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The demise of the duck...or merlet

Started by Quinton Bradford #25053, August 25, 2009, 06:52:49 PM

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Quinton Bradford #25053

Can someone tell me what year Cadillac dropped the ducks or "merlets" from their emblem?
Quinton Bradford
1963 Cadillac DeVille - "Gertie"

Otto Skorzeny

#1
Hi Quinton.

I hope your fire repair is coming along well.

The new crest, sans merlets, first appeared in 2002. And you're right, they aren't ducks and were never supposed to be ducks.

Yann Saunders is the unofficial Cadillac historian of the CLC. He runs the following website. It has virtually everything you might want to know about Cadillac - it's history and it's products. Be sure to look at the photo pages for IDing cars by year.

http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/indx2001.htm




fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

veesixteen

You can read all about the Cadillac crest, its origins and history on this page of the Cadillac Databse:

http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Coatarms.htm
Yann Saunders, CLC #12588
Compiler and former keeper of "The Cadillac Database"
aka "MrCadillac", aka "Veesixteen"

jaxops

You'll note that Cadillac lost the crown on the emblem. 
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

Quinton Bradford #25053

Wow!  Thanks guys!  Good work Yann!!

Yes, the repair is going pretty slow due to the money constraints right now.  Man, I sure do miss her!
Quinton Bradford
1963 Cadillac DeVille - "Gertie"

Dennis DiNorcia CLC 19071

I would like to hear opinions on what you all think of the new Cadillac crest less the crown and the merlots? I kind of favor the old ones, like what are on my 1989 DeVille. They look more "classy" then the oversized plain ones that are on my 2006 DTS. What do you think?

jeff1956

well todays styling is crisp clean linear and so i can see where the old crest would not fit that scheme...todays cadillacs are built from extruded and molded plastic...that in itself does not exude class...built cheap and sold extremely high.  its no longer about value of the dollar..its about making it last the 50k mile warranty and no longer while taking your 65-70k smiling all the way to the bank.  new cadillacs are chevys in nicer clothing and are not worth the price asked for them.  the economy is in the toilet...gm closes stores so they can raise the prices on the already strained american public.  this has been a marketing ploy from the get go and it stinks of corruption. 

jeff

Otto Skorzeny

I'm not too keen on the new design but it doesn't bother me that much. I never liked the wreath encircling the crest.

I agree with Jeff. The old crest would look fine on the DeVille but not on these godawful trucks they're building now.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

Chris Conklin

I think they did a good job of changing the emblems to suit the new styling while maintaining an icon. It is still very obviously the Cadillac crest that has been around for decades, but updated quite well. On the new cars, the "V" series emblem is a great use of the crest identity melded into the "V" insignia. Again, it maintains what was always the Cadillac identity pretty well. It's a fine line for the stylists, damned if you do - damned if you don't kind of situation. Think of some of the other marquees that have completely lost any of the original identity of their brand icons. Cadillac has done better than most at keeping theirs.
Chris Conklin

Otto Skorzeny

#9
Ford has done the best of any car company with it's logo. No Changes in 100 or more years.

I read somewhere a while back that it was the most recognized brand logo in the entire world. It even beat out Coca Cola.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

veesixteen

Is it possible, just possible (considering all that has been published in the last 10-15 years regarding Detroit's cunning founder, Antoine Laumet, the self-styled "Lamothe-Cadillac"), that GM's Cadillac Motor Car Division may have got word of the existence, in France, of the genuine, noble Lamothe family? Could the "merlettes" may have been deleted because the descendants could rightly object to THEIR noble family crest (the three merlettes) appearing on something as "common" as an automobile, no matter how famous the Cadillac marque has become over the past more than one century?
Yann Saunders, CLC #12588
Compiler and former keeper of "The Cadillac Database"
aka "MrCadillac", aka "Veesixteen"