History 1957 FORD UGLY ?

I think 1957 Ford customs are kool when done tastefully.... my brother had one way back when and I have had friends who have had from mild to full custom 57,s over the years...but according to rmautobuzz the 1957 Ford is among the top ten ugliest cars ever produced along the Gremlin and a one year only 1948 Davis 3 wheeler...any pictures of nice 57 Fords and thoughts to negate this belief would be appreciated.
Lee

 

Here's my buddy Kevs stocker.
He's just had the front bumper rechromed.
I don't think it's ugly, but even if I did, I kinda like some ugly cars.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1957-ford-questions.1000611/

 

If it was so ugly, it would't have been the sales leader for that model year. Came out way atop the '57 Chevy.

Then again, everyone says how successful the '32 Ford was, even though Chevy beat it soundly in sales volume.

 

I think rmautobuzz is way off base.
It's an excellent looking vehicle, stock or customized.
It was a top seller in the 57 model run year.
Personally I felt the 58 was a little overdone and the 59 was a big letdown.
Ford had the 1957 lineup correct right out of the box.

 

I think 57 FORDS were one of Fords best years. I kind of always been a Chevy fan. And have a 56 Nomad. But I have to be honest I liked the 57 Fords better than the 57 Chevys. And I love 57 Chevys! When it comes to Kustoms, everyone has different taste. What I think is ugly someone else may not. This should be a great thread. 57 to 60 cars were factory customs already. I have seen some nice 57 Kustoms Fords on here. Thanks Ron...

 

Lurker Mick posted this pic, of Jeff Myers 57.
I lifted it to post here, as this thread needs pics.

 

More, this time stolen from Google.

 

One of my favorite body styles. Now the 59 Ford..... That's ugly

 

......................Not sure if you meant '57 Ford Customs or '57 Fords done as "Kustoms". The simple answer is that without a thought for style, proportion, color usage, etc., any car, including the 1957 Ford can be made ugly.

 

Not really a "Kustom" for sure, but, I love this look.

 

Just went and looked at the 10 cars called out by rmautobuzz as top 10 ugliest. Looks like they were specifically referring to the Fairlane. Personally, I like it a little less than the Custom 300 but, there's no way it can be lumped in with the other 9 choices. Internet opinions are just that, opinions, and we know what that means, everyone has one.

 

I've always liked this

 

My 1/25 version of a Custom 300. A recent build.

 

Chassis shot.

 

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder, right? I like the looks of the 57. It's a lot more refreshing than a 57 Chevy. When I was a kid my brother-in-law had a 57 two door wagon, baby blue. Very nice car.

 

I like chops, but not on every car.
Some definitely suit it more than others, and this car is perfect.
I need to show my buddy, Kev this thread.
I'll spend some time winding him up about chopping his.

 

I like the 55 &56 chevys and 55 & 56 fords. I dont care for the looks of 57 thru 62 fords the 63 thru 67 fords had good lines except for the 65 fairlane that the ugliest car ever. Never liked the 57 thru 61 chevy much. The 57 chevy has too much front bumper its out of porportion with the rear bumper. The 1960 chevy wasnt that bad looking but the wasp waist frame ruined it.

 

Nice '57... bring that to the NNL East in April....

 

There was a time when the 57 Ford did not appeal to me. Over the years I've now seen many that were done right and now I'm a fan,especially the shorter trunk models and the wagons.

 

Umm no!

 

.................Thanks for the kind words but, it doesn't even come close to the quality of stuff that will be there.

 

.......................I agree completely. It appears that they may have slightly extended (and perhaps slightly flaired) the rockers to give the car an even lower profile and to better balance what really is a pretty aggressive chop for a '57 Ford. Not sure about these modifications but if it's true, it is very subtle, and often that is characteristic of a nice Kustom, modifications that are there but not always obvious.

 

I always liked the 58 a little better about the same car but with bigger engine options. Some people didn't like them because they didn't have Ford style taillights.

 

57 Fords are sweet done anyway. They make gorgeous customs, kick ass gassers, stockers but my favorite is a 60s looking street racer.

 

Never been a fan of 57 Ford customs but the stock bodied one in lothiandon1940's post looks great.

Gary

 

Whoever said they're ugly probably thinks Kaitlin Jenner is gorgeous.

 

The Nuts and Bolts of Whatever Moves You

I don't think "way atop" describes the difference in sales And if sales are a measurement of "pretty or ugly",
I think survivability is too. While are several reasons the 57 Chevy stuck (sticks) around, and the 57 Ford more or less faded from the eye of the public, the 57 Chevy is widely recognized as an icon in the automotive world and the 57 Ford isn't. Personally, I think the stock headlights of a 57 Ford are ugly. And the hardtops look a little bent in the middle to me: too much of a swoop in the body. I really like the profile of the 2 door sedan. I had a 57 Ranch Wagon that I really liked, and without a doubt, they are one of the very best canvases for a custom. Your comment about the 32 Ford and Chevy really says it all-logic has nothing to do with what we like. Here is a cut and paste article on the sales of Fords and Chevys in 57. And the pics of the custom 57s are absolutely beautiful. And 57 Chevys for the most part do not customize nearly as well as the Ford. The customs are much prettier to my eye than the stockers.
Revisiting the 1957 Sales Numbers
By JERRY GARRETT JUNE 3, 2007 10:49 AMJune 3, 2007 10:49 am


In the May 20 feature, “Fifty, Finned and Fabulous,” it was noted that in 1957 Ford took the sales title from Chevrolet for the first time.

While that’s generally accepted as true, there is more than one way of looking at the sales numbers in the auto industry that year.

The final tally, according to our trusty reference, the Standard Catalog (Krause Publications), was 1,522,406 for Ford versus 1,515,177 for Chevrolet, a difference of 7,359 units.

Clear enough? Not so fast. The distinction is that Ford sold more 1957 Fords during the 1957 model year than Chevrolet sold of its 1957 Chevrolets.

But Chevrolet actually sold 136 more cars during the 1957 model “calendar year” than Ford.

Confused? The thing was, some 7,359 of the Chevrolets sold during that time period were leftover 1956 models.

From a production standpoint, Ford churned out 1,655,065 of its 1957 model Fords. But the final 132,659 of those wound up being sold outside the 1957 calendar year.

 

i like 'em, but i think the '62 was coyote ugly!