This 1956 Ford looks like it came from a galaxy far, far away. With all the shiny decals covering practically its entire body, it looks more like something a spaceman would be driving. But despite its excessive design, we need to give its owner a thumbs-up for creativity. Although no one in his or her right mind could think of something like this, we have to admit that we wouldn’t mind being caught driving in this thing. Too bad somebody purchased it ahead of us. This classic Ford is bound to be a head-turner wherever it goes.

Source: eBay, Car Domain Blog

When companies start to see their sales take a dip, they try to do something different in the hopes of revitalizing their brand. Take Pontiac for example. After being branded as a vehicle class for senior citizens, the company took the next (and right) step to capture a new set of audience. It released a performance car of its own. This led to the birth of the company’s first performance car, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville.

As a limited edition performance car, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville sported a fuel-injected, 347 cubic-inch engine. This allowed the car to produce a horsepower ranging from 227 to 290 horsepower. And when equipped with mechanical valve lifters and three two-barrel carburetors, the enhanced engine could go up to 317 horsepower.

Aside from having a powerful performance engine, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville also sported other unique features. There’s its fiberglass body which includes a Plexiglas bubble top. The full-sized performance car also had a 124-inch wheelbases chassis, front-fender hash marks, a ribbed panel on its rear, fuel injection badges (to notify motorists that your car sports a unique fuel injected engine), power steering and brakes, power windows, an eight-way power seat adjuster, leather upholstery, a Wonderbar radio complete with electric antenna, padded dashboard, an electric clock, and a combo of whitewall tires and tri-blade wheel covers.

These features, along with its powerful engine, are what made the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville a hit. And despite being priced (at that time) at $5,782, people couldn’t get enough of this full-sized car. As a result, a total of 630 units were built to address the clamoring need of the masses who wanted one.

So thanks to the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, Pontiac was able to revitalize its image and remove the stigma that it had of being a car for oldies.

Sources: Car Domain Blog, Wikipedia, Old Car and Truck Pictures

Image courtesy of Rich Truesdell from automotivetraveler.com

Before muscle cars became synonymous to the word cool, there was one vehicle that was considered the pre-cursor to this vehicle class. The first of its kind during the time it was produced. Although it looks nowhere like the muscle cars that came after it, it still managed to garner a reputation. And to top it all, it also carried a very cool name. So people, say hello to the Rambler Rebel.

Produced by AMC from 1957 to 1960 and 1966 to 1967, the Rambler Rebel was one of the company’s biggest offerings to the automotive industry. This vehicle was labeled as a supercar thanks to the powerful performance of its V-8 engine. The use of this engine also gave the Rambler Rebel the distinction of being the first post-World War II mid-sized car to carry this type of engine. As a result of having this engine type, the Rambler Rebel was able to produce up to 255 horsepower and go from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.5 seconds. For a car built in the 50’s and 60’s, that’s really fast. Even Motor Trend found the Rambler to be a top performer, especially when the magazine equipped it with a Bendix “Electrojector” electronic fuel injection during one of its testing.

Aside from sporting a powerful engine, the Rambler Rebel also had other unique features as well. The car had AMC’s lightweight 108-inch wheelbase, power steering capabilities, power drum brakes, dual exhaust system, and a heavy-duty suspension mixed with Gabriel shock absorbers and sway bar. It also had an option to be equipped with either a manual or automatic transmission. Lastly, AMC had its Rambler Rebel come in a unique silver paint matched with gold anodized aluminum inserts.

Whenever you chance upon a muscle car, keep this in mind: these rebellious vehicles wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for this very first rebel. So if you’re able to see AMC’s Rambler Rebel anywhere, show some respect and pay tribute to this iconic automobile.

Sources: Car Domain, Wikipedia