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The 1950s were a time of burgeoning ideas.  Each of the Big Three were coming up with more and more creative ideas to capture the imagination and sales of a buying public clamoring for more.

Some of these developments took place under the hood, like the overhead valve V8 engines that eventually led to the muscle car era.  Some took place in the cabin, like air conditioning which was made popular by the 1953 Airtemp system in the Imperial.  Another feature brought to the public by Chrysler that made time behind the wheel even more pleasurable was the advent of power steering in the 1951 Chrysler.  Cruise control, power seats and windows, and automatic transmissions all gained footholds during the same time period as comfort and status took over basic function.

Of course, the features a lot of people remember from the era were more centered on styling than any of the other innovations.  Quad headlights sprouted on the front of cars starting in 1957, then became widespread in 1958.  Fins, which had their earliest beginnings on the 1948 Cadillacs, became commonplace on nearly every model offered by the end of the 1950s.  From the space aged Cadillacs of 1959 to the “practical” Ramblers of the same year, fins became the accepted “feature” everyone expected from anything coming out of Detroit.

Something began creeping into the styling of cars in 1958 that gets little mention or play, but continued on for years to come.  The concept of “triple tail lights” (three on each side, six total) burst onto the scene in 1958 and then made appearances across any number of automotive makes on and off thereafter.

Technically you could argue that triple tail lights started in 1956 with the DeSoto.  But those were stacked horizontally at the end of each fin, and don’t really count for the purpose of today’s discussion.  DeSoto ran with that theme from 1956-1959 and pulled it off well.  But the concept being focused on today is the horizontal, three on each side theme, which rules out the DeSoto.

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Like soaring tail funs, triple tail lights didn’t not limit themselves to one particular market segment.  In 1958 they were introduced on the Continental Mark V, one of the most expensive cars offered, as well as the 1958 Impala, the new high-end model of the low-end GM brand.  

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In 1959 Chevrolet abandoned the concept, while the Continental tweaked it.  And Edsel jumped on the bandwagon, dumping the “gull wing” taillights that had been part of the bizarre styling of the 1958 models.  

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For 1960 the Continental stuck with the triple tail light theme for one final year, creating what was probably the most attractive version of the three years they employed it.  Chevrolet brought it back for 1960 after dumping it for the ‘59s.  In fact, Chevrolet would keep it longer than anyone else.  The triple tail light design became one of the easiest ways to identify their top-of-the-line Impala series for years.  Edsel, however, dropped the idea and then Ford dropped Edsel after less than 3,000  1960 models were built.  Interestingly, Ford never used the triple tail light design on any of the Ford branded products.  However, in Canada Ford took what was basically a 1960 Ford, changed the grill and the taillights and called it a Meteor Montcalm.  The design included triple tail lights on each side.  Thunderbird got in on the act, bumping up the number of taillights on each side from two on the 1958 and ’59 models to three for 1960.

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For 1961 the idea was abandoned for the Continental, Thunderbird, and Canadian Meteors.  But the theme was introduced on mid-market Mercurys and Pontiacs.  It’s like everyone wanted to get in on the act.  Chevrolet continued with the triple tail light theme, making it clear if you were following a fancy Impala or a lowly Belair or Biscayne.

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As 1962 rolled around, Pontiac dropped the design and never returned to it again.  Mercury would drop triple tail lights on its full sized offerings in favor of a single jet tube design perched atop each fender.  The design looked either space aged or like a glowing vibrator, depending on one’s perspective.  Mercury didn’t discard the design element completely; it made an appearance on the compact Comet line where they would stay for a couple years.  Chrysler even gave the idea a shot as they grasped for design cues that would work on the new Plymouth that seemed to be devoid of all the easily identifiable elements that Plymouth had used for several years.  It was a one year only effort, like many elements of the Plymouths and Dodges that year.

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For 1963 Chevrolet dug in with the theme and was determined to keep it.  In an interesting development, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one of the most beautifully designed cars of all times, offered two tail lights on each side.  But aftermarket kits were available to add an additional unit on each side, making the back of a Corvette look more like an Impala.  Mercury, apparently regretting the decision to discard the design in 1962, brought it back for 1963.

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In 1964 Mercury would continue the theme.  Chevrolet would do the same.  But they were the only two that would continue with the design that everyone had dabbled in.  

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By 1965, Chevrolet stood alone in continuing the design element.  Though they completely redesigned their full sized models, Chevrolet would stick with the triple tail light theme and create perhaps one of the best versions of it by placing the round red illuminators up above the rear valance, in the rear fenders and deck lid where they could really be noticed.  Coincidentally, 1965 would also be the year that Ford would discard the big single round taillight on each far end in favor of moving towards a square look for the next decade and a half.  Chevrolet would stick with the “triple theme” for years after, albeit in a much more subtle motif.

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Not as memorable as fins.  Not as iconic as wood grained sides of wagons.  Not as innovative as hemi-engines or useful as power steering.  Not as comfortable as air conditioning.  And yet, there is something about seeing the rare car with six glowing red tail lights ahead of you in traffic that harkens back to a different time.  Something that makes you think, “That’s gotta be an old  Impala.”  And it probably is.  But, then again, it could be a Continental, Edsel, Thunderbird, Pontiac, Mercury,  Plymouth, or Comet.  There’s even an outside chance it could be a Corvette or a Meteor Montcalm.  But that’s a real long shot.

I may have missed some. If so, call them out in the comments below. Or if you have a particular favorite, or any additional thoughts on the greatness of the double-triple tail light, feel free to share it.

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