I saw an ad for one of these in an old National Geographic. It was a photo taken from the rear quarter, looking forward over the fins. The text was simply "Cadillac. Good taste is never excessive."
They were designed for the new Interstate expressways. Wide lanes, gentle engineered curves and grades, no stops, you could literally drive all day long in complete comfort. The top-grade Mercury was actually called the Turnpike Cruiser.
Diana Dors had a '59 Cadillac convertible, I think it still exists in a collection. I love all the 1959 General Motors cars, and all the other '59's too.
Nicely done.Especially adding the Gene Vincent song "Be Bop-A-Lula" tune to the layaout.Had a chance at one..original owner car 300 bucks in 1975.Back then..everyone wanted a Tri Five Chevy.They all hated the 59 Cad.I allways loved the car!
I found out from my mom that my grandfather actually owned one of these back in the day. He traded it in a few years later for a different model, but wow! I had no idea.
CEOkiller If you think that being egotistical, self-obsessed, jingoistic not to mention deluded (AMERICA WON THE WAR....GOD BLESS AMERICA!) then you need a slap, and a fu****G hard one.
Cadillac had power windows as early as 1947 (mainly the convertible models, the limousine and the top-of-the-line Fleetwood).. Until 1954 they were hydraulically rather than electrically operated, however. Cadillac was as far as I know also the first to have automatic transmission, and power steering and brakes (1952) as standard equipment on all their models.
People today do not understand how solid these cars were built. They were very heavy partly because the bodies were made of much thicker steel than cars today!
Like so many other people, "one day..." This is in my top 3 'bucket list rides' along with a Land Rover 110 and an E-Type coupe Not the most obvious combination of cars I know, but...
Fast forward to 2019 you better have some deep pockets to buy a 59 Cadillac convertible. You won't find one in excellent condition for no less than 95,000. Don't even get me started with the Eldorado Biarritz. That car went for 175,000, and theres one for sale with under 400 miles for 300,000. The 1959 Cadillac will always be my favorite Caddy!
I agree 💯 % with the message of your video and the feelings that it provides. And every time, when I came to LA , the first thing which I did was to pick up my hired car ( always a CADILLAC) and to take a ride to SUNSET BOULEVARD to the CADILLAC dealer presented in your video. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 Greetings from MUNICH and thank you very much 👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Homage to an American icon: I love you for your pink Cadillac, crushed velvet seats Riding in the back, oozing down the street Waving to the girls, feeling out of sight Spending all my money on a Saturday night Honey, I just wonder what you do there in the back of your pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac
It had plenty of personality, but power windows had been around since the late 1930s, though a lot of the early ones (like wipers of that era) were powered by engine vacuum. Power windows and seats were common on a lot of U.S. luxury cars by the mid 1950s, but for some reason, power locks were fairly rare until the late 1960s.
The 1959 was the third model year with GM's bizarre "X-frame" chassis, which supported Chevys, Cadillacs and some of the Buick & Pontiac models through the 1964 model year. The roof was only 56" tall (about the same as most 1960s-1990s Cadillacs), so they had to lower the floor to make up for the lost space. But with the X-frame, only the rear floor could be lowered, so these cars ended up with less legroom than the '65s, with their full-perimeter-frames, or the higher models before 1957. They also had unusually huge transmission tunnels.
In May 1968, I took my drivers test in 59 Coupe DeVille, Had no problem with the test. Only problem I had was the speedometer stuck on me at 110. I beat it until it became unstuck. My father stuck it at 120, that’s how I knew where to beat it.
The 1960 Ford Sunliner was even wider than the 1959 Cadillac. It was the widest passenger car ever sold in America. It was a half-inch wider than the gargantuan 1959 Cadillac.
True! They almost needed side marker lights (like a truck!) for the '60 Fords! I heard they got exempted because the '60 was a one year body. The 61s were slightly "slimmer"
Donald Schneider That would be amazing to see, should be in a museum for people to admire. The last I heard was this '59 Eldorado Seville (known as the 'death car') which was taken by the police because the owner was murdered in it and kept for 40 years, that car also has something like 2,000 miles in it. The police finally released it and somebody owns it again.
It's cool to see an unrestored one. EVERY restored car I have seen has been over restored, perfected far past what came out of the factory. Frank's car has sheetmetal panel gaps that are no where near perfection. The one thing he told me he regretted was rubbing out the original orange peel in the paint, although it can still be seen near some panel edges.
Donald Schneider I totally agree with you, restorations today are perfected beyond what they really should be, especially because originality is what is valued the most today. Are you still in contact with Frank? Would love to see that car one day - if he allows it. I too have a couple of 59s but they're old and beaten, unfortunately both need restoration (rusty floors/bottoms, worn off paint, pitted chromes ... etc.). I am doing a slow restore on both and trying to keeping as many things as possible as is.
I love how quickly they figure the 59 was "outmoded" - The styling did evolve, yes, but from the size, driving and ride dynamics there was no actual difference between a 1959 Cadillac DeVille and a 1976 Cadillac DeVille. I had a 1960 (virtually the same car only the fins were a couple of inches lower.) and a 1975. They rode and drove basically the same. The biggest mechanical/"tech" advances had been the addition of front disk brakes and standard FM radio in the late 60's.
My father drove strictly Oldmobiles. We had a 55' Rocket 88. Then a 62' Ninety Eight. The 62' rode better than the 55'. The he got a 65' Ninety Eight and the 65' was smoother than the 62. Then he got the 69' Ninety Eight but I think the 65' still may have been the smoothest. His last car was an 86' Old Ninety Eight with Front Wheel Drive. That even rode smooth. I have been impressed with the Oldsmobiles luxury rides.
Lots of advances between a 59 and 76. Fuel injection, Electronic ignition, more advanced charging sys from Generator to Alternators, more advanced A/C sys. Advancement in metal to limit body and frame rust.
Its was a symbol of badass. I remember when these cars were new when I was still riding tricycles. It was a much much better time in America than today. It wasn't perfect but can not compare to the sh!thole society of today.
I don't know why but I would rater have the 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor then the convertible or the hard top. But I don't want it like an ambulance or a hearse. And not like a replica of the Goustbuster Ecto 1. I would like to have it as an ordinary station wagon.
Hmm you'd have go through Superior if you wanna a station wagon, although I still see them Broadmoor Skyviews as a hearse or ambulance, let's just call it a coach, because that's what *ALL* those types of cars are, coaches
Sure have. They also pinched , gearboxes etc from Cadillac and were amazed at the automation and years ahead technology that Cadillac had. First V8, electric starter, synchro, Rolls had to use American stuff as this was its main market. Rolls even tried to alter the cad gearbox and failed dismally I might add.
Yep, Rolls did licence the use of the G.M. Hydramatic transmission! One minor correction though, Oldsmobile division developed it. Both Cadillac and Pontiac used it. Buick developed a different auto trans (Dynaflow) that they alone used, but Dynaflow was kinda the father of Chevrolet's Powerglide.
1954 Coupe DeVilla head it under the tail light too. Lots of classic cars had it hidden to keep the body lines clean. My '72 Buick had it behind the license plate. Same in my '73 Monte Carlo.
GREAT Story and at 2:30 it gets SO Damn good when he tells of meeting his wife in the Cad! Then the GREAT story that Virginia tells of her 3..! Only in the USA.. So Proud of this Country! That's when GM built cars! Maybe not for the long haul as far as reliability, but what an ICON! And those were the days when GM was for the USA, not like today building POS"s with parts MADE in CHINA, using Taxpayer $ and closing factories here, screwing the American Public. NO More Loyalty to GM! SOB's! F'm! Buy Toyota, Honda or Nissan. At least they are MOSTLY made here!
The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud was neither garish nor vulgar enough to be considered "classy" by America's 1950s upper middle-class. It was also twice as expensive, and therefore not a "poseure's" car. Dignity, as a component of a wealthy lifestyle, last evident in the much more expensive 1956 Imperial and 1957 Continental Mk II, would have to wait until 1961 to be reintroduced by Lincoln Continental.
No. America had the best cars for America only. They were suited for the country's huge geography and modern interstate highway system plus they were flush with cash after WWII. They were not suitable for anywhere in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, or Asia.
I would've really enjoyed this is if wasn't unnecessarily chopped in half, probably for click counts and ad revenue, and the fact that the music is 3 times as loud as the narration meaning I had to constantly turn it up and down wearing head phones. THUMBS DOWN
Again it depends as the other guy said on the type of drving you do. There are large Bentley's and Rolls that are nearly the same size as the Caddy here. OK so they're 60 or so years newer technology and things like chassis and tire design have improved enormously over the years but if people are prepared to drive them yaughts over here and can get by then I'm fairly certain a 59 Caddy could cope if you drove it in the manner it was designed to be driven i.e. not roaring down the B roads at 60mph. Yeah it could be abit cumboursome in some situations but you'd probably get used to it, no more than a truck driver has to LOL.
Doesn't mean they can't be driven on British raods though. Yeah they don't suit this Caddy's size but then neither do big lorry's and those stupid bendy buses and yet we still have them LOL.
