Tail fins were king in the 1950s, and they are still one of the first things people think of when they recall the styles of that decade. Soaring fins – which had their origin in allusions to WW2 fighter planes – were a Jet age trademark, but after the October, 1957 Launch of Sputnik, the Space age began to overtake the Jet age in popular culture. The increasing popularity of slick modernist architecture and cleaner industrial designs coupled with...

This sad 1952 Nash won’t be going anywhere soon – it was bisected by a fallen tree at some point, leaving both ends of the sedan in tact but pointing skyward. Still, it has amazing details, and it looks as hopeful and evocative of its era from this angle as it did when it was new. The light poured into the empty engine bay from the smashed cabin, which mirrored the mottled light on the trees in the distance....