The Continental Kit -- one of the excesses of the 1950s

This is what started the craze -- a 1942 Lincoln Continental. The kits that followed mimicked the class that was inherent to this model, the last of Edsel Ford's cars before his premature death in 1943.

A nice example of an early 1950s continental kit, on a 1954 Ford. In essence, the kit was to take a low end car and accessorize it, thus making it "Upscale" in the eyes of the owner and perhaps public?

Hi folks -- I was reading a 1952 Motor Trend the other night and an ad for "The Original H-W Continental Custom Rear Conversion" caught my eye. The ad, for the Hudelson-Whitebone Co. of Champaign, IL, promised that the product would "Make Your Car a Classic in its Particular Class --

The ad copy goes on to state "What a transformation! An ordinary '50, '51 or '52 model (either convertible or hard top) becomes a classic in its particular class when an H-W Continental is installed. Feast your eyes on he sleek contour, blending so smoothly with body lines...the richer, longer, wider appearance...the distinctive custom accent. Ruggedly built for long life and trouble-free service, the H-W Continental is amazingly practical too...providing greater deck and fender protection, more obstructed luggage area and a new tool compartment in the trunk. It also assures quicker, easier removal of spare tires when a change is necessary. Here's the moderately-priced "extra" that can make your car tops in sophisticated style and a remarkably high figure to its trade-in value."