10 Cars From the '50s That You Need To See Before You Die

As much as we love the innovation that has come out in the past decade, we're still old souls, when it comes to our automotive favorites. Few cars send our teeth shattering on the pavement like the masterpieces that were created 40, 50, 60 years ago. So, we've decided to highlights some of the most influential and important models from each decade. Starting with the '50s, we're going to point out certain cars that every car fan should know about. Here are 10 Cars From the '50s That You Need To See Before You Die.

Related: 25 Classic Cars You Don't Know (But Should)

Related: The 50 Worst Cars of the '80s

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William Lyons, the owner of Jaguar, was responsible for the design of this beaut. This wasn't a car built purely for its stunning lines, though. It also had a 3.4-liter, double-overhead-cam inline-six that proudced 160 brake horsepower.The car was originally intended to be a limited run, but high demand led to higher production.

The two-seater Thunderbird was a direct response to Chevy's introduction of the Corvette. As you already know, it doesn't have nearly the lineage of 'vettes today, but the styling of the car made it an instant classic. The "luxury" car, as Ford advertised it, actually heavily outsold the Chevy's sports car. The car came standard with a 312 cu.-in., 5.1-liter V8 that produced 245 horsepower. This was the last year, before Ford made a significant redesigned for the second generation of the car.

You often see cars with numbers at the end of the name, like the Chevelle SS 396. Often, this is an indication of the displacement of the engine. These days, it might be an indication of the horsepower of the car. In the MG MGA's case, ti was an indication of how many CCs the car had. Technically, it was 1489cc, but they rounded up for the name.

Although the DB5 gets a ton of shine for being James Bond's ride of choice, the DB4 was a fantastic car in its own right. The GT Zagato, a high-performance version of the DB4, first saw daylight in '59. It had a 240hp, 3.7-liter, six-cylinder engine and four-wheel disc brakes. Basically, this thing was built for driving, not gently cruising around.

This was the year of the revolutionary 265 cu.-in. "small block" V8. Adding to the Bel Air's great improved chassis and attractive exterior, the overhead-valve Turbo Fire produced 162 horsepower, or 180 with the "Power Package." This is a car that still stops shows on the regular.

Nicknamed the "little bastard," this is indeed the car that James Dean drove to his death during an auto rally. But that's not why we should remember it. Some consider this Porsche's first pure racecar. Its extremely light weight and low-to-the-ground design helped it earn another more complimentary nickname: "The Giant Killer."

The Austin Mini was one of the most impactful cars of the decade. Designed by Alec Issigonis, the use of front-wheel drive revolutionized city driving. The car was less than 10 feet, yet offered decent space for families, largely taking the place of previous three-wheel microcars. It held a 33hp, 848cc engine.

There's iconic, and then there's Mercedes-Benz 300SL status. The 300SL stood alone visually for those gull-wings, but it was also the fastest sports car in the world. And those curves ...

Fifty-seven was the first year that the Corvettes offered a fuel-injecttion engine. It was a 283hp 283 cu.-in. block originally (how's that for hp-displacement ratio?), with a 327 offered starting in 1962.

This is the year that the first "Hemi," or an internal combustion engine with hemispherical-head chamber design, was introduced. The V8s, then known as FirePower engines, were 331 cubic inches and produced 180 horsepower, an extremely efficient displacement-to-horsepower ratio. The overhead-valve blocks were first used in the New Yorker and the Imperial. The New Yorker, at the time, was Chrysler's top-of-the-line model and was even selected as the Indy 500 pace car that year.