For whatever reason, and following wonderful years of car design from 1955 through 1957, most every manufacturer, in my opinion, added too much chrome, added unnecessary curb weight in an unattractive boxy design.
Some of the best designs that decade, in my opinion, were the 1957 Chevy, 1957 Ford, 1956 Plymouth, 1953 Buick Skylark, 1956 Continental, 1956 Studebaker Hawk, 1956 Mercury, 1956 Chrysler 300 and 1956 Packard Caribbean.
And after so many nice cars in 1957, car enthusiasts really looked forward to the 1958 model year with much gusto.
The 1958 Ford was at least acceptable in looks, but still nowhere near the 1957 models in aesthetic approval.
Even the Ford Thunderbird, which made great impressions as a two-seater sports car from ’55 through ’57, fell to the 1958 car design curse.