[dgludwig]

How about a 1958 Buick Roadmaster Limited? My fiance's father owned one and I think this car epitomized all that was right (and wrong) with the gold-plated fifties. This port-holed, heavy-weight, dripping in opulent decadence, had every doo-dad you could get on a car at the time, from the WonderBar radio to the Autronic automatic headlight dimmer and everything in-between. I was allowed to drive the chrome-plated barge on dates and such and did my own "road tests" whenever possible. It accelerated like a hog sprinting on ice and cornered like a rhino on a wet, clay bank-but, when it came to turnpike cruising, even Bentleys had to take a backseat to this icon of the fifties era of American conspicuous consumption.

Those fabulous fifties were also one of the best times ever to get finely- finished, superbly-made firearms that were still affordable for the average person. Revolvers made by Colt and Smith & Wesson in that era were as good as any ever made and, sadly, not likely to ever be made again on a mass-produced basis.