1951 Models

This was a down year for the auto market, with the standard bearers, Ford and Chevrolet, both down about 17%.  Many others fared worse.  The independents saw huge increases, but this was generally on tiny market shares.  When you’re tiny, like Frazier, a change in sales from 4,000 to 10,000 is a +150% change!  Note the asterisk by Kaiser’s 137% gain.  This is Kaiser plus Henry J (Kaiser), which saw a 1,370% gain over 1950!   Approximate total sales: 5,850,000; change: -7.8%.

1951 Noteworthy Events

• Buick –1-piece windshields throughout.
• Chevy – 235cid Six inline (used in ’53 Corvette), Powerglide.
• Chrysler – 331cid hemi-head V8!  Power steering (industry first).
• Ford – Ford-O-Matic two-speed automatic transmission.
• Mercury – Merc-O-Matic two-speed automatic transmission.

Kaiser change divided by 10 so the graph wouldn’t be scaled to this rogue value.

Chevrolet

The Chevrolet models again saw little change and were Special and Deluxe with Fleetline and Styleline subseries.  The bulging rear fender look was still retained.  The grilles were again slightly restyled but retained the general look of the previous style.  The Deluxe series had a new model in the Bel Air hardtop convertible.  It featured an attractive three-piece curved rear window.  The Styleline Deluxe accounted for nearly three-quarters of the vehicles sold. The 216.5cid six was joined by a 235.5cid inline OHV six-cylinder engine, bring horsepower up to 105.  The 3-speed manual transmission was supplemented by an optional Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission.  This was available only for the Deluxe line. 

Approximate sales: 1,229,000; change: -18%; industry rank: 1^st.

I like the focus on ‘looking like a big car’ that manufacturers have during this time period.

Buick

The ’51 Buick models remained Special, Super and Roadmaster.  They were largely unchanged this year.  All models use the sweepspear that was first seen on the ’49 Roadmaster.  It started just above the front wheel wells and curved gracefully down to the rear gravel shield.  It then continued straight across the top of the rear wheel well.  The grille lost some of its “toothiness”, with the nine vertical elements (teeth) being replaced with twice as many thinner pieces. 

The Special Deluxe, Super and Roadmaster all went to a one-piece windshield.  A 3-speed manual transmission was standard on the two lower series, with the Dynaflow again optional, but being standard on the Roadmaster.  The bottom-tier Special didn’t attract many buyers.  Engines remained the same, other than the 263 somehow losing 4hp. 

Approximate sales: 404,000; change: -31%; industry rank: 4^th.

No, it’s not a Buick, but it is a Le Sabre!

“This is the car that breathes through its nose.”  That’s kinda strange.  Maybe it’s a reference to working out, where it’s so easy you don’t even need to breathe through your mouth.

Gaze your eyes on this beauty, the Buick XP-300 show car. It had a 335hp supercharged engine that had hemispherical combustion chambers.

Oldsmobile

The Oldsmobile lineup for 1951 was now Eighty-Eight (Standard and Deluxe), Super Eighty- Eight, and Ninety-Eight.  The Seventy-Six designation was dropped.  There were still vestiges of the old rear fender style.  This year the 303cid OHV V8 was the only engine choice, and it was unchanged.  The 231cid six was gone.  Trans offerings were a 3-speed manual as standard equipment, with the Hydra-Matic optional in all models.  The Super Eighty-Eight accounted for more sales than the other two series combined.

Approximate sales: 285,000; Change: -30%; industry rank: 8^th.

Olds and their ‘Rocket’ theme.  There are lots of marketing-magic terms here: ‘flashing power’, ‘silken soft ride’, ‘magic driving ease’, among others.

I don’t know if this was specific to cars, but this seems to have been the era of ‘fluffy’ marketing terms, doesn’t it?

Pontiac

Pontiac models saw few changes for 1951.  Series names remained Streamliner and Chieftain.  The front bumper lost the vertical elements and the horizontal bar now angled down sharply near the center on both sides.  It retained the round center piece and was arguably more attractive than the previous style.  The Streamliner no longer offered the fastback body, which was a sign of the times.

The 3-speed manual with column shift was the standard transmission, with the Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic transmission available optionally. 

Engines remained the same, with the 239cid L-head six and the 268cid L-head eight.  Both engines picked up a handful of additional horsepower.  The eight was vastly more popular than the six.

Approximate sales: 370,000; change: -17%; industry rank: 5^th.

More advertising value…

Chrysler

For 1951 Chrysler made some changes.  The Royal line was no more, with the Windsor now the base series.  The grilles were unbusied, but the new look was only kept for one year.  Sheet metal was changed a bit, but the overall look was more or less unchanged.  One notable change, though, was to three-piece wraparound rear windows.  Chrysler became the first domestic automaker to make available power steering.

The one change that was landmark was the retirement of the 323cid L-head eight, and the introduction of an OHV hemispherical-head V8 of 331cid.  Horsepower was waaay up to 180hp! 

Approximate sales: 163,000; change: -9%; industry rank: 11^th.

This thing has impressive lines, doesn’t it?

Behold the Windsor Traveler!  The rear seat folds down to make storage space.

Dodge

For 1951 Dodge models received new hoods, grilles, and bumpers.  This was an evolution of the design of previous years and, while attractive, was far short of a remodel.

All models had a standard 3-speed manual transmission with Fluid-Drive, with the Gyro-Matic semiautomatic as an option.  The L-head straight six 230cid engine was a carryover. 

Approximate sales: 290,000; change: -15%; industry rank: 7^th.

Dodge is targeting the ladies with this advertisement.

I can only assume that Betty Hutton was a fairly well-known personality at this time.

Betty Hutton

Betty was an American singer and actress, being active from 1938 to 1983.  She would have her own show, ‘The Betty Hutton Show’ on CBS in 1959.  This was produced by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and their company Desilu Productions.  The show lasted 30 episodes.  She passed away in 2007 at the age of 86.

Plymouth

The Plymouth excitement from last year spilled over into 1951.  The series were renamed Concord, Cambridge, and Cranbrook.  The hoods and front fenders were tweaked a bit, but there were no substantial changes.  There was, however, a hardtop offered this year for the first time; it was in the Cranbrook lineup.

Engine and trans offerings were as uninspiring as last year. 

Approximate sales: 611,000; change: 0%; industry rank: 3^rd.

This is a hardtop, folks!  The advert doesn’t use that term, but it’s a freakin’ hardtop!

Ford

Ford came into 1951 without feeling the need to change much.  Grille and trim changes were about it. 

The grille had the center spinner replaced with two smaller spinners, now located closer to the sides of the bumper.  There was a new body style, though.  A two door Victoria hardtop was added to the Custom Deluxe V8 series.

This year saw the introduction of the Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission.  While often referred to as a “two-speed”, this was actually a three-speed unit.  You started off in second gear, and the only times first gear was selected were if you pushed the accelerator to the floor from a standstill or if you placed the column shifter in the “L” position.  Maybe this should be called a two-and-a-half-speed transmission!

Approximate Sales: 1,013,000; change: -16%; industry rank: 2^nd.

The information I’ve seen indicates that this was more of Ford using the B-W tranny than any “…working hand in hand…”.

You’ll recall the 1949 ‘award’ Ford ‘won’ from the Fashion Academy of New York, and that it was pure B.S.  Honestly, I think this is in that same vein.

Then, there’s the “Full mileage from every gallon”!  I’m hard pressed to think this ‘2 ½’ speed auto trans would give better mileage than a manual 3 speed.

Mercury

The Mercury series this year was the 1CM.  The grille was slightly changed from last year.

The trans was still a 3-speed manual, with Touch-O-Matic overdrive optional.  However, a new Merc-O-Matic two speed automatic was now available optionally.  The 255cid V8 was unchanged. 

Approximate sales: 310,000; change: +5.4%; industry rank: 6^th.

The “Merc-O-Matic”.  It gives you “the drive of your life!”  You “Never saw anything like it!”  Uh… How about the Ford-O-Matic?

1951 Engine Specs

1951 Newspaper Ads

I’ll bet those $35 cars are rolling piles of junk. Well, not necessarily even ‘rolling’.