balthazar

One of these up on the roof would be a good start:

^ that is an awesome building with a ton of marketing potential!

I've driven with tailgates down numerous times. Tho on both trucks the plate was in the bumper, the plate is not easy to see at all with longer loads. I never worry about those things & have never been stopped for it.

I like most everything about it except the '64 Plymouth tails. Still, VV is right, these are automotive poetry as is. No vote

I distinctly remember the Tradesman being available with the Hemi.

This sits in my mind (right after the '76 Eldorado convertible) as one of the first 'brand new collectibles'. The percentage of these out there in great/outstanding condition must be unusually high. I don't dislike these, but at the same time they don't do anything for me.

Interesting, I like.

Wow, OK; the Ford has a rod that pivots the assembly down. That is pretty cool. Looks like the Chevy just hangs out. Guess I also learned that tailgate lamps were more common than I thought. Still learnin'.... >>"And on Balthy's '59 wagon photo, do Eye Spy a period Pep Boys accessory... a fake exhaust hole low on the quarter panel? "<< ocn- I've seen those on numerous C-59 Imps, I seem to recall it was either factory or dealer installed. Sometimes they're doubled-up:

Nothing is ringing a bell with me on that- would like to see some pics if you remember what it/they were. Tails on the tailgate is unusual for that period. I love detail stuff like this...

• • • "I am the man from a human choke-hold..."

One source I have does label it a '73, but as it's well-known that this was Mitchell's 'parting shot', so that's obviously incorrect.

Hmmm, in that this was a 'pusher' concept, I assume TED you are referring to stylistically when you say 'very advanced'. To me, it's rather retro there. Even the colored wheel wells evoke the circa '66 GTO & 442 fender liners, or the '53-54 Skylark before that. '77 Phantom is correct. I've only seen it badged as a Pontiac tho...

>>"...we will see few people buy the base car. It will be available if you want one but most buyers will be spending more. "<< just like every single other vehicle on the market, in other words.

Citroen-Maserati = France's AMC matador.

Which is what I've read also. Looks like that needs to be stricken from smk's bumper sticker response of What's Eternally Wrong with Cadillac.

Because Cadillac doesn't fleet whore itself?

It is truly amazing that cars of this vintage, commonality (then) and relative non-high-end model/powertrain, have reached these kinds of values. This one is a sweetheart, tho!

'63 Impala of unknown body style; rear end was peeking out from under a tarp in a side yard. '68 LeMans 2-dr hardtop, EXC condition, black, motor out & nose in the air.

Looks like the wagons DID have the same feature (the emblem is below the stainless trim instead of within it) : The 'regular' passenger cars had a recessed rear plate : Meanwhile, this '59 has a hinged motor :

And yet, the CTS still has a plasticy interior, and Cadillac can't manage to get any sales in Europe. And Cadillac is still drifing around 5th place in sales in their home market. If Mercedes is so flawed, it should be easy for Cadillac pass them by and make a $100k car that sells 75,000 units globally per year, and get 500k sales out of the CTS and ATS. The C-class interior is just as plasticy. Cadillac will only get 500k in sales from the CTS if they turn into Mercedes McFleetwhore and flood the taxicab market in Europe with them. C-class and E-class taxis here are as common as Crown Vics in the states. If that is what you want of Cadillac, you are insane. NO NO NO, NO FLEET SALES!!! The last thing GM needs to do is Whore out the CTS! Oh no; smk demands Cadillac ape every move made by the mercedees/BMW twins, so that means ballooning fleet sales to 65% of sales!

The judges are going to give it to you, ROg, as you got the concept quite right... tho this is the car pic I saw that sparked the question :

I was just out on 422 last week. Lots of vintage iron sitting out that way. No coffee here either- never been a fan, so that alone wouldn't get me over there from this side of the Delaware, either.

Once commonplace, a great many cars had rear license plates that could be swung downward, as the fuel filler pipe was concealed behind them. When you finished refueling & let the plate go, it returned to it's flush-mounted position, obviously so it could be read when the car was in motion. But there was a GM car that the rear plate would (by design) swing downward while the car was in motion. What, when & why did this occur?

Quite true- mercedes has an abysmal private ownership rate in Germany. This is where mercedees falls short and what they need to repair.

I disagree with the ideal that 'it MUST be the BESTEST EVR!!!' This is stated over & over with each new upcoming generation, and all it does it set the stage for "See, it didn't make it, again". It's a lot of self-fufilling nonsense. Too many of the criteria for buying Car A over Car B is subjective; ergonomics, seat comfort/support, etc etc. In the same vein, performance stats, while certainly influential, are intangible to the buyer, IE: these cars are not raced heads-up. Chasing the hardcore fan boys is futile in any arena, those are a strict minority demographic anyway. No; be competitive with vehicle dynamics & amenities, stylistically modern (and unique if you can also) & quality-driven... the buyers will follow. The CTS has already proven that.