The 1950s

The sports car era begins in earnest. The Mercedes 300 SL introduced mechanical fuel injection and gullwing doors, combining racing technology with road-car refinement in a way nobody had attempted before. The BMW 507 nearly bankrupted its maker but created one of the most beautiful roadsters ever drawn. Ferrari and Jaguar battled at Le Mans through the decade, pushing each other to develop faster, lighter, more aerodynamic cars. Porsche's 550 Spyder became James Dean's last ride and established Porsche's lightweight, rear-engine philosophy. The Citroen DS arrived in 1955 and looked like nothing else on any road. The decade established the European sports car as a global cultural object.

7 vehicles from this era