Text by Patrick Bell.
Camping has been a part of car culture for nearly as long as there have been cars. Today we are looking at a slice of that; people with luxury cars as a tow rig. Luxury cars were better tow cars in many ways than trucks of the day, and comfort was at the top of the list. We have campers and a few boats in many sizes, but the cars were all large and cushy highway cruisers, so let’s take a look.
We begin with a lady posing on a windy day with a 1974 Cadillac Sedan deVille that was towing an Airstream Excella travel trailer. The license plate seems to have an unique numbering style, but is otherwise unreadable.
The deVille had a 472 cubic inch V8 with 205 net horsepower for power, and was equipped with a vinyl roof. Additional trailer towing equipment were the fender mounted mirrors, and roof mounted air deflector. The Excella was Airstream’s premier model, and was available in 25, 27, and 31 foot models. This one looked like the 31 footer, and had an air conditioner and perhaps a TV antenna on top.
Here were a pair of 1951 models that appeared to be touring a park of some sort. On the left was a Buick Super Riviera Sedan, and behind it was a Lincoln Cosmopolitan Sport Sedan. Both of them were towing “canned ham” style of camp trailers.
The Buick had a 263.3 ci Fireball overhead valve straight Eight with 128 hp with the Dynaflow Drive that was shared with the Special series. The Lincoln used a 336.7 ci L-head V8 with 154 hp. Both of them likely did well with a small trailer.
On the right was a 1953 Cadillac Series Sixty-Two Sedan with a newer looking camp trailer. They were parked in a very temporary spot, while on the left was a larger trailer that was set up for the long term, relatively speaking. In front of it was a two tone 1955 Ford Fairlane. The Cadillac apparently was only staying a night or two.
The only engine and transmission available on the Cadillac for that year was a 331 ci V8 with the HydraMatic Drive. This one also had two tone paint, fog lamps, and a 1959 Ohio license plate. The trailer on the left had an awning, a bit of landscaping, and a tall TV antenna.
Here we had another 1953 Cadillac, this one a Series Sixty Special, the top of the line non limousine sedan. It was towing a Winnebago camp trailer, and a lady looked like she was patiently waiting. The setting was out in the wide open spaces somewhere, in the parking lot of perhaps a school building. A sign is visible, but not readable.
To the left was a 1958 Buick Limited 4 door Riviera hardtop, a one year fully equipped premier model that cost more than a basic Cadillac. The bluish car mostly hiding behind the camper was a 1946-1948 Dodge 4 door sedan.
This 1957 Cadillac Sixty-Two Sedan or Sedan deVille was either launching or retrieving a boat on a ramp in a large body of water.
The Cadillac V8 was up to 365 ci with 300 hp in all models except the Eldorado, which had 325. The boat had dual large outboard motors, enough power to pull skiers, or perhaps to make sure they made it home.
And here was a line up of boaters preparing to launch their boats for the day. On the left was a 1959 Lincoln Sedan, in the center was a 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air wagon, and on the right a 1960 Buick 2 door hardtop or convertible. All three of them had Connecticut license plates, and the first boat (and likely the others) was also licensed in Connecticut.
The Lincoln used a 430 ci V8 that debuted in 1958 with 375 hp. Interestingly, the horsepower was reduced to 350 in 1959, 315 in 1960, and it leveled off in 1961 at 300.
A 1964 Imperial Crown Coupe with a boat in tow was shown along with a young family in two images. The upper image shows the boat, which looks to be about a 14 footer, along with a good size outboard motor. And a long view of the newly restyled Imperial. The close up view shows the boat was registered in New Jersey, along with a nice view of the family, and part of the Imperial and it’s vinyl roof.
Standard power was a 413 ci V8 with 340 hp that had been in use in that tune since 1962. The front seats on the Crown Coupe and convertible were called “Executive aircraft type seats”, which in effect were bucket seats with a cushion and armrest in between. Both seats were power adjustable and had head rests. Plus the passenger side reclined.
Here is another view of the 1974 Cadillac Sedan deVille and Airstream Excella seen in the first image. The scenery was similar, this one is closer to the mountains, and was overlooking a small lake.
It appears that the right side trailer mirror was missing in this image, plus the license plate is even less readable.
This shot is unusual in that a 1975 Cadillac Coupe deVille was transporting two 8′ cabover Tortoise or Tortoise shell campers on a flatbed trailer (I am not real sure about the name as I don’t find any information on them). I can imagine that was fun to drive in a headwind.
The Cadillac V8 used across the full size line was now the 500 ci first introduced on the 1970 Eldorado, except it was detuned for emission and gas mileage purposes to a swinging 190 net hp. And fuel injection was now available as an option.
Someone was going canoeing and biking on a damp, early fall day. Their ride was a 1977-1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V with an Ontario license plate style that was first issued in 1986. It appears they were approaching a provincial park.
The 400 ci V8 was standard power throughout the three years of the Mark V, with descending net horsepower ratings; 1977 with 179, 1978 with 166, and 1979 had 159. The 460 ci V8 was optional in 1977 and 1978 only.
We close today with another train, a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that was towing a 1978 Airstream 31′ travel trailer, along with the lady half of the couple, in an image taken around 1983. Image notes reported she did “a lot” of the driving.
The number above the trailer front glass indicated they belonged to the Airstream Club International, which evolved from the Wally Bynum Club that officially began in 1955. They organize Airstream caravans around North America, with 26 scheduled for 2026.
1976 was the last year of the huge Cadillac with a downsize coming the next year. And it was also the last year for the 500 ci engine.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
Does anyone know if the air deflector mounted to the roof of the 1974 Cadillac was effective?
The canoe on the Mark V reminds me that I should have photographed the day when I mounted a kayak on the hardtop roof of my 1990 Miata ……