We witnessed a 1956 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible glide by, unheralded, early in the morning; the experience was nothing short of breathtaking. It was thrilling when we encountered this symbol of post war optimism and assurance idling, ever so silently, at an intersection, an automotive apparition from a bygone era.
It’s not as flashy as its hugely befinned successors as conservative times called for a modicum of understatement. The U.S. Secretary of Defense at the time of this car’s manufacturer was Charles E. Wilson, former Chairman of GM, under whose watch this model was developed. After his appointment by President Eisenhower, he remarked, “what was good for our country was good for General Motors and vice versa.” Corporate logic held sway then as now, it seems.
Flash forward thirty years to reign of Reagan when this ’86 Seville hit the showroom floor. It was an anemically powered front wheel car that would have been categorized as compact in the ’50s; it weighed under 3,500 pounds. Obviously, things were in decline and Cadillac seemed to have lost its luster, not to mention its signature fins.
We found a ’68 Convertible DeVille parked at the curb and think the stacked headlights provide good counterpoint to all those horizontal lines. This one weighs almost as much as its 1956 antecedent and cost $5700 which translates to a tad under 40,000 2014 dollars. As these things go, quite a bargain!
We dig this rough ’64 Coupe deVille that seems to be either a work-in-progress or an “as is” daily driver. We don’t even miss the lost fender skirt. Well, maybe a little.
This ’63 Sedan deVille has its skirts but seems to be in search of wheel covers. We just love the fact that it’s still a freeway flyer after 51 years.
Lastly, we have Feral Cars Field Scout Alex “Bosco” Merlis to thank for this unrestored ’77 Fleetwood Brougham which carried vestigial fins at the dawn of the Carter years. The car was shot in Brookline, MA and wears Connecticut tags indicating it’s capable of being driven more than one hundred miles. With a 7 liter V8 and fuel consumption rated a tad over 11 mpg, you’d only have to fill it once or twice to make the run.
The Brougham soldiered on into the early ’90s, continuing as the most traditional (read: big) Caddy in the model range. We love the emphasis in this commercial from 1986 on enormity, bulk and girth. That’s Cadillac! There’s a truly fabulous low mileage (67,000) ’56 Coupe for sale in nearby Biddefore, ME for a paltry $27,500. This could be your chance to put some Cadillac Style into your life.
If you’ve stalked a feral car and would like to submit a photo of it for posting please send it to us: info (at) feralcars (dot)com. Include your name, location of the car and some thoughts about the vehicle and we’ll look into getting it posted