1959 Cadillac

Fins first appeared on a Cadillac in 1948, small ones, and they grew nearly every year after. By 1959 they stood as tall as they would ever get, with twin bullet-shaped taillights set in the middle of each fin.

The look came together as Harley Earl, who had run General Motors styling for three decades, retired in late 1958 and Bill Mitchell took over his office. Dave Holls is generally credited with the fins.

Under the hood was a 390-cubic-inch V8 making 325 horsepower. The car ran about 225 inches long on a 130-inch wheelbase, up to eight inches longer than the 1958. In 1960 the fins were trimmed back, and by the middle of the decade they had gone flat on top.

A pink convertible sits at the curb of a wet street at night, seen from behind so the fins and round taillights fill the foreground. Behind it, Art Deco hotels glow in blue and pink neon beneath palm trees, and the whole street is doubled in the puddled pavement.