For much of the world, the 1950s were a drab decade of rebuilding after the devastation of World War II, as documented by the era's black-and-white photographs and newsreels. In stark contrast, the United States economy was booming, and colorful tract housing developments were flourishing across the country. In suburbs such as Levittown, New York, and Lakewood, California, every pastel stucco house had a new color TV flickering in the living room. And as cars became a key part of this new lifestyle, they were saturated with color too.
The war sparked a technology boom in the U.S., giving automakers as well as a growing band of auto enthusiasts mechanical advancements and an unprecedented range of colors to apply to their cars, hough metallic paints were invented in 1935, it wasn't until after WWII that they became readily available - as did pearlescent, candy apple, and Metal flake concoctions. Car colors went from the muted earth tones of the forties to two - and even three-tone paint schemes in bright colors ranging from salmon pink to aqua blue to Titian red. With all assembly lines redirected to military production during the war years, new American models had been few and far between. By 1950, however, major auto manufacturers in Detroit were back in full production mode, and the new paints were convenient for spiffing up prewar models.
