Chrome-plating the past: Eisenhower-era dream cars on the Concours this year.

This year the Concours d’Elegance will feature something different: Chrome—hulking, glaring masses of shaped chrome.

A section of the field at Pebble Beach on Sunday is set aside for what Concours officials call Eisenhower Era Dream Convertibles, a nod to the 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood that floated newly elected president Dwight D. Eisenhower down Pennsylvania Avenue in his Inaugural parade.

“That was a real departure from the black limousines,” says Chris Bock, Chief Judge for the Concours.

The committee responsible for selecting cars and classes for the event decided to showcase “dream cars” of the 1950s. These were muscular, stylish, opulent and large—made for a time of rising prosperity and conspicuous consumption (as well as free-flowing gas and a disregard for safety).

“We did a narrow focus—low production models, cars you’d go down to the dealership and order,” Bock explains. “That class of cars lit the fuse on that era.”

In 1953, General Motors put three dream cars on display in their Motorama, an annual nationwide tour showcasing new models. The trio stood out for their excesses—color, chrome, comfort and performance. Alongside the Cadillac Fleetwood were two other convertibles: An Oldsmobile Fiesta and a Buick Skylark.

All three will appear at the Concours d’Elegance. The Cadillac is the same that carried Eisenhower, serial number 2 of the 532 produced in 1953. For the public, it was a $7,750 ride. The indexed average wage in the U.S. at the time was just a tick above $3,100.

The show also features a 1953 and '56 Packard Caribbean, a '57 Imperial Crown, a '58 Continental Mark III and two examples from '59: a Chrysler 300E and the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz famed for its staggering fins.

“It was the era of bigger is better,” Bock says. “The cars are an emblem of an era, what you wanted to see and be seen in.”

And these cars will definitely stand out.

“They will have an impact on the field,” Bock agrees. “Especially for their size.”