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.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring