THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

From an age of optimistic consumption, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupé and Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe were the pinnacle of open-top luxury

- MARTIN BUCKLEY

As personal possessions that symbolised a certain version of 'the good life', these two cars were perhaps without compare 60 years ago. They reigned supreme in an age when there was still a casual acceptance that the graceful, dignified RollsRoyce Silver Cloud really was 'The Best Car in the World'. If it was not, then it was still the most expensive, and that was good enough. Equally, it was generally agreed that Cadillac represented the finest of the US motor industry at a time when almost everything from the New World seemed to be bigger and better.

Particularly in convertible form, a Cadillac spoke of the technological, industrial, and cultural power of America more eloquently than perhaps any other commercially available object. A Cadillac was a winner, driven by life's winners: Lincoln and Imperial combined could not approach its sales figures (Cadillac outsold Lincoln a whopping five times over in 1960) or seriously challenge the general consensus that ownership of a Cadillac was one of the ultimate American consumer aspirations.

But if many climbers of the greasy pole of American life traded up to Series 62 coupes and sedans – and maybe even a Coupe de Ville - from their Oldsmobiles and Buicks, few could aspire to the open-topped decadence of the convertible. There were two variants: the ultra-plush Eldorado Biarritz or the slightly less lavish Series 62 Convertible Coupe, such as this.

It sat near the top of a 13-model 1960 Cadillac range that was a carry-over from 1959, but with the tailfins slightly tamed and the frontal treatment simplified. Resting on an X-frame' chassis with a 130in wheelbase and running a 2.94:1 differential, this 5060lb showboat was urged up to 120mph by a 390cu in (6.4-litre) 325bhp V8 with a four-barrel carburettor.