According to the San Diego Tribune, "America on the Move: '50s Sporty Cars" illustrator Art Fitzpatrick, 86, intended to make the viewer want to drive the car. Fitzpatrick placed the cars in settings conjured from his travels, and added a few faces of friends.

"His ads were very emotional," said Postal Service art director Carl Herrman. "You felt the scene was one you wanted to be in."

The title of the collection was changed from "sports" cars to "sporty" cars, because they couldn't find five that fit the definition: a two-door convertible that could be raced and driven around town.

Fitzpatrick replicated five cars and portrayed them in different settings – one of which he modeled after a sunset he saw from his porch overlooking Agua Hedionda Lagoon near San Diego. Most of the models were found in Southern California. The Nash-Healey took them to a Maryland barn, where a collector had 162 of the 500 vehicles originally released, Herrman said.

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