There’s something rather neat about seeing Cadillac and Oldsmobile together in several of these old dealer photos–a collection of gleaming Oldsmobiles representing a family that was moving up in the world and Cadillacs sitting nearby as the ultimate prize. Today’s collection goes from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, featuring fins, chrome, and lots of several aspirational purchases. Our first stop is at Pulaski Motors, Cadillac-Oldsmobile, in Pulaski, VA.
Burlington Cadillac-Oldsmobile (1948-1949), Burlington, VT.
Riverside Motor Sales, Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Goshen, IN.
Valley Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Roanoke, VA.
Galles Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Albuquerque, NM.
Berlinger Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Plymouth, MI.
Just Cadillacs at Darby Everest Cadillac, Oklahoma City, OK.
1957 Cadillac in the showroom.
Kurland Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Nyack, NY.
Burris Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Redwood Falls, MN.
Trudeau Motors, Cadillac-Oldsmobile-Chevrolet, Ontario, Canada.
1976 models in the showroom.
Not sure of this original location but the Burlington dealer later became Val Preda Olds-Cadillac on Shelburne Rd (rt 7) in S. Burlington, and is now a VW dealer location. 🙁
It looks vaguely familiar, and I think pre-Shelburne Road the old “auto row” was along North Avenue.
I’m betting Galles Cadillac-Oldsmobile was where Rick Galles got his money to start running first Galles Racing, then Galles-Kraco Racing in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Al Unser Jr. got his start in Big Time Auto Racing with Galles Racing and may have worked at the dealership in the offseason.
Was hoping to see the Barrie Bros Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealer in Patchogue, NY. Worked there as a mechanic right out of high school in 1965-66. Ah well, good memories anyway.
My Grandfather was a OLDS EIGHTYEIGHT GUY, through most of the sixties. I loved being in that big car. It was the.first car I drove after I got my license in 1970, still have the plates from 1966.
That’s actually more logical than the common Buick-Oldsmobile pairing since those two were similarly placed on the Sloan ladder and competed. I do recall seeing some 4 franchise Buick Oldsmobile Cadillac GMC dealers in rural areas. On the Blue Oval side I visited a Ford and Lincoln dealer that also had a tractor franchise so a prosperous contractor could buy a backhoe, a dump truck and Continental in the same store
Cadillac-Oldsmobile was definitely GM’s most popular car brand pairing, and you’d find it in some surprisingly large cities, such as Trenton. And as you suggest GM discouraged putting adjacent ladder rungs in the same dealership. One thing you did see in more rural towns in PA when I was growing up were Buick-Chevrolet dealers – a big gap but makes sense in a place where you’d have a lot of workers, farmers, and some owners and professionals.
I can’t say I’ve seen any Olds-Buick combos but I’ve seen lots of Olds-Cad dealers. I’ve also seen more than a few Chev-Olds. Pontiac-Buick was pretty common and that seemed to be the most common place to find GMC.
in the early ’80’s, I’d have my LeCar serviced at Miller Cadillac-Renault in Charleston, SC.
Go figure, on that combo ……
According to Google, Berlinger Cadillac Olds is currently the site of Dick Scott CDJR at 684 Ann Arbor Road. At least there is still a car dealer at that site. Not far down the road to the east was the long-time site of Don Massey Cadillac – now Suburban Cadillac. Massey was called the Cadillac King – 6% of all Cadillacs were sold by his dealership. If you get in Wikipedia that says something:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Massey_(car_dealer)
https://www.wxyz.com/news/don-masseys-historic-northville-mansion-to-be-transformed-into-inclusive-community-for-adults-with-autism
Started my 45 year career at Heifner-Swaney Olds back in 76. Sad I don’t have pictures of the old downtown building. We had a 2 car showroom and that pic of 76 showroom brought back memories. In 78 or 79 we had a 98 loaded for $10,500 and the salesmen were wondering who would ever buy an Oldsmobile that expensive.
I believe Picture #9 (1957 Cadillac in the showroom) was taken at Andy Falk & Son Cadillac-Olds-GMC in Port Huron, Michigan.
Trudeau Motors on Station St. In Belleville, Ontario (on Lake Ontario about 120 miles east of Toronto) opened its doors in1948 and was shuttered in 2009, a victim of the great GM dealership consolidation. The building was left vacant and eventually demolished in 2014. I still see the odd car around town with the old school Trudeau chrome dealer plaques on their trunk lid.
My Dad was a Cadillac guy. In succesion.He bought 65 Deville Convertible, 67 Eldorado, 71Eldorado,73 Fleetwood then finally the 1976 Eldorado Biarritz. Yet he always praised how good Oldsmobile was. The engines and overal the quality was great he said. I Grew up in Detroit but attended MSU in East Lansing a stone throw from Lansing where Olds were built. I started collecting cars in early 90s..
One of my prized cars was a 1984 Olds 98Regency Brougham. It was everything he said a Olds would be. Oh…and I found a 1971 Eldorado black like his but mine was a droptop
And I see what he loved Cadillacs
The Kurland Cadillac dealership is perhaps their third location and was on Route 59 headed out of town, actually in Central Nyack, NY. Their grand salon from the 1920’s is now a restaurant on South Broadway in Nyack. The design is definitely 1920’s before Art Deco. The ceiling on the first floor is eight to twenty-feet high. One of the grandchildren became a rabbi and officiates at a synagogue in nearby New City, NY.
Nice Caddies, make mine a ’51 coupe .
-Nate