Citroen DS (1955 - 1976)
Almost as much of an icon as the Mini - and barely more profitable. A year after it was introduced, a panic-stricken Citroen started to strip out costs such as the standard semi-automatic gearbox and power steering. Strangely the futuristic styling was not nearly as aerodynamic as it looked - Citroen restyled it after a few years to give it the low drag co-efficient that it always appeared to have.
Fiat 500 (1957 - 1975)
The Italian Mini. Far less advanced, but perhaps even cuter. It was the staple transport of Italians as post-war prosperity meant that families could trade up from their Vespas. It also formed the basis of a whole family of rear-engined Fiats from the very pretty 850 Coupe (with a heady 52 bhp - four times the original 500) to the utterly bizarre six seat Multipla (no, not the current Multipla - the even uglier original).
Mercedes 300 SL (1955 - 1957)
The most charismatic Mercedes Benz of all time (and after 123 years of making cars, that is quite an achievement). The 300SL was a road-going racing car, conceived to appeal to the American market. The gullwing doors were required because the racing tubular chassis occupied the space taken up by the lower half of a conventional door. The fuel injected engine gave a top speed of over 150 mph, but the engine was very highly tuned for road use - recommended oil changes were every 1,000 miles!
Lotus 7 (1957 - )
Lotus's first road car and still around today as the Caterham. The 7 became an instant classic as it offered racing car handling on the road, which is still a pretty special formula. When Colin Chapman wanted to turn Lotus into a British Porsche, he ditched the 7, which was seen as too basic and Caterham (then a Lotus dealer) happily bought the rights. The 7 has long outlasted the Esprit/Elite/Eclat family that was supposed to render the 7 obsolete.
BMW 507 (1956 - 1959)
In the 1950s, BMW was heading towards bankruptcy, and this was the swan-song of the old regime. It was a stunning design by Count Albrecht von Goertz, who later designed the classic Datsun 240Z and was powered by a 3.2 litre V8 engine. The looks and advanced specification were not enough to save BMW which, at the time, was better known for making comical little bubble cars (yes, BMW really did make some dreadful runabouts in the 1950s).
Tatra 603 (1955 - 1975)
Unlike most East European countries colonised by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia had an extremely strong engineering heritage. Hence, instead of dreadful Trabants or Moskvitches, Tatra was allowed to build a decent product, albeit one built on pre-war principles. It was like a giant Beetle (the Beetle was "inspired" by Tatra designs of the thirties), and had one of the strangest mechanical specifications ever seen - a 2.5 litre air-cooled V8 mounted behind the rear wheels. Today, the amazing, and deeply sinister styling, makes the 603 a much sought-after classic.
Fiat 8V (1952 - 1954)
A strange detour into Ferrari territory by Fiat. It used a bespoke V8 engine (allegedly called 8V because Fiat thought Ford owned the trademark to the term, "V8"). Alternative styling was available from a variety of great Italian design houses such as Ghia and Vignale. The logic behind the 8V is something of a mystery: Fiat has a history of trying to break into the luxury market (e.g. the Dino of the 1960s and the 130 of the 1970s), but the 8V was a huge, if glorious distraction.
Porsche 356 (1948 - 1965)
The 356 started out life as a sporting VW Beetle (as Porsche designed the Beetle, this was only fitting). It gradually developed into a completely unique vehicle as the two companies diverged, with the 356 becoming one of the classic sports cars of the 1950s. It was never terribly fast (most had less than 100 bhp), but ran like a Swiss watch. Now history is coming full circle as Porsche is buying control of VW to create a single entity once again.
Mercedes 300S (1951 - 1958)
This was known as the "Adenauer" after the post-war German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who oversaw Germany's reconstruction. The chassis was basically pre-war, but the engine was a new 3.0 six cylinder that survived well into the 1960s. It was Mercedes' statement that it was back in business after the war and still intended to make the best saloon cars in the world. Reflecting the fact it was only sold to VIPs, options included a radio telephone and a dictation machine.
Maserati 3500 (1957 - 1964)
This was Maserati's first real high performance GT, featuring a 220 bhp 3.5 litre six cylinder engine (later fitted with Lucas fuel injection for the ultimate in British-Italian unreliability). It was not revolutionary, but was a classic Italian tourer for those who could afford to cruise along the Riviera in something much grander than a Jaguar.