SPOTLIGHT: AFFORDABLE LUXURY
Virtually since the creation of the automobile, there have been people willing to pay more for something out of the ordinary. Sure, simply getting from point A to point B and back again was enough for most folks, but there were those who preferred to do so behind the wheel of a big, posh, capable vehicle that reflected their refined tastes and financial success.
America’s postwar economic boom fed the growth of the luxury car segment. These cars represented the very best that their makers had to offer, with high-quality materials, advanced engineering, muscular V-8s, power-assisted controls, and styling calculated to make heads turn. There was no better way to announce to the world that you’d made it than by parking one of these luxurious rides in the carport.
The growth of the suburbs, the construction of the interstate highway system, and the relatively low price of gasoline helped fuel the market growth for these land yachts. The segment wasn’t limited to the Big Three’s premium brands — Cadillac, Lincoln/Continental, and Chrysler/Imperial — but was contested by the middle-tier marques, too, like Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Mercury, and De Soto. Suddenly, the promise of luxury-car ownership was within the reach of the middle class.
Over the decades, the appeal of luxury has endured despite changes in consumer automotive tastes. The growth of the personal luxury car market showed that a premium car didn’t necessarily have to ride on an automaker’s longest wheelbase to be taken seriously; when the SUV rose to prominence in the late 1990s, opulent versions appeared virtually overnight. Even pickup trucks and minivans got the leather-and-wood treatment.
Today, many of these proud automobiles can be bought for a fraction of their inflation-adjusted sticker prices, which enables you to indulge your champagne wishes and caviar dreams on a beer-and-nachos budget. Here for your review are a dozen postwar American luxury cars that.
