Cadillac Coupe Deville

Last Thursday, the monthly AACA meeting ended around 9 p.m., its usual time. I was tired, and anxious to begin the one-hour drive home. After wishing Happy Holidays to those around me, I grabbed my coat and headed out the door of the American Legion Hall. And there it was. Suddenly tired no more, I froze, perhaps because its appearance was so unexpected, or perhaps because its enormity stood out in a parking lot full of smaller, modern vehicles. In this setting, there was nothing similar to distract from its visual impact. This 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille was a grand automobile when new, and is still grand today, in every sense of the word.

The car belongs to one of our club members, an infrequent meeting participant, but someone who is known for his exquisite taste in classic automobiles. I had not seen this car of his before. What first struck me were its proportions. For a two-door, its greenhouse is enormous, with the backlight (rear window) possibly larger than the windshield. The rear deck appeared to be as long as the hood, a trend that would soon disappear with the introduction of the Mustang just 3 years away. If you know your Cadillac history, then you know that the decade of the 1950s featured ever-larger fins through 1959, after which the tailfins began to shrink. Compared to what came before, these ’61 versions looked miniature.

According to my copy of The Standard Catalog of American Cars, all 1961 Cadillacs were powered by a 390 cubic-inch engine producing 325 HP. The Coupe DeVille rode on a 129.5” wheelbase, with an overall length of 222”. The two-door car was priced starting at $5,252 (compared to $5,498 for the Sedan DeVille), and weighed in at 4,595 lb. Cadillac churned out 20,156 Coupes DeVille (the 3 Sedan DeVille models totaled 35,018 units). While power steering, brakes, seats and windows were standard, one paid extra for options such as air conditioning, power door locks, a radio, and my personal favorite, “permanent antifreeze” ($9 for protection down to -40 degrees).

If the styling of the Coupe DeVille didn’t more the spirit within you, you could consider the ’61 Imperial Crown Southhampton coupe, still retaining massive fins, for $5,403. But FoMoCo fans were left high and dry in 1961: the dramatically restyled Lincoln, as gorgeous as it was, could be had only as a 4-door sedan or 4-door convertible. Two-door Lincolns were out for the time being.

This ’61 Cadillac epitomizes the luxury leadership that the brand would maintain throughout the decade of the 60s. I hope that this car’s owner considers bringing this car to an upcoming show so that I may gaze upon it in good light, and in more detail!

My wife and I spent a long Easter weekend in Santa Monica and its immediate environs, primarily to visit her family. For me, it’s always an adventure to go to California. For this native New Yorker, a stroll down the street is its own car show. The climate has, for the most part, ensured that automobiles survive for a very long time.

My life-long home turf of metropolitan NY/NJ suffers from the ravages of snow most winters. To be more precise, we suffer from the road salt liberally applied as the result of the snow. All this salt is not kind to vehicular sheetmetal, causing it to rust. Since salt is not needed in most of the Southwest, it’s not unusual to see 30, 40, even 50 year old vehicles still being pushed into daily-driver service on the streets of California.

As the designated driver for much of the weekend, I was left with little time for strolling and picture-taking. Many cars from the ’60s and ’70s were spotted but not photographed. For the few instances when we were on foot, usually to or from a meal, my cell phone caught some neat old cars. Here are a few of the more interesting ones.

This first-generation Ford Bronco looked completely restored to stock condition. Given that the market currently values these things in the $30k-50k range, it was a surprise to see it unattended. However, it did have “The Club” on the steering wheel.

This 1969 Cadillac Coupe Deville didn’t need The Club. Paint was gone from most of its horizontal surfaces, several lenses were busted, and rust had eaten the hood’s leading edge, leading me to suspect that the car may not have been native to the state. Note the coveted ‘black plate’.

This early ’70s BMW 3.0 coupe looked too nice to not have been restored. The lucky owner drove it to church on Easter morning, as I found it in a church parking lot. It looks minuscule next to the Range Rover. Yes, the parking lot is carpeted.

The biggest surprise for me was this early ’70s Alfa Romeo GTV, parked on the street in a residential area of Santa Monica. The paint was weathered, the wheels rusty, the windows dirty, and the chrome lackluster. Yet, it didn’t give the impression that it had been sitting there long. With no visible rust, this is a $25k car back east. I was tempted to leave my phone number….

richardscarblog

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The 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Car Spotting in Southern California, April 2017 edition

This first-generation Ford Bronco looked completely restored to stock condition. Given that the market currently values these things in the $30k-50k range, it was a surprise to see it unattended. However, it did have “The Club” on the steering wheel.

This 1969 Cadillac Coupe Deville didn’t need The Club. Paint was gone from most of its horizontal surfaces, several lenses were busted, and rust had eaten the hood’s leading edge, leading me to suspect that the car may not have been native to the state. Note the coveted ‘black plate’.

This early ’70s BMW 3.0 coupe looked too nice to not have been restored. The lucky owner drove it to church on Easter morning, as I found it in a church parking lot. It looks minuscule next to the Range Rover. Yes, the parking lot is carpeted.