When General Motors rolled out its 1958 line, there was cause to celebrate – it was GM's Golden Anniversary. With a PR blitz including booklets, advertisements, and even a two-hour television show, it was a demonstration of GM's popularity in the life of America. But that wasn't the only thing worth celebrating – all of GM's car brands were brand-new.

And they only would last one model year as Virgil Exner and the folks at Highland Park one-upped Harley Earl and Co. Exner's 1957 "Forward Look" for the whole Chrysler Corporation range put the industry on notice that there was a new kid in town who wasn't going to settle for second fiddle. By the time GM debuted its redesigned products for 1958 – a recession year – they already looked stale in comparison to Chrysler's sleek saloons. GM went on a crash program for the 1959 model year that returned Chrysler's serve, producing all-new cars with fins that reached heights that never would be seen again.

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