1950s. The era that embraced the charm and humor of the Cleavers and Lucy, created the interstate highway system and saw the fulfillment of the American dream in the suburban ranch house was an era of expansive joy. And if there was one thing that symbolized this, it had to be automobile tail fins on pastel-colored cars. If you have to ask what the tail fins were for, you're missing the point entirely.Colors of the 1950s epitomized the optimism of the decade. I can still picture my parents' multigreen Pontiac Parisienne and my uncle's red Corvette. From mint greens to turquoise to soft and creamy yellows, our cars came in just about every pastel imaginable, it seems.