The 1950s provided a glimpse into the future. The Soviets blasted off into space, which was inconceivable at the time. We were flying in faster jet-powered airliners, plugging in guitars, basses and everything else in our music. We even saw a nation that could possibly be integrated and united.
Our generation considers a wider definition of luxury, despite the obvious price connotation of it. Rolls-Royce and Bentley may just be touchstones in terms of luxury, but even their pricing might be not enough compared to the likes of Bugatti, Pagani and a few new Ferraris and Lamborghinis. While a few hundred thousand dollars opens the door to a Rolls-Royce Wraith or Bentley Mulsanne, luxury is also measured by rarity of product and extreme levels of performance.
It is with historical context, however. It was ten years removed from a war that should have ended all wars. Unfortunately, a spat between Korean partisans turned into an international affair splitting the peninsula in half. The same trouble was brewing in Vietnam, a soon-to-be former French colony. Even those within the Soviet Bloc weren’t buying into the new world order as envisioned by Karl Marx. Hungary was a year away from challenging Moscow on whether it should be their superpower or not.
For starters, your definition may be different than the next person’s. Luxury is subjective to the beholder. How you define it depends on your expectations of what luxury means to you. Also, how luxury feels to you.
Tweet Next year…if I bring something to the gig… All photos by Randy Stern If anything, the 10,000 Lakes Concours d'Elegance helped revisit some old knowledge I forgot about over time. When I was younger, I used to be fascinated by American cars of the 1940s and 1950s. They were reminders of how good the …