Cadillac 1959/60
The last GM car signed off by Harley Earl was the 1959 GM B-bodies. The 1959 Cadillac is considered the most outrageous of all, and is attributed to a battle to 'out-Chrysler Chrysler' after the 1957 Chryslers showed everyone else up. Designed under the leadership of Chuck Jordan because Harley Earl was absent in Europe during the 1956 gestation period. The Cadillac Series 62 was a bigger car, but the styling was close to the smaller cheaper cars because underneath there were common parts including sheet metal and glass. 1959 Cadillacs sat on a brand new C-body with the V8 engine enlarged to 390cu in. The extraordinary twin jet pod rear lights were attributed to Dave Hols and Ed Glowacke and others. The 365cu in V8 was bored out to 390 cu in for 1959. 1959 Cadillacs were available as the Series 62, DeVille, Fleetwood and Eldorado models and 11 body styles including 4-window and 6-window sedans, Coupe, Limousine and Brougham. For 1960 the bodywork was tamed with much more discrete fins and a less garish decoration, and a new body was given to the 1961 Cadillacs.
aa Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 badgeb
Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 - bonnet badge
ac Cadillac  Fleetwood 1959 Seventy-five head
Cadillac Fleetwood 1959 Seventy-five. The longest 1959 Cadillac, the Series 6700 had a wheelbase of 149.75 inches (There was also a Fleetwood on a 130 inch wheelbase). 710 swb Fleetwoods were sold and 690 Imperial lwb sold.
ac Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959 head
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959. Cadillac uprated the V8 engine to 6.4-litre for 1959
ac Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible head
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible, powered by 6,384cc (390) 325 bhp V8
Cadillac  Fleetwood 1959 Seventy-five side
Cadillac Fleetwood 1959 Seventy-five. The longest 1959 Cadillac with a wheelbase of 149.75 inches (There was also a Fleetwood on a 130 inch wheelbase). Series 6700 Fleetwoods sold 710 swb and 690 Imperial lwb sold.
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959 front
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959. There was only one 2-door Coupe, but this was marketed as Series 62, Coupe deVille and the Eldorado Seville.
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959 rear
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959. Cadillac offered the 1959 2-door hardtop as an entry level Series 62, as a Coupe deVille, and also as an Eldorado Seville.
l Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959 lamps
Cadillac Coupe deVille 1959 - These extraordinary rear wings were designed to out-Chrysler the 1959 Chryslers and are attributed to Dave Hols and Ed Glowacke
Cadillac Eldorado Seville hardtop1957 front
Cadillac Eldorado Seville hardtop1957. The Eldorado benefitted from the new 1957 Cadillac Series 62 body, which also made it cheaper to produce. A 5972cc V8 powered the Eldorado. New for 1957 were the dual parking lamps beneath the grille.
Cadillac Fleetwood 1960 Sixty Special  front
Cadillac Fleetwood 1960 Sixty Special 4-door hardtop. The Fleetwood was distinguished for the Series 62 and DeVille models by the full length chrome panel at the lower edge of the body
Cadillac Fleetwood 1960 Sixty Special side
Cadillac Fleetwood 1960 Sixty Special. Based on the 6-window Sedan deVille, the Fleetwood Sixtry Special was 225-inches long and built on a 130-inch wheelbase. The Series 6200 Sedan was same dimensions.
Cadillac Sedan DeVille 1959 4-window frontr
Cadillac Sedan DeVille 1959 4-window. A 'hardtop' 6-window Sedan DeVille was also offered for 1959
Cadillac Sedan deVille 1959 front
Cadillac Sedan deVille 1959. For 1959 Cadillac fielded 2 different Sedan deVille, this 6-window 'fastback' design and a 4-window wraparound window model. Buick also offered these two styles on its Electra 225 Riviera 4-door hardtops
l Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 finlight
Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 - rear lights. Only the 1959 Cadillacs were given these extraordinary twin jet pod rear lights. They were attributed to Dave Hols and Ed Glowacke and others, and were designed away from Harley J Earl who was absent in Europe during the 1956 gestation period.
l Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 taillight
Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959 - taillight
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960 front
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960. For 1960 Cadillac toned down the grille, removing the horizontal bar and changed paired side lamps from oval to squared off. The engine was a 6,391cc four barrel V8. This is the 4-window Sedan deVille, there was also a 6-window version.
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960 rear
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960. The sedan Deville was a pillarless 4-door hardtop, and this design with large wraparound rear windows shared with other GM brands
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960 side
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960. The Series 6300 Sedan DeVille was built on a 130-inch wheelbase, and was a 4-door hardtop
l Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960 lamp
Cadillac Sedan Deville 1960. The extravagant twin pod tail lamps on extra tall fins on the 1959 model were rationalised for 1960 in a general toning down of that year.
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible frontc
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible. Cadillac did not build a 'DeVille' convertible, there was only the Series 62 model, built on a 130-inch wheelbase.
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible rear
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible. Dave Hols and Ed Glowacke devised the extraordinary rear fins of the 1959 Cadillac, essentially to out-Chrysler the Chrysler cars (Virgil Exner).
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible side
Cadillac Series 62 1959 Convertible. An open-top version of the Coupe deVille, in all but name. DeVille Convertibles were not available until 1964
Cadillac Series 62 Coupe 1959 front
Cadillac Series 62 Coupe 1959. The Series 62 was the entry level Cadillac, and this 2-door Coupe body was available on the upmarket Coupe deVille.
Buick Electra 225 1959 hardtop rear
Buick Electra 225 1959 hardtop. With 4-door, 4-window hardtop body, the 'Electra 225' replaced the 'Limited' in 1959. The Electra 225 was 225-inches long, and it shared its GM C-body with the Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac on a 126.3 inch wheelbase. A 6-window hardtop was marketed as the Electra 225 Riviera hardtop, but the 'Riviera' tag was not given to the 4-window hardtop.
Buick Invicta 1960 4-door hardtop side
Buick Invicta 1960 4-door hardtop. After poor sales in 1959 Buick continued with the same body for the 1960 Invictas, but returned the 'VentiPorts' to the front wings (only 3 because the Invicta is an entry level car). The 'Swoopspear' also came back along the sides.
Buick LeSabre 1959 side
Buick LeSabre 1959 4-door hardtop. All new for 1959, well based on the 1975 concept 'XP-75'. LeSabre was the entry level Buick replacing the Special. LeSabre was marketed as 'the thriftiest Buick'. A 364cu inch V8 powered the LeSabre. The body was shared with other full-size GM cars, and even the top Cadillacs, Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac used a stretched version of this body.
Chevrolet Impala 1959 Sport Sedan rear
Chevrolet Impala 1959 Sport Sedan, a 4-door hardtop,built on a 119-inch wheelbase. Longer versions of this body were given to Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac
Chevrolet Impala 1959 Sport Sedan side
Chevrolet Impala 1959 Sport Sedan. The Sport Sedan was almost a 4-dooor hardtop, and the large wraparound rear window made the Impala very light and roomy in the rear. The Cadillac Sedan DeVille shared this design on a larger body. The Cadillac Series 62 and 'deVille' models sat on a 130 inch wheelbase and measured 225 inches, whereas the Chevrolet Impala was 119 inches between the wheels and 211 inches overall.