1956 GMC Suburban Town & Country Pickup

Introduced in 1955, the Suburban Town & Country was GMC’s version of Chevrolet’s Cameo pickup. Like the Cameo, the Suburban Town & Country featured a more luxurious interior and fiberglass rear fender covers to create the first smooth-side box. This 1956 model, one of only about 200 built that year, is powered by an optional 155-horsepower 317-cubic-inch Pontiac V8 engine with a 2-barrel carburetor and a 7.4 to 1 compression ratio. Other options include a Hydramatic automatic transmission, two-tone cab, large rear window, tinted glass and whitewall tires. It was displayed at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show by the Volo Auto Museum.

1956 Buick Special Riviera Hardtop Coupe

Buick's entry-level model from 1936 to 1958 was called simply the Special. Starting in 1953, the Special was Buick's best-selling model, and one of the most popular Buick Specials was the Buick Special Riviera hardtop coupe. Buick had first introduced the Riviera hardtop coupe in mid-1949 as part of the top Roadmaster line, and expanded it to include the mid-range Super in 1950 and the Special in 1951. In 1955, the Special Riviera hardtop coupe was Buick's top seller, with 155,000 sold.

Pictured here is a 1956 Buick Special Riviera hardtop coupe in Rainier, Oregon, in July 1996. 1956 was the last year for the Buick bodies that had been introduced in 1954, but the 1956 Buicks were the most powerful yet; the 1956 Buick Special's 264-cubic-inch V8 produced 220 horsepower.