Think You Can Name the Fastest Cars of the '50s From Appearance Alone?

The 1953 GM Motorama was the stage for the very first Chevrolet Corvette, a vehicle that would go on to become one of America's favorite performance cars. It is still one of the fastest performance vehicles available today.

The 1950s introduced many great vehicles, including the Ford Thunderbird, which would remain in production for decades to follow. This Baby Bird was build as Ford's response to the Chevrolet Corvette.

The Ferrari 250 series started in 1952 and lasted through the mid-1960s. These vehicles were designed with racing in mind, and they continue to blow away the competition today, in speed and value.

The Chevrolet Delray was a distinct series in the Chevrolet lineup in 1958, well below the other luxurious offerings from GM. Its design was limited, but its power was not. It was only produced as a line for a single year.

Porsche has a long and storied history of racing success, due largely in part to the Porsche 550. Only 90 were produced from 1953 to 1956, but they dominated on race tracks around the world.

Even the smaller engine on the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante produced 156 horsepower. The engine mentioned above, available on later models, got 227. These are power outputs competitive even in today's automotive world.

Porsche has been making vehicles for a long time, but before the Porsche 356, they were either for the track or for another car company, like Volkswagen. This vehicle helped to put them on the consumer car map.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was at home on the open roads and the race track. It could reach speeds of up to 163 miles per hour, comparable to performance cars today, and Mercedes luxury performance vehicles are still delivering.

The Corvette was anything unlike anyone had ever seen and the public fell in love. Unfortunately, the first few years of production would prove disappointing. Ultimately, however, the Corvette more than hit its stride.

The Baby Bird was Ford's answer to the Corvette from Chevrolet, though it wasn't marketed as a sports car. Still, it had two seats, and the 2002 revival model did as well, unlike the other eras of T-Bird.

The Jaguar D-Type was produced specifically to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and it did. Unfortunately, not many vehicles were produced, and after a factory fire, even fewer survived.

The Aston Martin DB2/4 also had larger bumpers and repositioned headlights compared to the DB2. It was produced from 1953 to 1957 and available in a few different body styles and with custom options.

Though there were only two models produced, the Lancia D24 was successful on international stages for a year. It was driven by racers like Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio to podium victories.

Though there aren't very many, the Jaguar XKSS sure makes a statement out on the open road. Originally, there were supposed to be 25 models produced, but only 16 vehicles survived a factory fire.

The 250 series was used for both motorsport and luxury road driving. This model was first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1954. Could you imagine seeing this amazing car for the first time?

Originally designed for the American market, the BMW 507 ended up costing too much and only 252 were ever produced. That said, it is considered one of the most important and beautiful early supercars produced.

Stirling Moss and his navigator, Denis Jenkinson, drove 992 miles in 10:7:48, averaging 99mph, in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. Imagine the kind of dedication you need to maintain those speeds!

Mercedes-Benz has produced a lot of performance vehicles over the years, including SLR models. It was originally Sport Leicht-Rennen, which was then shortened.

The 1957 Corvette was the last year of the single headlight design and was starting to smooth out and become sleeker, compared to earlier designs. This marked a design turning point that would lead to the style of race cars we know today.

It actually had a V12 engine! Only a handful of them were ever produced but between the beautiful and classic exterior and the power below, it sure made a statement in automotive history.

Zora Arkus-Duntov is considered the reason for the Corvette. When GM was planning to pull their new invention, he persuaded them to give him a chance and he turned the 'Vette into one of America's most iconic cars.

The Corvette wasn't the first vehicle to use fuel injection, but it took fuel injection to the next level, achieving speed and power output like no mass production American vehicle ever had before.

These grand touring cars have V12 engines located in the front, unlike European Ferraris, which were mid-engine designed. These models were built in the 1950s and 1960s as grand touring cars.

Ferrari has its first Le Mans victory the years earlier in 1949, but it certainly wasn't the last. Ferrari is widely considered one of the top performance automakers from around the world--and for good reason.

The Maserati 5000 GT was also known as the Shah of Persia and sold for $17,000, twice that of the Maserati 3500. That's about what you would spend on a new sedan today - imagine spending it in the 1950s and 1960s!

The Jaguar C-Type was produced from 1951 to 1953. The C-Type version of the Jaguar XK-120 (the road-going model) got about 205 horsepower and it showed. The Jaguar C-Type won at Le Mans twice.

There were 252 BMW 507s, 34 Maserati 5000 GTs, 53 Jaguar C-Types and four Ferrari 340s produced. For enthusiasts, the chance to see any of these very rare and truly incredible vehicles would be an enormous and memorable experience.

American muscle cars--vehicles that focused on performance and power--didn't come into production until the mid-1960s. Still, many of the innovations that appeared in vehicles from the 1950s made those muscle cars possible.

The Aston Martin DB4 was unveiled at the 1958 London Motor Show and produced until 1963. It has a 3.7L six-cylinder engine and delivered on 240 horsepower for a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds.

Many supercars today still use unique and stylish doors, but the gullwing look like you'll find on this Mercedes 300SL is classic. It's not hard to see why enthusiasts and designers love the look so much.

The Studebaker Golden Hawk was produced from 1956 to 1958 and had a 5.8L V8 engine. Raymond Loewy was one of the industry's most influential designers and we owe many classic styles and trends to him.

It did! Thanks to a 6.4L V8 engine that produced 350 horsepower. It was also a vehicle all about style and luxury and came equipped with some of the most advanced features available on the market.

The Jaguar could do 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, a time that rivals many performance vehicles today. Still, the rest of the vehicles were also fast, especially for the era, and several dominated international motorsports.

While it does look small, the Austin-Healy weighed nearly 3000 pounds and had a top speed of 106 miles per hour. The Austin-Healy is a beloved British classic, and it's not hard to see why.

The Hudson Hornet is a beloved classic race car that made an appearance in the Pixar film "Cars." While the other two are also car films, "Unsafe at Any Speed" is actually a book written by Ralph Nader on automotive safety.

Though the single and double headlights are often used to differentiate between eras of Corvette, there was never a triple headlight option. Corvettes are small vehicles, so even if they wanted to add one, where would it go?

Though the first generation Thunderbird was meant to compete with the Corvette, Ford focused on comfort and leisure rather than speed and power. The Thunderbirds that followed were very much considered luxury vehicles, albeit with large engines.

The Hudson Hornet could do 0-60 in 12.2 seconds, faster than the others. While it may not seem very fast by today's standards, the Hudson Hornet was a successful race car and even appeared in the film "Cars."

The Corvette was first unveiled in 1953 and the Thunderbird in 1955 as Ford's response. They were markedly different vehicles, despite both being two-seaters. The Corvette was all power and the Thunderbird luxury and comfort.

There have been many mid-engine Corvette prototypes but the 2020 mid-engine Corvette coming out next year is the first to make it to production. American automotive fans are excited to see how our own Corvette supercar will perform.