Chrome Overload: GM’s “Mistake of ’58”

I love chrome and mid-century automotive design. But I recently found a video that made me question my belief that there’s no such thing as too much chrome.

The video is called “Mistake of ’58: The GM Chromemobiles and Far Out ’59s” from YouTuber Ed’s Auto Reviews. The video talks about Harley Earl’s obsession with chrome in the 1950s, and how it ended up going too far in 1958. This happened, despite GM designer Chuck Jordan doing a little reconnaissance on Chrysler’s 1956 models in development, which embodied Virgil Exner’s “forward look” design. The cars he saw were space-age styled and far from the chrome-heavy autos that made Earl famous.

Unfortunately, it was too late for GM to change its designs for 1958, and GM rolled out its chromemobiles. The video specifically focuses on the chrome-heavy 1958 Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs (but thankfully leaves out the 1958 Chevy Bel Air, which I still love). After watching this segment of the video, I can now admit: yes, there is such a thing as too much chrome. (Side note: this section also features a mention of Dagmar bumpers.) Thankfully, GM did some quick course-correction and started debuting cars in 1959 that were more in line with the Spage Age, “forward look” design that was more popular at the time.