Cars of "Mad Men"

Convertibles were a different breed in the 1950s and 1960s — retractable roofs were found on huge, stout Buicks, Chryslers and Fords, offering an option for open-air driving without redefining the car as a speed demon or a perfectly tuned performance machine. The Electra driven by "Mad Men" protagonist Don Draper is a holdover of late '50s style, both bulbous and finned, and has since been among the period's more revered classic cars.

Price: $3,820 to $4,300 then, as much as $49,000 to $88,000 now.
Modern Equivalent: The $42,000 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet, a sensible luxury car with a clear capacity for mischief.

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Today, the yellow Country Squire driven by Betty Draper seems almost too classy to be called a wagon. But even a humpbacked '57 Ford with simulated wood paneling is still a '57 Ford, and at the time the Squire was one of the best-selling wagons on the market. By 1960, though, when the show starts, Betty's wagon is just about due for a replacement.

Price: Roughly $2,000 then, $12,900 now.
Modern Equivalent: Today's well-heeled homemakers aren't the wagon types. The modern Betty would need the cargo space and unfussy luxury features of a 2010 Ford Explorer, which starts at $29,280.

Read:  Wagons Ho!

No taxi is as beloved as the Checker Marathon. Other than a pair of fold-down jump seats that turned the car into a kind of everyman's limo, the Marathon offered little in the way of luxury features, but its design is iconic and remained relatively unchanged straight through the company's demise in the early 1980s. That stubborn continuity, of course, is why onscreen glimpses of '62 Checkers are such potent doses of nostalgia.

Price: $2,500 then, $20,000 to $30,000 now.
Modern Equivalent: The $29,865 Ford Escape Hybrid, which is quickly becoming one of the world's most popular hybrid cabs.

Bing: Taxis Around the World

Seen parked in front of Don's childhood home during a flashback scene, this 1-ton flatbed truck version of the Model T represents just how far both Don and the automobile had come by 1960. The exact year of this Model TT is impossible to determine, and irrelevant — in 10 years of production (1817-1927), there were no real changes or updates to the truck.

Price: $365 to $450 then, $2,500 now.
Modern Equivalent: For no-frills, light-hauling affordability, the $16,365 Toyota Tacoma is hard to beat.

Compare: Toyota Tacoma vs. Ford Ranger vs. Chevrolet Colorado

Of all the show's mysteries, its more car-obsessed fans have fixated on one burning question: Why would Don ditch his convertible for the 1961 Dodge Polara he eventually crashes into a ditch? After all, the Polara helped drag Dodge sales to historic lows. The most likely explanation: Old Polaras are easier to come by, and therefore a cheaper prop to flip over.

Price: Roughly $3,000 then, $3,200 to $13,700 now
Modern Equivalent: If any car deserves to be unceremoniously rolled off the road, it's the 2010 Chrysler Sebring ($20,120 to $32,710).

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Don buys this Cadillac because, as one of his bosses says, he's "arrived." Meaning, he buys it because it's a Cadillac, then king of the American road. The Coupe de Ville was a mix of power and state-of-the-art luxury, with rare amenities for the time such as air conditioning and an automatic headlight dimmer.

Price: $7,000 then, $15,000 to $50,000 now.
Modern Equivalent: The Cadillac brand isn't what it was, but the 2011 CTS-V Coupe, which starts at $62,165, is a direct descendant of the Coupe de Ville.

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It might not look it, but the Colony Park is a major step up from Betty's Squire, and was actually considered the top-of-the-line wagon in 1962. Even more than the size or all-American lineage of the "Mad Men" cars, it's the station wagons — both Betty's and others — that stick out as outdated.

Price: $3,219 then, up to $18,000 for other 1960s Colony Park Wagons
Modern Equivalent: Despite being top-tier, the Colony Park was luxurious without being truly ostentatious, and the same goes for the Audi Q7, starting $46,900.

Compare: Audi Q7 vs. Lexus GX 460 vs. Acura MDX

During his California "breakdown," Don seems to fall briefly in love with this hot rod, a 1934 Ford Sedan frame and chassis with a 1939 Ford LaSalle transmission and parts from a 1940 Buick Banjo grafted onto the back. What qualified as a "classic car" in the early 1960s looks ancient by current standards.

Price: Who knows?
Modern Equivalent: Today's hot rodders are more versatile than their forebears, dipping back into multiple eras. Still, if a 2010 version of Don were to get misty over anything, why not the 1968 Mustang GT?

Video: 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500

When a police officer pulls up to the Draper residence to deliver bad news, he steps out of an anomaly. It's not that cops didn't drive 1957 Chevys, they just had more than two doors to work with. Minor slip-up aside, this is another example of an iconic vehicle that no one fully recognized as a classic at the time.

Price: $2,100 to $2,700 then, up to $21,650 now.
Modern Equivalent: For now, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, which runs $27,415 with sirens, lights and other pursuit gear, is law enforcement's workhorse of choice.

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The beautiful Imperial Crown convertible driven by Draper during a visit to California is the crown jewel of the "Mad Men" fleet, so far. The car wasn't exactly a runaway success, but it went on to become the real star of the "Green Hornet" 1966-67 television series, and is due for more screen time in the 2011 movie adaptation.

Price: $5,400 to $5,775 then, $56,000 to $60,000 now
Modern Equivalent: The BMW M6 Convertible, which starts at $108,150. Nothing says "SoCal road trip" like a V10 engine, a retractable hardtop and zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

Video: BMW M6

Based out of the Boston area, Erik Sofge is frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Slate.com. He specializes in everything scientific and technical.

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