Car cruises can get a little dull; all those boring street rods, multiple Mustangs, caches of Camaros and Corvettes. But what keeps me coming back are those daring folks who actually pick a car they like, rather than what the cool kids Boomers are driving. Like a 1956 Cadillac flower car by Superior. Talk about a bubbletop!
image: imcdb.org
If this car looks familiar, it is because one just happened to be in a rather famous film–which I’m sure most of you can identify. Could the 1956 Cadillac have been the high-water mark for Cadillac in the ’50s? I could love them solely for that cool “Nineteen-Fifty-Six” script above the glovebox! Of course, I will not argue how excellent the 1963-64 models were–and are.
As you can see, it was getting dark when I shot this Cadillac, but I had to share it with everyone. These can’t have been very numerous back in the ’50s, and who knows how many survive.
Do they still make flower cars? Considering that they are coachbuilders, I’m sure S&S or Superior would build you a new one from a Caddy or Lincoln–but how would that look in an XTS or MKS/MKT?
image: parkssuperior.com
To answer my own question, yes, they are indeed still made, but while the DTS version above looks pretty good, I am not sure an XTS or MKS version would translate as well. I imagine there is a low take rate among funeral homes in this day and age for this type of vehicle.
![mkt44inlimofp[1]_2](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mkt44inlimofp1_2.jpg)
image: parkssuperior.com
If I may digress even further, would you believe there is a “sedan” conversion of the Lincoln MKT? Whoa!
image: parkssuperior.com
And here’s the back. I wonder how S&S, Eureka, Superior and other specialty coachbuilders took the demise of the Town Car, and how much more difficult it is sectioning a unit-construction car rather than a BOF Panther. Well, I have to give them points for creativity! I think our ’56 has these new ones beat in the looks department.
Betcha the backlite comes from a Borgward.
That backlight is part and parcel GM all the way; the “C” body “Florentine Dip” they called it. Seeing this on the flower car probably required lots of sectioning and hand-pounding to get that short little domed curvature . . .
Well, they had been building coaches on unitized bodies on and off since Cadillac downsized the Commercial Chassis in 1985, and then when the BOF Cadillac was dropped all together, most coachbuilders moved right along and started cranking out FWD DeVille based hearses without skipping a beat, I haven seen an XTS hearse in person yet, but it does look pretty good in pictures.
The Flower Car has been dying (ha ha) on and off for the last 30 years, you usually only see them on certain occasions, I remember seeing footage of John Gotti’s funeral, he must have had 6 or 7 Cadillac based flower cars and one 80’s ElCamino, but for most people, there really isn’t a need for one.
Many Flower Cars are Floral Hearses actually, with a compartment below the flower tray for a casket, though they are seldom used that way.
The ’56 is pretty cool. Does the DTS-based flower car still have functional rear doors?!
Yes, as far as I’ve seen, usually the side doors have small access compartments on the bottom for the spare and jack on one side and collapsible “church cart” for caskets on the other side.
Even as far back as the 70s, these were seldom seen in the midwest. They were extremely expensive and not really usable for four seasons. It is so much easier and cheaper to transport flowers in a van or a suburban which can skip the procession and zip to the gravesite for a quick unloading before everyone else gets there.
Cool vehicles though, and probably very popular in large cities in southern Cal or in Florida where you won’t give the flowers frostbite on the trip to the cemetary.
That MKT sedan style limo conversion is certainly easier on the eyes than the two hatch style stretches at a funeral home not far from my work. Not that that’s saying much…
Perfect car, so close to Thanksgiving. Watched Alice’s Restaurant that afternoon, and thought I recognized that bubble-top from the movie.
Oh, Dagmar. Are you happy to see me, or is that a sprocket in your pocket?
Anyone else see the plate in the fourth shot above – perfect for a final delivery vehicle – – –
… and people thought that Cadillac didn’t have the El Camino thing covered
That’s wild! I wasn’t familiar with this variation.
Traditional hearses really have no appeal for me, but I could see owning a similar sort of Cadillacamino (and using it as such).
EDIT: as I was writing this, the guy above beat me to it. But I could still use the heck out of one 🙂
Cadillac Ute ya neva know that might of sold to a certain sector.
I wonder who that certain sector may be….. 😉
Cab Calloway drove a Cadillac flower car in The Blues Brothers – looked like a late ’60’s model.
It was a 1967.
Correct, and from what I recall it was a McCain Flower car, which were lower cost conversions usually done a stripper Calais coupe instead of the expensive Cadillac Commercial Chassis.
Hi De Ho!
This is pretty cool. I have never seen one of these, although there were plenty of Cadillac hearses around back then. The ’56 model was for me the penultimate design iteration of those early 50’s Caddies, it just oozed Cadillac luxury and prestige. It was my favorite Cadillac, until the ’62’s came along, anyway. Interesting on this ’56 that it has the ’54 side trim, also it has center-opening doors, although those rear doors are huge. Cadillacs of this vintage were always used for ambulance duty in those days, too, they were just about the only ambulance car you saw in Southern Cal.
First, I’ve decided to be godfather to Connie’s son. After that I’ll meet with Barzini…and Tattaglia…and the other heads of the families…
Tessio’s turf…..where I’ll be safe…..
A loaded ’56 Sedan DeVille with factory air would be a very high pick if I were to get an old car in the garage again. Agreed, the script is way cool!
I like the MKT conversion. Lincoln should do it, clean up the oddball tail light treatment and dump the MKS. They couldn’t do any worse, and who knows, maybe a large Lincoln with decent interior room would actually sell. I’ve heard that used to work for them in the past!
One of the reasons so few old flower cars survive is that they rust like mad. Especially the ones with no casket compartment underneath the flower platform. Once the funeral homes sold them off, they deteriorated rapidly sitting outdoors.
The Lincolns are a disgrace and butt ugly. I hope when I’m dead I don’t have to ride in this.
The ’58 Eureka Cadillac Flower Car is one of our favorites as well.