balthazar

< -- Ed Gein is an icon to some, movies have been shot based on him & about him, stories & books have been written, numerous songs have been sung. No matter if you approve of it or not he has created a lasting image in American history. Sigh. Pop culture is not something you craft an upscale image around. A Cadillac dealer should not be an arcade, a parts warehouse or a greasy spoon. Who would've thought this was such an obscure concept. hyper's 'new' Cadillac dealership decor, 'bringing in the youth' : Free hot dogs & balloons in the back, kids!

^ I've known about Cadillac Ranch for decades, a LOT of people deride/denounce it. I suppose those that find bashing a old car with a sledgehammer would find it 'neat'.

You seem to misunderstand the mission here. The fiberglas replicas are cheap, inaccurate & low-end, not upscale. They have all the class of kiddie rides outside Wal-Mart. Yes, many have taken the gas axe to real actual cars- that's how the whole couch thing started in the late '80s. I've seen photo-documentation of ripping a car & creating an empty shell to put up on a wall; hollowed out they're not heavy. Either way, either implying or actually cutting up your own product is not the means to upgrade your image/showroom. This is not a personal expression 'man cave', it's supposed to be an upscale, enticing, classy showroom. Cadillac Ranch reminds me of the clueless Cadillac dealer that smashed up a '53 for a publicity stunt. That stupid stunt was well hated & panned worldwide. Old think & the wrong direction.

I had tremendous, glorious (and all too brief- 10 mins) enjoyment piloting this baby around this morning. Felt like a Saudi prince (whatever that feels like ) : Back seat was cavernous, as were the rear door openings. Note the lit retractable writing tables & carpeted foot rests. That's a giant slab of solid American Walnut on the doors. Upholstery was some amazingly thick material, still smooth & soft in an obviously unrestored car. THIS is what mercedees benchmarked when they took 3 decades to bring the s-class up to American luxury standards. I am going to have ask his bottom price, initially he said he was going to ask $5500.

That's pure idiocy. You don't desecrate past iconic product by taking a chainsaw & making a wallhanging out of it. If you mock yourself, why shouldn't everyone else?? What would be more sensible & cater to the lux crowd AND the marque's heritage could be, say, large reproductions of factory art, AKA:

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!