaying a further degree of integration of the pontoon fenders with

1242-580: The Ford F-Series line of trucks, the Ford line was now offered solely as a car. In another change, Ford introduced stand-alone model nameplates for 1950. Designed by artist Frank L. Engle , the Ford crest emblem made its first appearance for 1950; in various forms, the emblem was used through the 1991 model year. In other firsts, this generation marked the first use of keyed ignition and the first automatic transmission option in Ford vehicles. For 1949,

1311-529: The Opel Kapitän (Germany). One of the earliest completely new styled cars that were introduced after World War II in the United States were the 1949 Nash models. Popular Science magazine described the new "pontoon" Nashes as "the most obvious departure from previous designs." They "carried the fender less pontoon-body, fast-back shape further than the competition." This Nash design became

1380-613: The 1923 French Grand Prix at Tours. In 1922 the Romanian engineer Aurel Persu filed a patent application for an "aerodynamically-shaped automobile with the wheels mounted inside the aerodynamic body" having a drag coefficient of only 0.22 and received it in Germany in 1924. Named the Persu Streamliner the car was built in Germany by Persu, with the help of several local companies. During his research Persu established that

1449-408: The 1930s-1960s, when pontoon -like bodywork enclosed the full width and uninterrupted length of a car body — eliminating previously distinct running boards and articulated fenders . The integrated fenders of an automobile with ponton styling may also be called pontoon fenders, and the overall trend may also be known as envelope styling. Now largely archaic, the term ponton describes

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1518-425: The 1949 Ford was met with success. For 1950, the Ford saw minor changes, primarily to the exterior. In a badging change, the "FORD" lettering was replaced by an all-new crest badge; in various forms, Ford used a crest emblem on its full-size line for the next four decades. The trim nomenclature underwent revision, as Standard and Custom became Deluxe and Custom Deluxe, respectively. A Deluxe Business Coupe served as

1587-668: The 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air and the Ford Victoria , the first two-door hardtop in the low-priced American market. The Cranbrook Belvedere was the name for the two-door hardtop version of the Cranbrook and was built on the same 118.5 in (3,010 mm) wheelbase. Powering the Belvedere is the Chrysler flathead 217.8 cu in (3.6 L) straight-6 engine with a 7.00:1 compression ratio producing 97 hp (72 kW; 98 PS) (SAE gross). For 1952, Plymouth kept

1656-436: The 1952 Plymouth. In overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution and four without overdrive. The engine was a complete carryover from 1951. Production for 1951 and 1952 totaled 51,266 units. The Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through the 1953 model year, which saw all Plymouth models completely restyled. Significant changes include a shorter 114 in (2,900 mm) wheelbase,

1725-486: The 273 cu in (4.5 L) "LA block" V8 as standard equipment. The line was restyled in 1966, and the high-performance GTX was added in 1967. The pilot episode for the television show Adam-12 featured a 1967 Belvedere as the standard LAPD police cruiser. Engines: In 1968, the Belvedere—along with the rest of Chrysler's B-body offerings—was reskinned with " Coke bottle styling ." The Belvedere II

1794-416: The Belvedere for Commonwealth export markets such as New Zealand, India, and South Africa, in either CKD form or in factory right-hand-drive. Australia's local Chrysler operation built its own variation of the model until 1960. The Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere was introduced as a two-door pillarless hardtop on March 31, 1951. It was Plymouth's first such body design. The model was developed in response to

1863-461: The Belvedere model between 1956 and 1958. The 1957–58 Belvedere two-door hardtop gained notoriety from the 1983 movie Christine based on the novel by Stephen King. In the opening scene, in which the title is set as "Detroit, 1957," Christine appears near the end of the assembly line as a lone bright red car in a long line of Buckskin Beige Furys being built for the new model year (1958). (In

1932-409: The Belvedere was "a very pleasant transportation package." Another advantage of the smaller and lighter body was in drag racing. The 1963 and 1964 models used the same unibody platform as the 1962s, but were restyled to look longer and wider. The 1964 Belvedere (and corresponding Fury hardtop coupes) featured a new "slant-back" roofline that proved to be popular, and sales improved significantly over

2001-543: The Chrysler Corporation and for the Plymouth line. Plymouth's design was so revolutionary that Chrysler used the slogan, "Suddenly, it's 1960!" to promote the new car. Standard on all body styles except the convertible was the "Powerflow 6" L-head engine. The convertible was only V8 powered and V8s were available in other Belvederes with an optional "Fury" 301 cu in (4.9 L) version as well as

2070-510: The Cranbrook Belvedere essentially unchanged. The most significant upgrade was to the color scheme; to further distinguish the top-level Belvedere from other Plymouths, the two tones now flowed from the roof over the beltline onto the trunk, referred to as the "saddleback" treatment. Two-tone color schemes were "sable bronze" over suede, black over "mint green", and gray over blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in

2139-612: The Ford Forty-Nine was intended as a preview of a possible production vehicle. Alongside the glass-roof coupe, Ford also produced a (non-running) Forty-Nine convertible. After the disappointing launch of the Ford Thunderbird, Ford ended further development on a production version of the Forty-Nine. Ponton (car) Ponton or pontoon styling is an automotive design genre that spanned roughly from

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2208-496: The Ford car line was redesigned from the ground up; only the powertrain and 114-inch wheelbase were retained from the 1941-1948 generation. The Ford adopted a drop-center ladder frame; to further modernize its design, the transverse-leaf front and rear suspension (a feature in use since the Model T) was retired, replaced by a coil spring independent front suspension and longitudinal rear leaf springs . The torque tube driveshaft

2277-440: The Fury a full-size car, and Belvedere ostensibly became the intermediate size offering. However, the Belvedere was little changed, and most dimensions and weights remained the same—the Fury was merely enlarged, restoring a full-sized line which Plymouth had been lacking. The Belvedere line was divided into the Belvedere I, Belvedere II, and Satellite subseries, the latter available only as hardtop coupe and convertible, and featuring

2346-796: The Gran Fury. Belvederes were used in police service from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, when they were replaced by the Plymouth Gran Fury . They were prominent in both the LAPD and New York Police Department . The Plymouth Belvedere was also produced by Chrysler Australia . The first model, based on the 1953 US Plymouth, featured a high level of Australian content, with body panels pressed in Chrysler Australia's Keswick facility in South Australia and matched with

2415-542: The Netherlands the Volkswagen Type 3 (1961–1974) 2-door notchback sedan was referred to as the Ponton. In a reference work on alternative-energy vehicles, electrical-engineering academics used the term as a generic for saloon cars with three-box design ; also a 2007 German work on car design and technology mentions a " Rover -Ponton" (ponton-style Rover); and a French book on art and design also used

2484-593: The Soviet Union, the GAZ-M20 Pobeda came into production in 1946. This was about one month after the first 1946 Kaiser rolled off the production line. In Britain, the Standard Vanguard went on sale in 1947. The 1947 Studebaker Champion , designed by Virgil Exner and Roy Cole featured an innovative rear end that "surprised Americans who smiled and asked :which way is it going?" However,

2553-708: The Tudor-based Crestliner also made a return. Outselling the Bel Air by nearly 10%, the Ford Victoria was a marketplace success. Alongside the Victoria, Crestliner, and Country Squire, the Ford sedan line underwent minor trim revisions, with Custom Deluxe becoming Custom. Introduced in November 1950 as an option, the three-speed Ford-O-Matic became the first automatic transmission offered in

2622-537: The center of the "Bullet-nose" grille emblem, Ford embossed either a "6" or an "8" on top of a red circle, denoting the fitment of an inline-6 or V8 engine. While using a different body than Lincoln-Mercury, Ford Motor Company used ponton styling across all three of its divisions for 1949, with the Ford sharing similar styling as the Mercury Eight and the Lincoln . The center-mounted "Bullet-nose" grille became

2691-411: The cleaner, finless look was certainly on the way in, and today the Belvedere looks distinctive." Despite being good cars in performance, handling, modest weight, and appealing interiors, sales suffered. Plymouth yielded third place in U.S. sales to the 1960 Ramblers . The 1962 model year full-size Plymouths were "downsized," with more compact outside dimensions. American car buyers at the time were in

2760-699: The concept car was intended as a design successor to the revived Ford Thunderbird . Derived on the chassis of the Lincoln LS (and sharing its V8 engine with both the LS and the Thunderbird), the Forty-Nine was developed as a modern interpretation of the 1949 Ford Club Coupe; doing away with the "bullet-nose", the two-door adopted an all-glass roof. In a fashion similar to the Volkswagen New Beetle, Audi TT, Ford Thunderbird, and Chrysler PT Cruiser,

2829-488: The core body around two side-by-side passenger seats. He dispensed with running boards and integrated the fenders in the body to save on weight." The inexpensive car became popular with consumers in Germany. In 1935, Vittorio Jano , working with the brothers Gino and Oscar Jankovitz, created a one-off mid-engine prototype on an Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 chassis, which Jano had shipped to Fiume in 1934. The brothers Jankovitz had been close friends with designer Paul Jaray, and

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2898-694: The design is sometimes erroneously attributed to Raymond Loewy . In 1948, the Czechoslovakian Tatra 600 began production, a large, rear-engine design using an aeroplane inspired body style. Ford and General Motors followed the trend with their own designs from 1949. Ford examples are the Ford Taunus (Germany) and the Ford Zephyr (United Kingdom}). General Motors examples are the Vauxhall Velox (United Kingdom).- and

2967-437: The engine's stroke was increased by a quarter inch, increasing displacement from 217.8 to 230.2 cu in (3.6 to 3.8 L) and increasing power from 100 to 110 hp (75 to 82 kW). For 1956, Plymouth styling evolved from that of the 1955s. Most notable would be the introduction of the first push-button automatic transmission to appear in an American automobile, and a more dramatic rear-end treatment highlighted by

3036-588: The fenders took on the "pontoon fender" nickname. The post-war trend of the markedly round, slab-sided designs became itself known as ponton styling—with many postwar Mercedes-Benz models informally nicknamed the " Ponton ". The British assumed the latter definition, using it in such works as the Beaulieu National Motor Museum Encyclopaedia of the Automobile. Plymouth Belvedere The Plymouth Belvedere

3105-471: The first American cars with fresh post-war styling, that adopted the new envelope body style, were the 1946 Frazer / Kaiser , and the 1946 Crosley CC series . The Howard "Dutch" Darrin -designed Frazer won the Fashion Academy of New York Gold Medal for design achievement, and was said to have been the inspiration for the 1949 Borgward Hansa 1500 , Germany's first sedan in the ponton style. In

3174-421: The headlights in a facia that accommodated dual headlights while offering both single and dual lamps. This appearance can be seen with front turn signal lamps installed inboard, next to the headlight, while vehicles installed with dual headlights offered a concealed turn signal above the headlights in the headlight alcove. The Belvedere would once again return as a top-level trim for 1958 for the last time. Styling

3243-548: The main body of the car. Subsequently, the term pontoon fender took on another more prominent definition, derived from the wartime practice in Germany of adding full-length tread armor along each side of a tank, attached primarily on the top edge—and resembling pontoons. As this roughly coincided with the automobile styling trend where distinct running boards and articulated fenders became less common — with cars carrying integrated front fenders and full-width, full-length bodywork —

3312-706: The markedly bulbous, slab-sided configuration of postwar European cars, including those of Mercedes-Benz , Opel , Auto Union , DKW , Borgward , Lancia , Fiat , Rover , Renault , and Volvo —as well as similar designs from North America and Japan, sometimes — in its most exaggerated usage — called the "bathtub" look in the U.S. The term derives from the French and German word ponton , meaning 'pontoon'. The Langenscheidt German–English dictionary defines Pontonkarrosserie as "all-enveloping bodywork, straight-through side styling, slab-sided styling." In 1921, Hungarian aerodynamicist Paul Jaray requested

3381-453: The most adequate aerodynamic shape was that of a water droplet falling to the ground. In 1924, Fidelis Böhler designed one of the first production cars with a ponton body, the Hanomag 2/10 . The car's body resembled a loaf of bread earning it the sobriquet of " Kommissbrot "—a coarse whole grain bread as issued by the army. The economical car was produced from 1924 to 1928. Böhler built

3450-652: The most affordable Ford line. In response to negative consumer feedback, the door latch mechanism underwent multiple safety upgrades. To compete with the Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop, Ford introduced the Ford Crestliner "sport sedan". The first stand-alone American Ford nameplate, the Crestliner was a premium variant of the Tudor, fitted with two-tone paint and a vinyl roof. The two-door station wagon

3519-680: The new integrated steel structure was advertised as a "lifeguard body". Though wood was again used for external body panels, the "woody" station wagon adopted a steel inner body structure. To increase its body rigidity, the frame of the convertible received an "X member" reinforcement. Alongside the redesign of the car, Ford updated its model nomenclature for 1949. The previous Custom, De Luxe, and Super De Luxe names were replaced by new Standard and Custom trims , with Tudor and Fordor sedans (two-door and four-door, respectively), fastback Club Coupe and Business Coupe (the latter, rear seat delete), Convertible Club Coupe, and two-door Station Wagon styles. In

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3588-538: The novel, it is revealed that her first owner, Roland Lebay, had ordered her with custom paint, as the standard 1958 Fury came only in beige.) For the movie, Christine was painted "toreador red" with an "iceberg white" top. Starting in 1960, Belvederes got a brand-new standard inline six -cylinder engine replacing the venerable valve-in-block "flathead" six. Colloquially known as the Slant Six , it displaced 225 cu in (3.7 L), featured overhead valves, and

3657-661: The previous design. The 1964 Belvedere was also the car used to introduce the 426 Chrysler Hemi engine , which used a canted large-valve arrangement. This was such a significant high-RPM breathing improvement that Hemi-equipped Plymouth Belvederes won first, second, and third at NASCAR's 1964 Daytona race. One of the winning drivers was Richard Petty . 273 cu in (4.5 L) LA V8 318 cu in (5.2 L) LA V8 361 cu in (5.9 L) B V8 383 cu in (6.3 L) B V8 426 cu in (7.0 L) Wedge V8 426 cu in (7.0 L) Hemi V8 In 1965, Plymouth once again made

3726-692: The prototype, called the Alfa Romeo Aerodinamica Spider , featured ponton styling —an especially early and clear example of the bulbous, uninterrupted forms that would come to characterize the genre. In 1937, Pinin Farina designed a flowing ponton-style body for the Lancia Aprilia berlinetta aerodynamica coupé, and also the open body on the 1940 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet. The 1946 Cisitalia 202 coupé, which Farina designed from sketches by Cisitalia's Giovanni Savonuzzi,

3795-655: The rear fenders. An entry-level nameplate, the Plymouth Plaza, was introduced sharing the same design and technology at a lower price. In March 1954, Plymouth finally offered a fully automatic transmission, the Chrysler PowerFlite two-speed. Also new was a larger standard engine: a 230.2 cu in (3.8 L) I6 that was also used by the Dodge Division. Power was now rated at 110 hp (82 kW). Belvedere production totaled 32,492 for

3864-469: The term in an automotive context in 1996. Pontoon fenders are a type of automobile fender , or "wings" as they are more usually called in the United Kingdom. Originally the term referred to a design prevalent in the United States in the 1930s where front fenders encased a wheel and terminated in a teardrop point, remaining distinct from the running boards or the body of the car. Examples include

3933-401: The thought mode of "bigger is better", and sales of these models suffered. However, the smaller Plymouth provided greater owner approval in their actual use. A Plymouth Belvedere with a six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission was compared to the intermediate-size Ford Fairlane and the compact-size Chevrolet Chevy II in an economy test by Popular Mechanics and the road test concluded that

4002-434: The top-line offering for 1954. Now, a separate model instead of just a two-door hardtop, the Belvedere was also available as a convertible , two-door station wagon , and four-door sedan . The two-door hardtop version was now called the "Sport Coupe." The 1954 Belvederes featured full-length rocker sill moldings. Minor styling updates adorned the carry-over body design. For the first time, small chrome tailfins appeared on

4071-443: The vehicle. The controversial televised vehicle customizer Boyd Coddington was to have been the first to start the unburied car, had it been operable. The car was the prize of a 1957 contest to guess the population of Tulsa in the year 2007. The winning entrant, Raymond Humbertson, guessed 384,743 versus the actual figure of 382,457. However, Humbertson died in 1979 and now only distant relatives remain. A second car, this time

4140-531: The year. All Plymouths underwent a major overhaul for the 1955 model year. This was the first year of Chrysler stylist Virgil Exner 's "Forward Look." The Belvedere returned as top-of-the-line, and the Plaza remained the entry-level model. Chrysler promoted the all-new appearance, showing cars built at the Lynch Road Factory in a featurette movie Here . Midway through the model year (on February 26),

4209-470: Was a continuation of the 1957 models. A 350 cu in (5.7 L) big-block "B" V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors—dubbed " Golden Commando "—was optional on all models. For 1959, the Fury became the top range with a full array of sedans and coupes, and the Belvedere became the middle range. The Savoy became the least expensive model, and the Plaza was discontinued. The convertible was only available in

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4278-424: Was driven across the U.S. The 1956 models came with more V8 power upgrades: options were the 180 bhp 270 cu in (4.4 L) V8, 187 bhp 277 cu in (4.5 L) V8, 200 bhp 277 cid V8, and for the Fury, a 240 bhp 303 cu in (5.0 L) V8. Tail fins featured for the first time, in what Exner described as the "Forward Look." The 1957 model year had high sales for

4347-629: Was dropped, but the Sport Satellite was added to the overall lineup, using the same sheet metal. The new LA-style lightweight 318 engine was introduced this year and would remain available on the Belvedere throughout its production. The Plymouth Road Runner was introduced as a low-price, high-performance alternative to the GTX. Richard Petty won the Grand National championship in NASCAR in

4416-463: Was imported from the U.S. in knocked-down form . The 1959 model was equipped with a 318 cubic inch V8 engine and push-button automatic transmission. Chrysler Australia replaced their Plymouth Belvedere, Dodge Custom Royal and De Soto Firesweep models with the Dodge Phoenix in 1960. During Oklahoma 's 50th anniversary, a new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was sealed in a concrete enclosure as

4485-541: Was introduced throughout the line, though it appeared on certain Plymouths in earlier years such as the 1953 hardtop coupe. This eliminated the frame and was advertised as Unibody. Under Chrysler president William Newberg , Virgil Exner's styling team was encouraged to go "over the top" with distinctive styling, leading the 1960 models to be popularly dubbed the "jukebox on wheels" and the 1961 models were not well-received and "unfairly maligned just for being different...

4554-611: Was renamed the Ford Country Squire ; in a functional upgrade, the station wagon received flat-folding rear seats. For 1951, the Ford underwent several revisions, distinguished externally by the introduction of a "dual-bullet" grille. The Victoria name (last used for 1934) returned for a two-door hardtop, giving Ford a competitor against the Chevrolet Bel Air and the Plymouth Belvedere ;

4623-676: Was replaced after the 1970 model year by the Satellite , a name originally used for the top-trim level Belvederes. The word " belvedere " is Italian for "beautiful sight" or "fair view." Chrysler also had the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois , which began vehicle production in 1965. However, the Plymouth Belvedere was never assembled there. During the 1950s and 1960s Chrysler Canada built

4692-415: Was replaced by a more universally-used Hotchkiss drive shaft. Carried over from the previous generation, a 226 cubic-inch L-head inline-6 was the standard engine with an optional 239 cubic-inch Flathead V8. The 1949 Ford debuted at a gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in June 1948, with a carousel of the new model line complemented by a revolving demonstration of the new chassis;

4761-490: Was the car that "transformed postwar automobile design" according to New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). MoMA acquired an example for its permanent collection in 1951, noting that the car's "hood, body, fenders, and headlights are integral to the continuously flowing surface, rather than added on. Rounded, flowing forms, with unbroken horizontal lines between the fenders—the style had identified as "the so-called Ponton Side Design" became "the new fashion in Europe". Two of

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