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When did you discover Cadillacs?

Started by cadillac ken, May 16, 2017, 09:56:51 AM

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cadillac ken

We were all young once and I'm pretty sure most of us in our teens all lusted after Corvettes, European exotics, or any number of other cars that were not Cadillacs.  When did you discover that Cadillacs were the cars you wanted to own?

I remember my high school buddy's mom had a light yellow with white leather 1971 Eldorado convertible.  And at the time, Mike and I would not be caught dead in that car.  What I would give to have it today!

For me, when the old car thing kind of caught fire in the late '80's I was buying cars, fixing them up and selling them.  Problem was the Chevys and Fords were usually missing parts, not original, and kind of expensive.  I bought my first Cadillac as a non runner '55 coupe De Ville for $650.  I quickly found out that the Cadillacs were usually well cared for, not messed with retaining mostly all original parts and the quality of the build meant most parts were still in really nice shape. And I always was able to get them running again without issue.

I quickly became a fan and soon only looked for the Cadillacs I could fix up.  When finances got better I was convinced I would be a Cadillac guy.  I even had a card printed up:  Want to buy:  "Pre '64 in need of restore"

Scot Minesinger

My Grandmother introduced me to Cadillacs since before it can be remembered. 

I was born in late 1960 and her first was a 1961 SDV, then followed by a 1964 SDV, a 1967 SDV, a 1973 SDV and her last was a 1982 SDV.  Her first three were gray with black vinyl top and cloth interior.  I recommended a color change for 1973 and she bought a triple forest green, and then her 1982 was dove gray with matching leather and no vinyl top.  She got many compliments on the great look of the 1982 SDV.  Unfortunately I drove both the 73 and the 82, and that 4.1 stunk. 

All thru high school lusted after a Cadillac convertible.  During high school drove 1960's Thunderbirds.  Never wanted a corvette, Camaro or anything like that.  Always drove large RWD V-8 American cars and have never done otherwise.  Always really liked Cadillacs as my favorite car.  I wanted to be a millionaire since age 5, and the Cadillacs of my wealthy grandmother fit that image perfectly.

In 1997 purchased a used 1995 FWB RWD - triple black, had vinyl top removed and wow!, best car ever - drove to 254k miles with no troubles.  Finally in 2005 bought my dream car a 1970 DVC in red with red leather and white top. 

Always thought my parents Chevys were terrible compared to the Cadillacs.
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

Grandparents has Cadillacs since 56- but I am not that old. They were in CT and I am in MO so I did not see them much. When I was a kid they had a gold SDV but I don't remember it very well. Then, at the end of 76, they got a Resale Red 77 CDV with white leather and top. I always thought that was a pretty car and have wanted one ever since.
Jeff
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille

David Greenburg

I must have been about 6 or 7 in the mid sixties when I first noticed and became intrigued with late '50's-early '60's Cadillacs.  I remember my ultra-practical father pointing them out for looking so ridiculous. But I was inspired and began a life long obsession with large, finned vehicles, including other GM cars, Chryslers, and a few Lincolns.  Bought my first '59, a white CDV, at 13 with money saved from my paper route, and never looked back.  It was the 3rd of 4 cars I would own before getting my driver's license. Like others have mentioned, I have never been particularly interested in the muscle cars that seemed to be the lifeblood of my generation.  But while my middle school buddies were swooning over pictures of Z/28's and Boss Mustangs, I was tinkering with my barges.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

Jay Friedman

I'm old enough to have been into cars of the '30s, '40s and '50s when they were not "antique" but merely used cars.  However, back then my favorite marques were Oldsmobile and Ford, and I owned several of each over the years.  Then, in 1984 I saw a perfect 1949 Cadillac 2-door Club Coupe (fastback) at an antique car dealer here in the Atlanta area where I live and "had to have it".  (I'm sure everyone reading this knows the feeling.)  I couldn't afford the asking price of the car in the dealer, but found a similar one offered by a private seller in Hemmings that same month for half the price, and bought it.  Of course, I put at least the difference between the prices of the 2 cars into the one I bought, if not more, but in fixing it up learned a thing or two about '49 Cads.  A plus was that Cadillacs of that era are technically similar to the Oldsmobiles of the same era that I've owned, so I had a leg up in working on it.  The rest is history.
1949 Cadillac 6107 Club Coupe
1932 Ford V8 Phaeton (restored, not a rod).  Sold
Decatur, Georgia
CLC # 3210, since 1984
"If it won't work, get a bigger hammer."

Lexi

#5
Been a Cadillac fan since the early sixties when I used to see the older ones on the road. My father also pointed them out-making fun of their ridiculous appearance. "Big American Uglies", and also, "Crocs", he used to call them. Even as a 6 or 7 year old I would tell him that someday most everyone will want one, while he just scoffed. As a youngster I would ride my bike around town and photograph all the old cars I could find, (mainly Caddies), then develop the pictures back home in my darkroom. European exotics and later, the muscle cars never held any interest with me, at all. I was always interested in comfort and elegance, rather than sheer power and loud body colors. Like that said in an earlier post, I was only interested in "barges" and land yachts. Then I witnessed the aftermath of a car accident at an intersection where a '56 Caddy had skewered a mid-fifties Chevy broadside with her dagmars. This was in the early 1960s. I said to myself, "That's the car for me", (the Caddy), and bought one as my first car when I got my driver's licence years later. At the same time I developed an interest in commercial vehicles especially Hearse and Flower cars. There was a 1952 Cadillac Miller Landau, parked and rotting, about 2 miles from our house. I didn't even have a driver's licence but kept dropping hints to my parents that was what I wanted for Christmas! Well, Christmas morning came and upon awakening I immediately ran to the window looking for that big, fat, bloated Hearse, but alas my parents did not pick up on my hints. No rotting Hearse graced our driveway! Another whim yet to be fulfilled! Clay/Lexi

David Greenburg

Clay/Lexi-

Sounds like our fathers would have gotten along well, sharing their disgust for those ridiculous cars, and perhaps commiserating later on about where they went wrong raising boys who turned out to be so obsessed with such decadence.  I did not mention in my earlier post that my father was overseas on business when I purchased my first '59; he arrived home to his automotive nightmare sitting in the driveway of our corner lot for all the neighbors to see.  And since I was not old enough to drive, it was there in its glory all the time. This was the early '70's, when a '59 anything was just an obsolete hunk of styling excess seemingly awaiting a trip to the nearest junkyard.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

g27g28

The first Cadillac I can remember catching my attention was a SO paint 76 Sedan de Ville.  I was in grade school and the lady who owned it came and picked up her grand kids from time to time.  It was painted Lavender and the personalized licence plate said "purple".  In all the years she had it I never liked the color but even as a young kid that car had presence.  There were older Cads around town and they always drew my attention.  My parents drove ford products so I didn't get a chance to ride in a Cadillac until I was 14.  The people who owned the Sears store had a son that I went to school with.  She would come pick us up from school to take us to football practice.  She had a 79 silver coupe de ville with cloth interior.  She liked to squeal the tires when going around corners as everyone in the car egged her on. 
1941 Series 62
1954 Coupe DeVille
1978 Phaeton
1980 Fleetwood

Chas

I'm first generation here in the good ol' U.S. of A. As a kid, always tagged along with my Pop who was a welder by trade. While growing up, all we had were old Pontiacs. He drilled into me that you ARRIVED arrived when you had a Cadillac. He finally got his first one in 1977, a used 1973 CDV. Next was a brand new 1983 CDV. Unfortunately, that was his last one. It's sitting out in my shop as we speak!
1967 Coupe DeVille
1970 Coupe DeVille
1976 Coupe DeVille
1983 Coupe DeVille
1977 Harley Cafe Racer
1991 Harley Fat Boy
1957 Harley Hardtail
1949 Lusse Bumper Car
If you're 25 years old and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you're 45 years old and not a conservative, you have no money!

Lexi

David, yes our Dad's would probably get along famously. To my dad's credit he was very supportive of my old car hobby, despite feeling otherwise about it. As stated, my first car was a 1956 Cadillac CDV. No transmission. Had to find one. Had not run in a few years. Lots of problems with it. It also was parked in the driveway for all to see, for better or worse. My room was full of Caddy parts including a front complete bumper clip shoved into my closet sideways, plus extra engine blocks and transmissions eventually outside. Dad and I built a shed to store the extra parts. When I told him 5 years ago that I was considering taking the plunge in buying another 56 Caddy he said in a worrisome voice, "Oh no. Clay no. Tell me it isn't so". He somehow thought that I would "outgrow" this interest! I did buy the car and when I showed it to him to his credit he said "That is beautiful". I then reminded him about the stories I mentioned in my earlier post to which he now just laughed. I tried to explain that often things that are considered ugly or extreme in their day, become highly collectible later. Dad is the best and he often swerved off the road a few times when I saw another old Caddy and began shouting out about it. I believe that many of us developed a love for these cars in our youth, and to some degree it became our 'destiny' to be a Caddy car guy, which was certainly my case from about the age of 6. Clay/Lexi

D.Smith

My Grandfather was a Chrysler man.  He got a new Chrysler every other year.  New Yorkers, Town & Country wagon to name a few I remember.    But in my hometown you were only a big shot if you had a new Cadillac!   The Doctor in town had a white 74 Sedan deVille.  The realtor had a Jennifer blue 75 Coupe deVille.   A neighbor had an Academy grey 76 Sedan deVille with red interior!    Another neighbor had an Amberlite firemist (goldish orange) 76 Coupe deVille.    A big shot developer had a new Naples yellow 77 Biarritz!   Oh such wonderful cars!     

But it was when I was 10 or 12 years old I was given some Johan 1:24 scale model kits to build that got me bitten.  One of the car kits was a 1964 Coupe deVille.   THOSE FINS!    I was hooked.    I craved any information I could get on Cadillacs new and old.    I bought books, went to the local dealer for brochures, I went to tag sales on Saturday morning to buy up old National Geographic magazine collections just to get the Cadillac advertisements.  LOL.   

I swore I'd have a Cadillac car asap.  When I was 20 years old I bought my first one, a very used 1967 Sedan deVille.    Yeah I was hooked bad.   LOL  That was many Cadillacs ago.     

jock82

I have always liked cars.  Big american V-8 powered cars, no muscle cars, or sports, cars, Electras, 98's,
Bonnevilles, Imperials, and especially Cadillacs,  I was about 11 years old.  I live in a small town and there were not many Cadillacs, the guy who owned a station had a pink and white 56 sedan de ville,  one of the dentists in town also had one.  My first ride in one was a 1957 Fleetwood with air conditioning, I was hooked.  In 1963 my dad a had friend who had a beautiful white 1963 coupe de ville.  He let me drive it. I still remember how it drove and the feeling I had driving it.  We had Oldsmobiles and Buicks, but i always wanted a Cadillac.  College and military service got in the way and I never owned a car until 1970 when I bought by first car, a brand new 1970 coupe de ville.  I loved that car and would still have it but it was totaled in an accident.  I still have the owners manual and window sticker.  I have had several cars since then, a 1976 Olds 98, a 1979 Fleetwood Brougham de Elegance, an 83 Fleetwood Brougham de Elegance.  I currently have 3 Cadillacs, an 89 de ville,  94 Concours, and 2009 DTS.  None of these can compare to the feeling I had driving the 70.  I love all Cadillacs but I really like the 67 - 70.


Guy R Moore
#12650
1989 Sedan de Ville
1994 Concours
2009 DTS'
1976 Olds 98 Regency

Guy Moore CLC# 12650

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

Quote from: jock82 on May 17, 2017, 10:45:49 AM
I still have the owners manual and window sticker. 

Would you please scan and post a picture of that window sticker??
Thanks
Jeff
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille

D.Yaros

When I was about 9 I had a remote controlled 1955 CDV (red w/a black roof).  That did it for me!
Dave Yaros
CLC #25195
55 Coupe de Ville
92 Allante
62 Olds  

You will find me on the web @:
http://GDYNets.atwebpages.com  -Dave's Den
http://graylady.atwebpages.com -'55 CDV site
http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaros  -Saved 62 (Oldsmobile) Web Site
The home of Car Collector Chronicles.  A  monthly GDYNets newsletter focusing on classic car collecting.
http://www.scribd.com/D_Yaros/

koya1893

Back when I was in middle school,  a local store in Portland Ore sold model cars that were made of metal.  To build them you had to file the parts to remove the extra casting metal.  I've always like the look of the mid 30s, owned half a dozen corvettes not and still have three, the oldest a 65 coupe.
I saw this Cadillac lasalle,  I thought I would give it a go with reviving it to enjoy. 
"Enjoy today as if it is your last"

Caddyholic

When I started my career I did a lot of traveling for my job. It was 1989 I rented cars from national's emerald isle they always had Cadillacs. SDV, Seville, and Eldorado's. I would beat them like rented mules. Ran great and got good mileage They stop carrying Cadillacs around 1993. Then fast forward to 2011 I found this 61 convertible 2 miles from my house and have been a Caddyholic ever sense.     
I got myself a Cadillac but I can't afford the gasoline (AC/DC Down Payment Blues)

1961 Series 62 Convertible Coupe http://bit.ly/1RCYsVZ
1962 Coupe Deville

TJ Hopland

I don't really remember what I thought cool cars were when I was really little.  I think I liked em all.   I remember just a couple of Cadillac's in my world.   When I was fairly small we had a neighbor that had what I would guess would have been a late 60's or early 70's sedan.  I clearly remember the light up emblem in the armrest of the rear doors if that helps narrow down the year.    The big standouts for me at the time other than the cool lights in the door was of course the power windows.   My family didn't have anything with power windows for years.   I also remember the fold down arm rest in the rear seat.   It made a clear divider between my brother and I.  He had to stay on his side and I on mine.     My grandparents neighbor had a Eldorado.   I'm pretty sure it was at least a 67.  It could have been into the 70's also,  I don't remember seeing it out of the garage very often but the door was usually open so I always saw the back of it.  Thinking about it now I am thinking it was brown or yellow which would make it more of a 70's color than late 60's.  The other possibility was it was all the above and he got a new one ever few years and since it was at the grandparents where I wasn't all the time I just never happened to be there when he brought a new one home.    I know back home anytime an actual new car came onto the street it turned into an all day event with everyone in the neighborhood out kicking the tires and talking about how they got a better deal on theirs.

My next Cadillac memory was first job during high school.   When I started one of the guys had a pretty beat 79 Eldo which would have been less than 10 years old at the time so it must have had a really hard life.   Another guy was driving one of those giant mid 70's T birds that was pretty beat and thought the Cad was pretty cool so we when and found a mint 74 CDV.   The Eldo guy then got a decent 70 Eldo.    I remember thinking you could read the numbers going by on the belts when that thing was idling and we were able to put 2 full size mountain bikes in the trunk without even taking the wheels off.   I was driving a V6 Regal (with a roof rack because the trunk wasn't that big) at the time which I liked and had big plans for but really wasn't worth the effort.   Ended up parking that and got a 83 Fleetwood coupe which was a really good looking car.   After a couple years with that I got a job on the other side of town and was worried about the miles on the 4100 so sold it in favor of a Grand Prix Brougham with a Chev motor in it.   That was a good car but I missed having a Cadillac.   I think I was just looking in the newspaper (that tells you it was a long time ago right there) for a cheap car when I saw the ad for the 73 convert I still have.   At first I said it as a joke,  look we could get a Cadillac convertible for $3k!  But then started thinking why not?   I now have a company car I can drive for work and any time I need to for personal use so why not a 20 year old car that may only get 10 mpg..... and the rest is history.     Like most people's stories someday I would kinda like to find another Fleetwood coupe like the one I had.  The perfect car would have had the leather delete option and the pillowed velour instead.  I bet that was rare to find in a Fleetwood in that era,  I presume leather was standard on those.   I don't even care which engine it has,  maybe the 8-6-4 since that is the only one I have not yet owned myself.   I have been around them but not owned one yet.   
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Quote from: TJ Hopland on May 18, 2017, 05:13:04 PMThe perfect car would have had the leather delete option and the pillowed velour instead.  I bet that was rare to find in a Fleetwood in that era,  I presume leather was standard on those.   

No such thing as leather delete. Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance (Coupe or Sedan) could be ordered in cloth or leather, the latter being the more expensive of the two.

Only 2,500 FB Coupes built in 1980, which was introduced mid year. Not even mentioned in the 1980 brochure however FB Coupes are rare in any year.

Here sir, is your car: 1981 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe d'Elegance in cloth.

http://www.mcsmk8.com/81-FLTWD/81-FLTWD.HTM



A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

TJ Hopland

That would look really nice in my garage if it wasn't already overflowing with other cars and projects.   I like that blue too and the wire wheels are a nice touch.   My 83 was brown, brown leather, and had what was apparently aftermarket wire wheels.   My 80 Eldo has that blue interior, or had, its likely now a giant mouse nest.

I really don't know why I like that look so much.  Its not a lot different than the late 70's ones which I like but there is something about those I just like a little better.   Even the same years the CDV just doesn't have that little extra edge in style.  Maybe its the more rounded roof corners?   The rounded window corners?   I don't know what else it would be since the rest was identical on the Deville.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

Chris Cummings

When I was in the eighth grade, my younger brother's friend was being picked up after school by his mother in their 1963 (two-year old) Sedan DeVille.  The mother graciously offered to take my brother and me home, too.  As I opened the left rear door to climb in, I was struck by the quality of the materials, carefully executed construction, and level of detail that was orders of magnitude above our family's Dodge station wagon.  And that was just the door.  As I road home on the richly trimmed and marvelously comfortable seat, I knew there was a real difference between Cadillacs and other cars and I needed to know more.  I later found out that my elderly cousin Lucille had once worked for a relative's Cadillac and LaSalle dealership in Charleston, South Carolina, and when she visited us I bombarded her with questions about the cars.  She suggested I write to Cadillac's public relations office for information about the cars, present and past.  I did that, and it was the beginning of a series of requests, always fulfilled with old catalogues, press kits, and glossy prints of publicity photos from GM archives (back then they gave that stuff away for the asking).  I got so that I could identify the year of any Cadillac built from World War II onward, and I knew most of the technological milestones.  My brother and I would ride our bikes to the local car dealerships and look at all the cars, new and used, but our favorites were the Cadillacs.  They were more impressive, they had style, and they had way more gadgets to play with.  Decades later, I'm still fascinated by the marque and have always been, even through the funky years when GM sat on Cadillac's laurels.  I guess that first impression never wore off.

Chris Cummings
20072