1950s

The first full decade of the postwar era saw unprecedented development in the auto industry. While East and West engaged in an arms race, American car manufacturers practiced their own brand of one-upmanship, rolling out annual styling updates with increasing ornamentation. The compact and efficient overhead-valve V8, once the exclusive domain of Studebaker, was embraced by the Big Three as well as the newly formed American Motors Corporation. Juan Manuel Fangio won five Formula One championships, and race tracks were lapped by legendary sports cars like the Jaguar D-Type, Maserati 450S, Aston Martin DBR1, Porsche 550 Spyder, and V12-powered Ferraris.

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Live Auctions (28)

350-Powered 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-Door Hardtop

A Alumni

This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop was refurbished at some point under prior ownership, and work following the seller's acquisition on BaT in April 2023 involved installing a 350ci V8, a four-barrel Holley carburetor, a four-speed automatic transmission, a Ford 9" Positraction rear end, front disc brakes, body-color 15" wheels, power…

Bid: $26,250

1956 Ford Customline Fordor Sedan

NR No Reserve

This 1956 Ford Customline Fordor sedan is finished in Bermuda Blue and white over Medium Blue and white and is powered by a 272ci V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes 15" painted steel wheels, a Sony stereo, and chrome bumpers. The current owner acquired the car in 2015, reportedly from the original owner.

Bid: $4,600

Lone Ranger Silver- and Tonto Scout-Themed Children’s Ride

This combination Lone Ranger and Tonto-themed children’s ride was constructed by Big Boy Toys of Oklahoma in 2024, reportedly utilizing 1950s-era Lone Ranger rides produced by Bronco Sales of Chicago, Illinois. Both horses are incorporated into a single fabricated green-finished base, with the horse's names, Scout and Silver, advertised on…

Bid: $12,000

1958 Lancia Aurelia B20S GT

P Premium

This 1958 Lancia Aurelia B20S is a sixth-series, left-hand drive coupe that was completed on September 17, 1958. Chassis 1791 is said to have been registered in California as early as the 1970s and underwent refurbishment work before it was acquired by its previous owner in 1984. The car remained under their care through 2018, when it was acquired…

Bid: $50,000

1957 Continental Mark II

This 1957 Continental Mark II is one of 444 hardtops assembled in the model’s final year and was acquired new by the current owner's father. Chassis 3767 was later sold and underwent a refurbishment in the early 2000s that involved a repaint, an interior re-trim, and engine and transmission work before being acquired by the owner in 2020.

Bid: $35,000

1958 Fiat 600 Trasformabile

A Alumni

This 1958 Fiat 600 was refurbished prior to being purchased by the seller on BaT in February 2021, and it has subsequently covered approximately 100 miles. It wears a repaint in blue over two-tone vinyl, and it is powered by a water-cooled 633cc inline-four with a single Weber carburetor. Features include a four-speed manual transaxle, 12" steel…

Bid: $5,500

1959 MG MGA Twin Cam Roadster

This 1959 MG MGA Twin Cam roadster was built in March 1959 and dispatched to the United States, and it was owned in western Illinois from the 1970s through 2016, when it was purchased by Auto Vintagery of La Jolla, California. The car was purchased in September 2017 by the current owner, who commissioned Auto Vintagery to perform a body-off…

Bid: $47,000

1953 Willys CJ-3B

This 1953 Willys CJ-3B was disassembled and refurbished by the seller's neighbor, and it was purchased by the seller within the last year. Refurbishment work was concluded circa 2018 and is said to have included a repaint in tan, reupholstering the seats in tan, overhauling the 134ci Hurricane F-head inline-four, a conversion to 12-volt electrics,…

Bid: $7,600

1954 MG TF

This 1954 MG TF is powered by a 1,250cc XPAG inline-four paired with a four-speed manual gearbox and is finished in Green over Biscuit leather. The car rides on 15" knock-off wire wheels and features a Fawn soft top, Lucas driving lights, rear-hinged doors, and a folding windshield with wind wings. It is further equipped with dual SU carburetors…

Bid: $7,000

24-Years-Owned 1957 BMW Isetta 300

This 1957 BMW 300 coupe remained with a single family between 1961 and 2002, when it was acquired by the current owner, a BMW North America employee. It was subsequently restored in conjunction with BMW North America for collision-center student training purposes. The body was removed from the frame and repainted its factory shade of Japan Red and…

Bid: $29,999

1953 Chevrolet 3100 ICON Derelict TR #19

P Premium

A Alumni

This 1953 Chevrolet 3100 is a five-window pickup that was built for the current owner by ICON 4×4 of Chatsworth, California, in 2022 and is designated as the 19th example built of the ICON Derelict TR “Old School 5-Window” series. Work involved installing an Art Morrison chassis, a 6.2-liter E-Rod LS3 V8 crate engine, a Tremec Magnum…

Bid: $150,000

327-Powered 1958 Studebaker Champion Club Sedan

NR No Reserve

This 1958 Studebaker Champion was refurbished and modified under prior ownership with a 327ci Chevrolet V8 linked to a TH350 three-speed automatic transmission. A Camaro-sourced independent front suspension with disc brakes was added, and the interior was customized with front bucket seats, black vinyl upholstery, a wood-rimmed steering wheel,…

Bid: $5,000

1959 Porsche 356A Cabriolet

NR No Reserve

This 1959 Porsche 356A is a Reutter-built cabriolet that is powered by a 1.6-liter flat-four paired with a four-speed manual transaxle and is finished in Ivory over brown leather. Features include a brown soft top, 15" ventilated steel wheels, a removable hardtop, a driver-side mirror, body-color bumpers, a Blaupunkt radio, and bucket…

Bid: $65,000

1958 Chevrolet Corvette 283/230

A Alumni

This 1958 Chevrolet Corvette is powered by a 283ci V8 paired with a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission and is finished in Panama Yellow over charcoal vinyl. The car was sold on BaT in March 2022 and acquired by the seller after being offered again in September 2023. Service under current ownership has included overhauling the convertible…

Bid: $56,500

Single-Family-Owned Custom 1951 Ford Tudor Sedan

This 1951 Ford Tudor Sedan was purchased new by the current owner’s father, who customized it several times over the next six decades. Power comes from a 440ci Chrysler V8 with an Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor, and the engine is backed by a four-speed manual transmission and a 9.75” rear end.

Bid: $5,200

350-Powered 1959 Jaguar Mk IX

This 1959 Jaguar Mk IX sedan has been modified with the installation of an L98 350ci V8, a GM 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission, and a limited-slip rear end with 3.73:1 gearing. Finished in gray and blue over blue leather upholstery, the car is equipped with a sunroof, front disc brakes, power steering, 15" steel wheels, hubcaps, whitewall…

Bid: $4,200

1956 Plymouth Fury

This 1956 Plymouth Fury is one of 4,485 examples produced for the model year. First purchased by its late owner in the early 1960s, the car was reacquired by him in the early 2000s in Michigan after it had undergone a multi-year refurbishment under prior ownership.

Bid: $16,500

1955 Jaguar XK140 MC Roadster

This 1955 Jaguar XK140 MC roadster was delivered new in late 1954 through Max Hoffman in New York and was later featured in a road test that appeared in the April 25, 1955, issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. Chassis S810507DN subsequently underwent a multi-year refurbishment completed in the mid-2010s that involved a repaint in white along, an…

Bid: $75,000

8k-Mile 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn 4-Speed

This 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn was purchased new by Thomas Manville, Jr., known as an heir to the Johns Manville asbestos fortune and for his Guinness Book of World Records entry for his 13 marriages. Within a year it was sold to the first of three long-term stewards who retained the car for 20 years, during which the car purportedly…

Bid: $30,500

1954 Sunbeam Alpine

This 1954 Sunbeam Alpine is one of 1,582 examples built on the Marks I and III platforms between 1953 and 1955. Finished in red over tan leather, the car is powered by a 2,267cc OHV inline-four that breathes through a single downdraft carburetor and is mated to a floor-shifted four-speed manual transmission.

Bid: $9,999

1953 McCormick Farmall Super A

NR No Reserve

This 1953 McCormick Farmall Super A was refurbished circa 2010 and stored in a private collection before being acquired by the seller in 2024. The tractor is powered by a 113ci inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission and is finished in red. Equipment includes an offset driving position, headlights, wraparound horizontal grille…

Bid: $2,600

1956 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

This 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Seville is one of 3,900 examples produced for the model year, and it was acquired by the current owner in 2000. The car was refurbished around 2003, and it is finished in white over blue. Power is provided by a 365ci V8 linked with a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, and equipment includes dual four-barrel…

Bid: $7,100

1954 GMC 100 Pickup 4-Speed Project

NR No Reserve

This 1954 GMC 100 is a half-ton pickup that was registered in Nebraska in the 1970s and was purchased by the seller's late father approximately four years ago out of Arizona. Inherited by the seller in 2023, the truck is powered by a 248ci inline-six paired with a four-speed manual transmission and wears faded blue paint over a brown vinyl bench…

Bid: $5,000

350-Powered 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Business Coupe

This 1951 Chevrolet Styleline business coupe was refurbished and modified in 2012 under prior ownership with work that included repainting the body in turquoise, re-trimming the interior in black cloth, and installing a 350ci V8 paired with a TH350 three-speed automatic transmission. A Mustang II-style front suspension setup with front disc brakes…

Bid: $2,100

1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL

A Alumni

This 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL was refurbished in the 1990s and acquired by the selling dealer on BaT in 2022. The car is powered by a 1.9-liter inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission, and it is finished in white over red MB-Tex. Equipment includes a black convertible top, 13″ steel wheels with covers, a rear “Kinder” jump…

Bid: $15,000

1952 Vincent Black Shadow

P Premium

This 1952 Vincent Black Shadow was acquired by its previous owner in 2008 and was in partially disassembled non-running condition upon his passing in 2023. Recommissioning work that was carried out in preparation for the sale and performed at the seller's shop, Madhouse Motors of Boston, Massachusetts, included the installation of a Francois…

Bid: $34,500

37-Years-Owned 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Project

This 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190SL was acquired by the current owner in 1987 and is in non-running condition following several decades of storage. The car is equipped with a 1.9-liter inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission, and it is finished in red over black leather. Additional equipment includes a black removable hardtop, a black…

Bid: $30,000

1953 Mercury Monterey Convertible

This 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible was refurbished under prior ownership and purchased by the seller in 2021. The body has been refinished in yellow with a tan soft top over a re-trimmed interior with yellow and black upholstery. Power is provided by a 255ci flathead V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission, and the car is equipped…

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1950s

Live Auctions (28)

Auction Results