The 1952 Maverick Sportster was promoted as the “world’s largest fiberglass-bodied car.” It was designed by H. Sterling “Smoke” Gladwin Jr., a retired aeronautical engineer who previously worked at Boeing, NASA, and Lockheed. The car was built using a 1940 LaSalle chassis and was fitted with a flathead Cadillac V8 engine.
The Maverick Sportster’s engine produced 210 horsepower, which made it one of the strongest vehicles of the time. One promotional ad described the car as an “all-Western long-range commuter for Western highways.” Its beautiful build, both inside and outside, has been admired more and more over time.
1939 ZIS-101 Sport Coupe
Soviet engineers definitely had their way of designing some wacky inventions. One of these creations was the ZIS-101, a 1936 vehicle with a 5.8-liter I8 engine that produced 90 horsepower and a top speed of 71 miles per hour. The car was a two-seat limousine, one of the only ones in the world.
The ZIS-101 quickly became a standard vehicle in Soviet Russia and was produced in many variants, from an upgraded convertible version to a literal ambulance build. The Soviet car was produced from 1936 up to 1941 and even had a sports model, the 1939 ZIS-101 Sport Coupe, but only two of these were ever made.
1954 Buick Wildcat II
Buick originally opened its doors in 1899 as a subsidiary of General Motors. The company was founded by David Buick and helped establish GM as a major force in the United States during the start of the 20th century. The WildCat was one of Buick's most successful cars and ended up running from 1963 to 1970.
The WildCat was based on a 1954 concept car called the WildCat II, which was so successful that the company decided to keep a few units to itself. It was described as a dream car and featured a radical new design and a powerful V8 engine that produced 220 horsepower. It’s really no wonder that Buick decided to own a few of these masterpieces.
Nash Statesman
Some of the incredible vehicles produced by Nash were quite affordable at the time. |There were not all luxuries and even middle-class hard, working families could own one. The first-generation Nash Statesman was sold for just two years but gained a loyal fan base of customers. It was a full-size, mid-level sedan that was known for being reliable and safe (that is, according to ‘50s standards).
The Statesman was offered in three different trim levels: the Statesman Super, the Statesman Custom, and the regular model. After 1952, Nash introduced the second generation of this vehicle, which was a lot larger and packed a 3.2-liter I6 engine.
Hudson Commodore
The Hudson Motor Car Company was founded in 1909 and kept its doors open until 1954. It pioneered various impressive and revolutionary cars, from the 1917 Hudson Phaeton to the 2019 Roadster. The company’s largest and most luxurious model was, without a doubt, the Commodore, which came out in 1941 and lasted until Hudson's last years.
More than 50,000 of these cars were produced and sold over the years until eventually, progress and market competition beat the company out of the game. The original Commodore featured two powerful versions differing mainly in engine size and horsepower. It was one of the company's most versatile cars, too, and came in either a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or a 2-door convertible body.