Henderson Auctions presents offerings from Detroit's golden age

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There's no car culture quite like American car culture. Whereas to many people in Europe and around the world, the mass-produced automobile would be treated as either a special luxury or a straightforward mobility aid, America's relationship with the car would become an intrinsic part of her national identity.

Blessed with lots of space and disposable income, Americans in the 1950s and '60s knew they were living the good life and made the most of it. Extravagant styling inspired by space travel and increasingly potent engines which, by the end of the 1960s, were producing up to 400bhp allowed American cars to combine power with visual presence, and the results were irresistible to the carefree consumer.

Those days are no longer with us, but nostalgia for the era understandably remains strong, especially where the cars are concerned, with cruise meets for classic American cars taking place every weekend not just in America but around the world. If you haven't yet had the privilege of owning one, you should try it at least once, and Henderson Auctions has some fine examples up for grabs at Barber Motorsports Museum, Birmingham, Alabama, on 6th May.

Chrome-clad cruisers

If your vision of America is one of rock 'n' roll, bright neon lights and drive-in shows, it isn't complete without some magnificent land-yachts, brightly painted and dripping with chrome, cruising around with no particular place to go. Henderson has a trio of cars which wouldn't look out of place in American Graffiti, including two Ford Thunderbirds. A 1955 example in that marvellous colour Neptune Green is in excellent condition having been in single ownership for over 30 years, while the 1956 example in Buckskin Tan boasts the optional power-steering. Both are sold with their optional fibreglass hardtops. If you'd prefer something with more than two seats, there's a beautiful 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air in Neptune Green and India Ivory with fewer than 100 miles on its rebuilt engine.

Ivy style

Of course, not everyone in America was a teenager in blue jeans and a white T-shirt. College students and more mature citizens were heavily influenced by Ivy League fashion: crisp, slim-fitting tailoring which had parallels with the sharp, angular Modernism which governed design trends in the late '50s and early '60s. For this more sophisticated consumer, things didn't get much better than a Studebaker, and Henderson is offering a beautiful 1958 Silver Hawk. Raymond Loewy's brilliant design team rejected the stylistic excesses of Detroit, producing a cleaner, lighter car intended to emulate French and Italian coupés. It's accompanied by not one but two 1963 Studebaker Avantis, the unconventional fibreglass masterpiece which, despite its intelligent and attractive design, couldn't save Studebaker from closure in 1963. Fitted with front disc brakes and an optional supercharger, it could be tuned to exceed 170mph, but only 5,800 were ever built in 1962 and 1963.

Muscle car greats

As the Avanti faded away, Ford was getting ready to release its Mustang, which would become the fastest-selling car ever on its launch day. Poor Studebaker! All the buying public wanted was affordability and brute power, and Detroit was about to deliver it by the bucket-load. The early Mustangs weren't true performance cars, but after a few years they had grown decidedly more muscular. Henderson is selling one nicely-restored 1969 Mustang GT in Winter Blue and black, which features the 351ci V8, but for the real performance enthusiast there's a 1969 Mustang Mach 1, also with the 351. An immaculate survivor from the first year of Mach 1 production, it has had only two owners from new. An interesting alternative is the 1969 Pontiac Firebird, a base-specification model in Liberty Blue with the 230ci straight-six. Although by no means a muscle-car with the small six, the fact that most people flock like sheep to the V8 models means that this one would be much more likely to get our attention at a car show. It's really nicely presented and looks very standard and correct, and it really appeals to us.

Of course, that's not all. There are many more cars including a few European and pre-war models, not to mention motorcycles, commercial vehicles and automobilia. Take a look here and see what whets your appetite.
 

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