Dagmar bumpers
Encyclopedia
Dagmar bumpers, also known simply as Dagmars (dag-mar), is a slang term for the artillery shell shaped styling elements found on the front bumper/grille assemblies on several makes of cars produced in the 1950s, an era recognized for its flamboyant designs and prominent use of chrome details.

The term was coined by custom
Custom car
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways. First, a custom car may be altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission. Second, a custom car may be a personal "styling" statement, making the car look...

izers in direct reference to Dagmar, an early 1950s television personality well known for her pronounced cleavage
Cleavage (breasts)
Cleavage, anatomically known as the intramammary cleft, is the space between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum. Cleavage is exposed by a garment with a low neckline, such as ball gowns, evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments....

 on Broadway Open House
Broadway Open House
Broadway Open House, network television's first late-night comedy-variety series, was telecast live on NBC from May 29, 1950 to August 24, 1951, airing weeknights from 11pm to midnight...

. Dagmar's physical attributes were further enhanced by low-cut gowns and the shape of her bra cups, which were somewhat conical. She was amused by the tribute.

Evolution

As originally conceived by Harley Earl
Harley Earl
Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques...

, GM Vice President of Design, the bumper guard elements would mimick exaggerated artillery shells and were placed at either end of the front bumpers of Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

s. Their presence was both as a styling element indicating speed (as in the speeding bullet or projectile) and as bumper guards.

However as the 1950s wore on, the element on the Cadillac grew more pronounced, and in 1957 the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham gained black rubber tips, which were referred to in slang terms as "pasties".

As the 1959 model year designs approached, American car designs were beginning to shed both their rear fins and the missile shaped grille elements. In 1960 the era of the Dagmar bumper ended when Lincoln
Lincoln (automobile)
Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...

 dropped the element from its 1961 Lincoln Continental.

Dagmars as a massive grille or bumper decoration competed against not only "spinners," as on the 1949 Ford and 1950 Studebaker, but also against a similar decorative element, which had a concave tip. Buick had these in a circular form both before and after the firm's stint with dagmars. Oldsmobile had these in an oval form and never used dagmars.

Vehicles sporting Dagmar bumpers

Postwar Cadillacs began sporting missile pointed bumper elements with their 1946 models. Beginning with the 1951 models, stylists began lifting these bumper guards up into the grille work, however by 1953 their shape and detail began to take on a bullet motif with the tips of the element being scored in the manner in which a bullet casing is shaped. In 1957 black rubber tips were placed on the element which was now placed at the top of the grille, approximately ten inches above the lower bumper. The element continued to become more pronounced in size through 1958, but were eliminated in the 1959 Cadillac redesign.

Mercury sprouted prominent Dagmars in 1953 and continued the look through the 1956 model year. Lincoln added Dagmars to its 1960 Lincoln and Continentals. The design took a different approach than GM, with the use of a black rubber ring separating the body of the element from the chrome tip.

Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...

sported Dagmars on its 1954 and 1955 models. In 1954 the element was part of the bumper assembly; in 1955 the element moved up into the grille area.
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