Let’s revisit Cadillac during its heyday in the ’50s and ’60s through this collection of images showcasing the marque’s products on the roads. The images cover a period that goes from the demure fins of the early ’50s to the flamboyant rocket age, and then the tasteful elegant ’60s.
A series of shots that should please fans of the “Standard of the World.”
The pic of the `60 Eldorado cvt. in the driveway is especially nice. The sun hits it just right, and it look like it may be fairly new at the time.
The gorgeous `63 Fleetwood 60 special sedan parked in front of the CA. home looks great too. This particular era of Fleetwood always looked it’s best to me in tuxedo black!
That “Eldo” is , I believe, longer then my apartment..lol (certainly classier)
The black ’48, or ’49 is a beautiful piece of design. The ’60 comnvertible in that color is especially gorgeous, too. Cadillacs were quality and style leaders for many years, a heritage which was sadly later squandered.
Image #3 looks to be either the northern coast of Maine or the Canadian Maritimes. Nice color combo.
#1 with Standard Brands Paint Co. and Taylor Maid Donuts appears to be Los Angeles. With a “Sears” sign visible, perhaps it’s the Pomona location—I’m not a SoCal guy, so I’ll appreciate others’ help.
Meanwhile, the cars are very cool in all locations, a visible sign of one’s affluence and all that…
Great find! I think it’s the Holt & Mills location. Sure looks like the former paint store building is now standing – it’s an auto parts store now, but it has the same unique curved corner.
Then-and-now comparison, and Google StreetView link below:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mrzxzPmAHMFJVm9K7
Eric703, I crossed my fingers you’d drop in and finish the quest—thanks a bunch! The matchup with the store facade (plus the parking-lot light’s concrete anchor) looks very convincing.
In the background is ( I think) a goldish brown “Chevy II”. Looks like my aunts..
Had a tinted windshield and a “hang on the dash” a/c unit..
Can’t get pic bigger, could be a “Falcon”, instead.. H’mmm.
I recently drove right by there, it’s gone way down hill since I lived there in the late 1970’s .
-Nate
Two of these really resonate with me. The gold 63 up top looks just like one once owned by a relative, and the black 63 Fleetwood sedan is a much newer and nicer version of one that I once owned.
I always thought Cadillacs had a tendency for the front suspensions to sag as they got older, but many of these photos show the front ends riding really low even when the cars were fairly new.
Ah Yes! When Cadillac WAS The Standard of the WORLD. How far Cadillac has fallen to irreconizable bloated glorified trucks masquerading as Luxury vehicles. My last 93 Brougham was a disappointment, far inferior to my 89 Brougham deElegance. Several photos make the Cadillacs look bigger than the houses. Photo 6 (street) seems to be in San Francisco, before my first trip there. In the late 80S I saw a pink 59 Sixty Special parked on Hayes on my way to The MUSCLE SYSTEM gym. Now as a Vintage Rolls Canardly (Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next), like Cadillac, I’m definitely not what I once was.
Yes, photo 6 is San Francisco with that SFPD patrol car under the Jesus Saves sign. That is Valencia St. in the Mission District and you can see the Mission District Police Station right there at 1240 Valencia. Beat Eric703 on that one, LOL…
Wow, that was one of those old pics I look at and think “i bet everything in this photo is gone now”, but most of it amazingly is still there. The police station looks newer than most of its surroundings.
Except for the 1968 Eldorado we haven’t represented the late ’60s Cadillacs yet. I submit this image though in a parking lot and not “on the road.” This is my late father’s 1967 Calais four-door sedan. Note that it has a B-pillar which was rare for Calais and Sedan deVille models. Of course, all Fleetwoods had a B-pillar. Dad preferred the post because he believed (rightly so) it made the body stronger.
Dad really enjoyed this car. It replaced a beloved 1964 Catalina (Ventura) two-door hardtop that was lost in a garage fire. When he drove the Cadillac off the dealers lot he immediately went to the tire store and had four B.F. Goodrich radial tires mounted and four Monro-matic shocks installed. It was probably the best handling Cadillac in town. 🙂
We took vacations all over the western states in the Cadillac until the first oil embargo when he replaced my mother’s Buick with a Volvo and the cherished Calais with a BMW 3.0. What a difference that was!
GM’s pillared sedans had about 2″ more rear legroom than the hardtops, plus more headroom.
Dad put Michelin radials on our ’68 Electra before 1970 and noticed a big difference in handling. One of the original Goodrich belted tires blew out on a early trip (probably due to overload), so he didn’t trust the others, but he should have gotten inflatable shocks for the amount of luggage it regularly carried. He also noticed his mother’s ’70 Cadillac turned sharper than the Buick, despite its 3.5″ longer wheelbase. But like his father, he wasn’t going to buy a Cadillac. I’ve had 5 used ones.
I’ll take the black ’48-’49 Sedanette, thank you.
According to opinions I’ve received from this site, the real heyday of Cadillac ended around 1970, and I was too young to appreciate them in the period.
But these are very nice cars, and I’m kind of sorry to have missed them in period.
My grandmother had both ’70 and ’72 Calais 4 doors (I barely remember her ’64). I much preferred the exterior of the ’70 but the interior of the ’72, and not just because it wasn’t all black. But the interior of our base ’68 Electra had generally higher quality materials than both.
That’s a 1948 Paul. Seminal car for Cadillac, first year for the tailfin. And that sedanette fastback styling is achingly beautiful. 1949 things got even better, first year for the ohv V8, last year for the fastback.
The 48 is my choice as well, but damn I do love the angular and green 1968 Eldorado. Also first year for the all new 472 V8, which replaced the previous family of Cadillac v8 that debuted in 1949
I’ve long wondered if GM intentionally saved the new engine for the second year of a new or majorly-revised car, or if they just could rarely get the engine ready in time.
These were the glory days for Cadillac. I grew up lusting after cars like this in my youth, they were everywhere, people drove immaculate older models with pride. It’s like the old song said; Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end! Obviously GM thought the same, though they dropped the ball for a time. Now, modern Cadillacs are actually pretty good, some are unbelievable. Like the high performance variants.
The Eldorado is a 1969. The vinyl top is a halo. Also 1969 wheel covers.
I should have noticed that, since I dislike the garish ’67-8 wheel covers, even if they are better at cooling the brakes. The tires seem unusually large, but it could be the sand on the sidewall.
I currently drive a 2008′ Toyota Yaris and these relic cars from the past are longer than 2 of my cars put together. In my opinion the 60’s were the best decade of cars ever.
I owned 86 cars and trucks. At least 15 were cadillac.1960 to 1975.. eldorado coup sedans.all were super great.cant say enough about those wonderful cars
Could not give me a new one.
Oh I like that ’60 convertible and especially in blue. The ’59-60 Cadillac convertibles are my favorite but I also like the ’55-56 Eldorado Biarittz as well.
Those Cadillac photos take me back to my youth in the early 1960, especially the 1960 Convertible and the 1963 Four-door Hardtop photos! Love the memories!
@Rick W
You went to a gym? I read your post and knew exactly who it was without looking at the name.
Your biggest fan & friend, ACD