In hindsight, witnessing the replacement of long-heralded model names during the late Fifties shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the public. A case study is Buick. While Special, Super, Century, Roadmaster, and Limited spoke volumes about each model’s purpose and division hierarchy, those names — which began appearing in 1935—had inevitably lost some punch. Like it or not, the Jet Age was soaring, and its influence could be seen in ever-lower, wider, and racier automotive designs. Attaching Special to a completely redesigned chassis, fitted with a sleek body sporting swooping rear “delta wings,” just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
LeSabre however, French for “the sword,” conjured a modern and vibrant vision of open road driving and boundless travel adventures. As did Invicta, Latin for “unconquerable,” when it supplanted…