A couple of weeks ago I explained the silly import laws in my country, using a beautiful 1976 Olds Ninety-Eight as an example. I was surprised to find out that brougham love is not as universal as I thought it would be.
Personally, I’m absolutely in love with the big brougham bruisers. The idea of a large comfortable car without any sporting pretensions whatsoever is welcome in an environment full of potholes, streets that are not in the least bit encouraging to drive fast on, crazy drivers and even crazier truck drivers. Just the vision of climbing into a silent and comfy cocoon at the end of the day that’ll float you to your home in comfort is very appealing. The kind of comfort that would be extremely difficult to achieve with suspension tuned for going around the Nürburgring or indeed acknowledging its existence. There’s also the fact that I have the “grass is always greener” effect working on me. By the time I was born, most of them had been scrapped and replaced by smaller and newer Japanese metal, considerably more efficient and nicer to drive.
You can see why, as nice as they seem, broughams are severely compromised. For starters, that same non-Nürburgring tuned suspension means that wrestling one around corners is an…interesting experience, akin to trying to wrestle a medium-sized town house around bends… Not that the interior accommodations in some of them will make you think you’re in a town house. Cabin space was never the forte on some of them. And you don’t have to worry much about crashing because you’ll never be driving fast enough to have one. The Malaise Era was wreaking havoc on engines. 170HP out of a 5.9L V8? That and much worse. And anyway, if you did crash there would be about 14 feet of car between you and whatever you hit.
But don’t let me bring you down about them. Especially when every day I imagine a different brougham sitting on my garage. What about you?
Yes, as a matter of fact, I would. 🙂
Has anyone coined the term “Broughamance” yet?
I’ve used it, but I doubt I was the first: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1986-chevrolet-caprice-classic-brougham-niedermeyer-finally-finds-broughmance/
Love that, I’m gonna try to spread that word around!
I’d take the Cadillac Brougham.
I’ll take a large Buick or AMC Ambassador, thank you much!
I’ll pass on the New Yorker, though. Because Ultradrive.
No Ultradrive in the big New Yorker, right? Just the legendary TorqueFlite.
Still, I’d rather have the green ’63 T-Bird in the last photo or the red Corvette Sting Ray.
Yep, the REAL New Yorker in the last pic will have a 727. That’s pretty nice, though I prefer the ’72 Imperial coupe from yesterday.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-wordless-outtake-do-i-carry-a-spare-ballast-resistor-no-whats-that/
Yes, I’ll take some brougham…thanks!
I don’t know how to say this exactly, but these huge American cars were never about driving. They were all about comfort. They are at their best (and were really designed for) freeway (with the emphasis on free!) travel on trips of an hour or more. There is no better way to travel long distances than as a passenger in one- with plenty of room to stretch out on a comfortable sofa-seat, in completely climate-controlled silence except for the soothing sounds emanating from your multiple-speaker stereo system. Being the driver is not quite as good as being a passenger, but you will be inconvenienced as little as is possible. Feather-light steering effort, with as much smoothly and silently delivered torque as you want, and a cruise-control so that you don’t have to be bothered with the annoyance of keeping your foot in one place. If you need to take luggage for your trip, take as much as you want- throw in a few sets of golf clubs too.
Too Long/Didn’t Read Version:
No human in history ever felt more rich or free than when traveling across America Interstates at 75 MPH in one of these.
Well said. That’s the irony about the US Interstate Highway System: inspired by Autobahns, true, but very different in execution, with thin pavement & as straight & boring as possible, which induces sleep. Because they came late, they usually flanked population centers, unlike the older US Highway system.
A study in contrasts: California has 3 main ways to go North & South: very boring I-5, less boring US-101, & very scenic & challenging State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). Only the latter poses a problem for Yank Tanks unless they’re driven in Granny mode.
Doesn’t have to be in a land yacht – in the late 1990s I remember driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in a BMW 528i. 90mph across the desert, with air-conditioning and Cole Porter playing on the stereo. This was what the 20th century was invented for.
I guess the CHP doesn’t patrol that route; my [former] brother-in-law boasted about driving to Vegas faster than that in his ‘Vette. In CA, that’s Excessive Speed, & in AZ it’s a criminal offense to exceed 85.
Not that this matters to practical antinomians like him.
Definely. A broughamy luxo cruiser is just as focused on it’s task of smooth, silent, spacious, comfortable transport as is a highly tuned road burning sportscar. Space, pace, and grace as was said of the classic Jaguar sedans. I think that the classic American personal luxury coupes can be upgraded a bit in roadability without ruining the luxo vibe. I had a ‘ 77 Coupe de Ville which was a great road car. Check out the Car and Driver test of the ’78 CdV and see. Love that green Chrysler.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cadillacben/sets/72157631245896734/detail/
Here’s the review you mentioned. It’s interesting that its performance specs stacked up so well against the Mercedes-Benz 280SE, even in fuel economy and braking distance. Too bad CAFE and GM conspired to make the engines worse almost every year.
Wern’t those late 70’s New Yorkers banned in the Demo Derby circuits?
You’re thinking of pretty much all Imperials. Though some derbies may have banned the big Chryslers too, but Imperials are well known as “too strong for the derby”.
Which is a good thing!
My brother in law’s ’76 Lincoln Town Car was nearly banned from a demolition derby because they thought that he had added the beam behind the front bumper. The derby officials had to inspect and approve the car.
I’d like to add that it was twenty five years ago when my brother-in-law put that ’76 Lincoln in a demo derby. I wouldn’t dream of doing that today. After he had stripped that car, he commented that people would be restoring these cars one day. That day has come.
All through the 1960’s Demolition Derbies were full of pristine ’55 Chevies and other great American cars no one wanted , they’d just bash the glass out with a brick , swipe the seats of the glass pebbles and go racing v, grinding them to junk .
I’ve always loved the Demos but hated they’d use these fine old cars , others told me I was just stupid , no one would ever want ” those old cars ” .
-Nate
“…the vision of climbing into a silent and comfy cocoon at the end of the day that’ll float you to your home in comfort…”
Yes, yes and yes. This is exactly the appeal of these things for me. Most motoring doesn’t occur on winding, hilly, country roads on which an MGB would be pure joy. It’s done in traffic amid crowds of impatient drivers where isolation and comfort are the chief end of a car.
That Cadillac will do nicely, thank you.
Smaller 2door brougham sans vinyl roof for me… 70s T-Bird for example, or late 70s Ford Granada, or early 80s Plymouth Gran Fury, or a higher end 78-81 Chevy Malibu, or 78-80 Olds Cutlass.
I would love to have a 2 door brougham, landau, colonnade etc. car. I don’t just like sports cars. I also love personal luxury cars, like the Mark IV and Mark V, the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, Thunderbird, Torino Elite, and larger 2 door coupes from the early ’70s like the Chevelle Laguna and Pontiac Grand Am.
Its starting to look to me like you and I have similar(but with differences) tastes in cars. How about an early to mid eighties model Ford Crown Vic 2door with the optional 351W V8? Those always had the landau roof. I never cared for landaus or any vinyl on the roof at all.
Sadly, the 351 was only ever available on the box Panthers with the police package, which wasn’t available on 2-doors.
Of course, swapping one in would be easy as pie…
Except for up here in the Great White North, of course. It looks like Banacek misplaced his Caddy in the first photo.
While I hated *driving* it, there’s a reason I always asked my grandmother if I could borrow her ’83 Mercury Marquis for dates when I was in college…
The advantages of driving the living room sofa… 😛
For me, it was my Dad’s ’68 Ambassador with reclining seats, until he put an end to it when he realized what was going on. When I asked him why, he said, “No one is going to have more fun in that car than I am.”
Total comfort and quiet combined with excellent roadholding is easily achieved, you just have to stay away from pretentious rubbish like US broughams and buy a Peugeot or Citroen they come standard with soft long travel independant suspension combined with roadholding the Germans are still trying to equal.
I read your comment three times. Then I tried google image search for citroen/peugeot and brougham and only came up with the Citroen Prestige, which looks even more ridiculous than the AMC Matador Barcelona edition. I conclude that you must be joking.
Yes, Peugeot and Citroen are legendary in the United States with quite the remarkable share of the market.
The pretentiousness is half the fun!
This is what he means: cars that are both very comfortable and can go around corners pretty fast actually do exist. Yes, as unbelievable as it may sound. They are also quite roomy inside, after all, the length of a hood and trunk don’t contribute to the car’s interior space.
Just a few of them: Citroën DS, CX, XM, C5, C6. Peugeot 504, 505, 604, 605, 607. Renault 16, 25, Safrane.
Name one Citroën/Peugeot who can match a Lincoln Continental from the 70s in terms of interior space, quietness, comfort and isolation from the road. You can’t find any.
I have grown up in Peugeots, one of them was actually good, a 505 GTi, the rest pretty bad when it comes to reliability. Today my father have a 508 and an old 406. The 406 doesn’t run very good any more, but its 14 years and have about 300.000 kms on it, bought it new. At this mileage and age these cars are pretty much finished. The 508 have been good so far, but the ride reminds me of a BMW.
I’d say that a (first gen) Citroën C5 Break 3.0 V6 Exclusive automatique comes mighty close. Old man Cadillac came from France and limousine is a French word. Just kidding, of course.
C5 and the 607 is comfortable, C6 as well. But they are a lot newer than the traditional american land yatchs, except for the Panthers.
I’ve not driven a newer Citroën than 2008, but the ride of the Peugeots of today reminds me more of the German cars than the american. The older Peugeots was riding way better in my opinion. I think the old 406 riding way better than the 508 on bad and very bad norwegian roads.
Cadillac is a french name, as I remember.. ?
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was the founder of Detroit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_la_Mothe_Cadillac
They are not even in the same class. The Citroëns may have pneumatic suspension, but no where near a Cadillac or Lincoln in terms of quietness, absorb large and small bumps and comfort. The early (60s-70s) Citroën reliability was pretty bad and they rusted alot. Peugeot a bit better in terms of reliability, but quiet isn’t the first word I will use when I talk about older European cars. Their small engines gave about 2500-3000 rpm in 100 km/t (60 mph). A late seventies american land yatch may have half of that’s and no road noise in the inside of the car…
Plus, do they have big hood ornaments or vinyl roofs? How about wire wheels or opera lamps?
Comfort is only part of the Brougham appeal, all the gingerbread is a huge part of it.
As much as I can appreciate the French underdog cars, I don’t give a damn if they can corner like a BMW and yet ride (somewhat) like an American luxobarge, they don’t have enough gingerbread!
I do like a good Brougham, for when I’m in the mood for quiet comfort and the presence of a big highway cruiser. Ideally it would share space in my garage with a legit sports sedan, a proper sports car, a wagon… I could go on. A tool for every purpose.
The brougham in question changes like the weather, but right now, I’m still rather enamored with that ’72 Imperial coupe posted as an outtake a few days back!
I`ll take the”son of the Imperial” -a `75, 76, or 77 New Yorker two door, all white with road wheels and that unique vinyl top. Looked at one recently, but the compressor and heater core were shot , there was a minor rip on the front seat leather, some pitted chrome and some minor surface rust, but nothing eaten through. I`d would have went for it if the owner knocked some money off the price, but until then………….
Sounds like a nice ride! I do quite like those 2-door NYers as well.
If it hasn’t sold, go back with a low offer, maybe he’ll take it if some time has passed. Better it end up with you than raised up as a donk or stripped out for a demo derby.
There was also a 4 door NYER that was somewhat cleaner than the coupe, but the 4 door just doesn`t do it for me. That coupe is unique. To use any of these beauties for demo is a crime against automotive design. I have seen a few, and believe me, it is a heartbreaking sight.
For these reasons I have a 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood S & S Victoria Hearse….
It’s great out in the middle of nowhere going in straight lines .
We keep good tires and gas shocks on it so it surprises the Vintage Sports Cars guys when my Brother drives it in the canyons .
-Nate
tight handling and stiff suspension are way overrated for a commuter car. I dd’ed a Miata, a GTI, and a Grand Marquis on the same 40 mile commute. No driving situation comes up that the Grand Marquis can’t handle as well as the other two, and it is immensely more comfortable. when the Brougham disappeared, we was robbed! 🙂
That is the way I think about it, and not just for commuting but for about 80% of the driving you will encounter in the U.S. I live in Nebraska, and practically all the roads here are straight shots with nary a hill even. Any Brougham type car will have gobs more than enough handling, even in Omaha. If you want to make a sports car or sports sedan do their thing, you are going to have to just go there and take interstate on and off ramps like a bat out of hell.
Yes, I’ll have another 1970 Lincoln Continental sedan, thank you!
WE had a 70 Lincoln Continental. Mom drove it to pick up dad for a long vacation in Denver. We lived in suburban PA. Driving across NB, I caught mom driving at 120 mph. She slowed (after her initial fright) to 90 and it felt like we parked. She went back up. that car cruised like you were in the living room and the windshield was a TV screen. At those speeds, it still got 17 mpg.
Having grown up in the 80’s with my parents owning an 82 Crown Victoria, I have to say YES please!!! Once I became a licensed driver in 1988, I really loved driving that car to see family in Florida from Louisiana. You set that cruise and take a nap while driving on I-10 across the Gulf Coast. That 302 was way adequate for easing along any road you could throw at it.
I’ve made trips in the Accord, Camry, Lumina, Impala set up of today and it just isn’t the same.
As time marches on, these cars which I once viewed as ugly road barges, are really looking good. With gas prices down, I hope those who keep these cars on the road are road tripping them as much as possible. Or for rust prone parts of the country at least getting their trip plans ready for when the road salt goes away for the season.
Why have just one? Buy a brougham for the commute and a sports car for the weekend.
If you have the space to keep both, that is the best option by far.
That Fleetwood 75 limo would look great sticking out of my garage
Mmmm, yes, I’ll take some Brougham, please. Pretty much any Brougham will do for me, Ford, GM, Chrysler, no difference.
I could go for a personal coupe. But Id have to do a lot of liposuction on the flab. A ’80-’83 Cordoba LS or Mirada is a ‘want one someday’ car for me. Make it a T-top with no vinyl roof, buckets re-done in leather, floor shift, with a nicely warmed over 4bbl 360 under the hood and throaty but mellow dual Magnaflows. Some cop car suspension bits, wide Cragar SS wheels and either a solid red paint job or black with red inside suits me just fine. Leather seats and a nice Bluetooth sound system are all the luxo touches I need since Im more about enjoying the ride and a roomy car that I can drive for hours without fatigue is as ‘posh’ as I would ever need. It doesn’t have to handle like a mini cooper but the police suspension would make it competent if I want to get silly in the curves while not beating me to death.
Even when Im giving in to comfort, I still need a good helping of muscle car and/or hot rod.
This is where we see eye-to-eye. I like a little muscle with my broughamness.
Reading this article got me thinking about late 70’s B-body Mopars again, with the recent article about the Magnum and Mirada from a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always loved the original Cordoba, but the 1979 (Cordoba body) 300 would be a great mix of the broughamy and sporty at the same time. Or a contemporary Dodge Magnum with a nice 360 in it. Like a resto-mod, one could update these things with modern motors and electronics. Let’s call them broughamods ©… (copyright, geozinger 2015) 😉
Others I could groove on: any big motor Mercury Cougar XR-7 from 1971 to 1979, any big motor Colonnade GMs, especially the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme or Pontiac Grand Prix from the same time period.
As we get further into the 80’s, there weren’t too many brougham-y cars left to chose from. The GM G body coupes, the Mirada/Cordoba and the Fox body Turbo Thunderbird and Cougars would be my choice. I think with a little imagination and modern tech, those could be decent broughamods, too.
I think this photo sums up my feelings…
Maybe a bit of 60 specialness, instead of broughamance?
I am the Antibrougham, so there’s nothing in the genus of bloat barges that appeals to me. However, as a kid I did admire Cadillac’s verve in the generation pictured at top. It seemed to me that Cadillac was saying, “Our cars are so effing big, we can put the headlights nowhere near each other and still have room for a huge honkin’ grille. Take that mo fo.” Gotta admire that kind of moxie.
My personal brougham conveyance:
Mmmm. 1972 Delta 88 Royale. Nice.
It’s an interesting thing, most drivers spend their time in cars commuting. One hardly needs razor sharp handling for that. In fact, optimum ride comfort and isolation would be the best thing. Imagine a Fleetwood Talisman with Tesla power and you would have the perfect 21st century brougham.
Don’t have to sell me. But having driven the offerings of the Big 3, a 70s Lincoln is the way to go here for maximum broughaminance.
I doubt I’ll be rocking anyone’s world with this statement: Broughaminess is actually somewhat of a turn-off to me.
Padded vinyl roof? Opera windows? Pillow-top seats covered in tufted velour? Boat-like suspension? Skinny whitewalls with big fat wheelcovers? Over-embellished cursive script on every-freaking-thing? Blech.
Granted, I’m not part of the demographic such a package was aimed at – but for to ’70s and ’80s cars, sporty with a touch of luxury is what I want.
When it comes to the above mentioned ‘enhancements,’ a little dab’ll do. Pour on the whole jar and I’ll stick to appreciating it from a distance. (That goes for the other extreme as well – if choosing a Firebird, I’d pick an optioned-up base car or even a Formula over the T/A, just to be rid of all the “look at me” stickers and related goodies.)
Hence why, anytime a car of mine has set off the ol’ Brougham-o-meter, non-destructive modifications (“attitude adjustment”) have begun immediately 🙂
Hey Keith, remember: It’s always five o’clock somewhere! 🙂
But this is the neat thing about this forum. We can all have our opinions. I get that some people don’t like broughams, but they are part of our shared history. I personally don’t get British sports cars (like the MG TC/D/F or Bugeye Sprites), but I can appreciate them. I still feel richer for knowing something about them.
Geo ;
The thing to remember about LBC’s is : they’re ‘ Sports Cars ‘ , _NOT_ RACE CARS ! there’s a HUGE difference : Sports cars are fun to drive , sporting as it were , not really meant to go seriously fast .
So many Americans don’t get it .
I had an MG TD , it was nice and really cute but I imagine a 40HP VW Beetle could run rings around it and doesn’t leak in the rain (water anyways), has a REAL HEATER (!) , is vastly more reliable , carries four passengers (“and a machine gun”) blah blah blah…..
I don’t miss the TD one bit , I’d be bereft if I lost my old Metropolitan Nash LBC .
See ? different .
British Cars are for idiots , fools , drunks , College Professors who want to get laid , Pedants and stupid people like _me_ who never learn their lesson =8-) .
I constantly get buttonholed by people who know of or see my Mighty Metropolitan Sports Coupe tearing up/down the twisty Pasadena Freeway , ‘ wow ! that little car is _FAST_ ! ‘ .
I tell them ” no ~ it just *looks* fast because I’m going 75 MPH through the corners ~ come with me and I’ll show you some _really_ fast Guys , all I ever see is their taillights rapidly vanishing ” .
There’s quick (LBC’s) and there’s fast , two entirely different things in life .
-Nate
“The idea of a large comfortable car without any sporting pretensions whatsoever is welcome in an environment full of potholes, streets that are not in the least bit encouraging to drive fast on, crazy drivers and even crazier truck drivers. Just the vision of climbing into a silent and comfy cocoon at the end of the day that’ll float you to your home in comfort is very appealing.”
It’s amazing how the situation in your country is identical to the situation in my “country”, Manhattan. This is also a reason why I like Broughams. Whenever my job or leisure requires me to travel within 50 miles of the city, it of course involves the identical things you described. Being “en-Broughamed” while driving through it all makes the whole sensory experience a lot less stressful in what’s already a very stressful job.
Nicely put — agreed.
Junqueboi! Where you been hidin’, brother?
Hi Cap’n! I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of a lengthy Craigslist Vehicular Hoarding Binge in Mid-Life-Crisis-Land.
We want to see pictures. What have you been buying? 🙂 And I remember you had a bunch of cars in the field at your old place and you were trying to drag some of them to your new place. How did that go?
Good to see you are still alive and kicking.
You made my day Eric — thank you sir!
+1!
“I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of a lengthy Craigslist Vehicular Hoarding Binge in Mid-Life-Crisis-Land.”
Ah! I just heard there are no cars left for sale, anywhere. Should have guessed who was responsible. 🙂
+1 What Eric said. 🙂
I was wondering where you got to as well. Glad to see you’re still checking-in here, JB.
Thank you BOC, Cap’n, & Eric. I was getting a bit testy here and needed a break for awhile. As for the field-o-cars, I worked out a trade with the landowner which ended the hostage situation. One came home a few months ago….only 55 left to go!
Three 1973 Pontiacs, a blue V6 Fiero, and a rotten 1973 442 are the most recent additions to the pile….and…. well…
I bought a 24 foot 1974 Terry Taurus in back in 1993. The floor plan was the same as this camper. I redid the interior entirely. It was a nice rig. Lots of fun. But, what caught my eye in your video is what appears to be a 1973 Buick Century parked in front of your GMC.
I had a 69 Kenskill travel trailer in about the same condition. It was fully self contained. At one point in my life (1986) the trailer, my 70 C10 and fifty dollars were all I had but I was comfy in that little trailer. Luckily I soon found a job and a friend let me park it on his storage lot with me in it until I got my act together. The lot had no power or water, I had 2 batteries to swap in the truck and a couple of plastic 5 gallon gas cans to fill at work and bring water back every day so I could shower. Even had a stereo and 12 volt TV. It looks like your trailer has the same Duo Therm furnace that does not use a blower fan motor, so you have heat even if battery is dead. I think your fridge is a house compressor type replacement. With a few extra tanks of propane you could have heat, hot water, stove and refrigerator even with no electricity for month’s at a time. If no water hook ups, you would need 12 Volts for water pump if you wanted running water. For it’s age it’s in great shape and appears to be pretty much dry rot free. You got a good deal on it.
notenufcars — Time to Google some Terry Taurus. Fixing these up sounds like a lot of fun — I’d give it a whirl but there’s a lifetime’s worth of crap ahead of it in the queue.
Good eye on the Buick! It indeed is a ’73 Century Gran Sport which needs pretty much everything. There’s a crummy pic of it on Pinterest (click on my avatar) but I’ll probably stick a video of it on YouTube eventually (I’ve hijacked this thread too much already!)
PRNDL — Thanks!!
67Conti — You are making me want to keep it now — thanks for sharing about the one you had — it reminds me of how much I take for granted nowadays. One of these would have been my Taj Mahal in the few brief homeless periods of my past. Thanks for posting.
If commenter “Syke” sees this article, his head will explode! Mine just did…
I’ll take another Brougham Cadillac style 91-92 with the 5.7. My 1990 got around corners pretty well and was nowhere near as floaty as the 70’s cruisers but it still rode quiet and smooth. Larger tires, extra body bracing, large front sway bar and rear sway bar, heavy duty gas shocks etc made handling better than would be expected.
Give me a 75-76 Lincoln Continental Town Car. I also love the GM 77-> B/C -body.
Make mine a 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham, Thank you!!
It contains the proper prerequisites for a pedigree Brougham:
Vinyl roof
Faux wire wheels
Loose pillow seats
moon roof
velour interior
curbside fender lamps
http://www.oldcaradvertising.com/Oldsmobile/1978/1978%20Oldsmobile%20Ad-02.jpg
Excellent choice. The ’78 Brougham is the only Cutlass to get the silver speedometer.
Odd, but it appears that the airbags in the second picture did not deploy. The accelerators for the airbags in the steering wheel and dash must be based on frontal impact, instead of side impact.
Was involved in a similar accident with a Chevy truck and Dodge truck (45 degree fender bender at approximately 35 MPH). The airbags in the Dodge truck did not deploy either. Fortunately, the man in the Dodge was wearing his seatbelt.
I had a 73 limousine (dark blue) like this in college for partying on the weekends. The car cleaned up so nicely I almost felt it too nice for the purpose. Some years later I replaced it with a 76. Fun times:)
The dark green Chrysler in this article is so very very handsome! A very period color.
I knew from the moment I started reading these posts exactly what my car would be. A 1963 Olds 98 Holiday Sports Sedan four door hardtop. 330 HP Skyrocket V8 with options from a signal seeking radio to vacuum actuated power trunk release with that solid “thunk” sound. White, with White painted roof (a little restraint here). Aqua interior. Starfire wheel covers, not wires. I live in the northeast, so I’d choose the Mountain Axle package. A good climber with quick on-ramp acceleration. Ironically, on weekends, I’d have a ski rack mounted on the trunk lid with four pair of Head skis attached. After all, it is a Sports Sedan. I think that these cars were driven by guys in their late thirties who you thought were snobs, but later found out they weren’t, even though they always drank liquor, not beer. And, like my Dad, they always used Brylcreem. From personal experience, my ’64 Olds 88 was a smooth, powerful road car with comfort to spare. But we’re talking about luxury here, so I moved up one step. The deciding visual factor for the ’63 98? The large vertical tail lights. They’re beautiful!
Brougham, Brougham, Brougham!!!! I would love a nice Brougham!! Make mine a 1979 Olds 98 Regency Coupe, black with a black landau top and tan leather interior. Add a moonroof, cornering lamps, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, road wheels and 403 V-8 – there is a car I lust for!!
I like them all but instinctively lean ’76 Cadillac (Sedan DeVille or Fleetwood Brougham), or fully-optioned ’76 Electra Park Avenue (such that it would have things like lamp monitors).
I like the Continentals a lot, too, but have yet to drive one and am used to the quirks of General Motors cars.
I still love mine IM still restoring it (it was my sons who passed away a year ago) I will never sell it when I C the car IC him
I have known two parents who held on to their sons cars. Oddly enough both were only children. A car is a very personal item much like a watch. Enjoy your memories.
Thank you
This man I met at the YMCA is still driving his son’s ’51 Plymouth years after his young son passed away. I first wrote up the story five years ago, and I just saw it at the y the other day. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1951-plymouth-cranbrook-automotive-immortality/
Broken link?
It’s working for me. But in any case, I’ve decided to re-run it on Sunday.
Yes I wish I had pic of him with the car but I did find one of him with his First car 1977(I think) duster which is the year he was born
I was not able to view the pic but read UR comment
You’d be surprised how fast you can drive one. I have cruised for hours at 70 mph in my cruiser.
Oh it’s the one pictured at the bottom of the story