1937 Delahaye 135MS with Body by Figoni & Falaschi |
|
|
This Delahaye bears a striking resemblance to the Motor City
Talbot Lago, also by Figoni & Falaschi. A real car not (yet) reproduced in scale, fellow collector Bob
A. spent some time tracking it to New Jersey, but he believes the owner was unimpressed with the prospect of having
some crew crawling all over it for measurements and photos. Too bad, what a beauty!
|
|
|
|
|
I'm not sure whether this is a series 62, or a coupe de ville, but
I'm pretty sure it's a 57 and I love the forward-slanting fins. This car still has the single headlights, which I usually
find makes for cleaner lines. All the unique model years between 55 and 59 should be represented in scale. Come on Danbury:
do a Cadillac series!
|
1960 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible |
|
|
The 59's have been done in many forms, but I think the '60 presents
the styling in a slightly cleaner way, without the distraction of those rockets. I'd love to see the mints give us some other
years after 1959, and this is a good place to start.
|
1961 Imperial Crown Convertible |
|
|
When I first saw one of these, I was immediately drawn to the floating
chromed "pod" headlights. They reminded me of the luxury cars of the thirties. The "wheel" on the back deck lid only served
to increase the car's resemblance to those classic autos of yesteryear (even back when it was new). A bit flamboyant perhaps,
but then I love the 59 Caddy's too :-)
|
1962 Imperial Crown Convertible |
|
|
Floating "pod" headlights weren't enough, so in 62 they added floating
rocket taillights. What's not to love? LOL. To their credit, they did tone it down a bit by deleting the "wheel" on the trunk
deck (referred to disparagingly by some as the "toilet seat"). Personally, I kind of liked the wheel myself. Anyway, to my
eye this car is just as much of a head-turner as a Lamborghini (although I wouldn't want to see the two cars compared in any
other way).
|
|
|
|
|
This was the first model year for this new class of "Personal Luxury Car. It had looks, power, and all the
creature comforts. Right from the start it was destined to be a classic design.
|
|
|
|
|
The 1963 T-Bird shared essentially the same body as the
61 and 62. Pictured here is a rare '63 Sports Roadster with removable tonneau cover.
|
1963 Chrysler Turbine Car |
|
|
I always thought the turbine cars were cool. Their story is one
of a good idea at a bad time, that sadly got brushed aside. The inspired styling hints at what was to come in cars like the
early to mid sixties Dodge Dart. I've seen these done nicely in 1:18 so why not 1:24?
|
|
|
|
|
I had a small scale one of these when I was a kid, and always thought
it was beautiful. The Body was built by Carrozzeria Bertone (Giorgio Giugiaro) in Turin, Italy, for the manufacturer: Iso
Automoveicoli S.p.A. Bresso, Milan, Italy. Nuccio Bertone worked closely with Giorgio Giugiaro on the design, and called the
production version of this car "my masterpiece." I agree.
|
|
|
|
|
This year the "Riv" got hidden headlights, and the tailights moved down into the bumper. |
|
|
|
|
The 1964 through 66 T-Birds were an evolutionary design.
In keeping with the style of the times, the curves were gone, replaced with sharp creases and blockier design elements like
the tailights. Pictured here is a '66 Convertible.
|
|
|
|
|
Oldsmobile was the first to put front wheel drive in a full-sized American car. People were amazed at the
car's flat floor (no drive tunnel hump between the seats), and loved the extra traction in snow. All that aside, the
car was a styling triumph, and a true classic.
|
|
|
|
|
In 1966 the Riviera gained some weight. It got less European looking, and began do define a purely
American concept of big, stylish, and sporty full-sized cars. This body style remained basically unchanged through
1970, but the first year was by far the best in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
In 1967 the convertible was retired, and a new 4-door Town
Landau was introduced with suicide doors, hidden headlights and a single full-width tailight. I personally didn't care much
for the pointy "beak" on the 68 through 71 birds.
|
1968 Lincoln Continental Mark III |
|
|
The 1968 Mark III was a classic design, clearly evocative of
the earlier Mark II's profile. I can't think of what other car, if any, shared the Mark III's platform. Clean, flowing
lines like these have always appealed to me.
|
1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser |
|
The family car - my first everyday
driver - what a beautiful boat
|
From 1964 to 1970 the Vista Cruiser evolved a little each year.
By 1969, it had reached its pinnacle. Some would argue that the 1970 was the best year, but I never liked the deep accent
lines they added over the wheel wells that year, or the revised taillights. This car was also great in the snow
due to the weight of all that glass over the rear wheels.
|
|
|
|
My uncle bought one of these after his 66 Riv was
stolen - the 66 was faster
|
By 1970 the Riviera had gotten even fatter, and grown fender skirts. It still had factory
chromed mag wheels, a 454 with a 4-barrel, and you could smoke the tires if you ran on high octane gas. Unfortunately,
its handling and braking weren't up to the task of controlling all that power and weight. This was a cush-mobile,
a fast one, but a cush-mobile nonetheless.
|
|
|
|
|
The 1971 model year change gave the Riviera a dramatic,
if controversial, new look. People either loved the boattail Riv or hated it. I always thought they were kind of cool
looking, except for those with vinyl tops, which I thought broke up the car's lines.
|
|
|
|
I used to drive one of these - a living room on wheels
|
In 1972 the T-bird began sharing it's basic structure with
the huge Lincoln Mark IV although they didn't share any body panels. Clean lines abounded, including the grille and tallight
treatments. Later years cluttered the design by adding vertical bars to the grille and taillights, and the
landau irons were dropped in favor of opera windows.
|
1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV |
|
This example was optioned without the opera window
|
In 1972 the Mark IV got bigger, and a bit more rounded. It
shared the same platform as the 72 T-Bird, but had totally unique body panels. Clean lines like the T-Bird, but
crisp instead of smooth. The classsic lincoln radiator and grille, the oval opera window, and one of the last really attractive
continental tire humps on the rear deck lid (in my humble opinion), were what distinguished this car.
|
1967-70 Cadillac Eldorado |
|
|
The razor-like taillights and rear deck treatment on these cars
made a huge impression on me. Borrowing from the 66 Toronado's new front wheel drive platform, the 67 eldorado took a leap
forward in technology and styling. Until 1971 when an all new body was introduced, this was one of the most handsome personal
luxury cars detroit ever produced in my humble opinion.
|
1967 Cadillac Coupe De Ville Convertible |
|
|
I remember seeing one of these when I was a kid and loving it. I
thought the stacked headlights were cool looking, and the forward rake made the car look like it was moving even when
it was parked. Nothing like a big five- or six-passenger convertible and a sunny day, mmm mmm.
|
1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville Convertible |
|
|
I think this is a 1970 (please let me know if it's not and I'll correct
it). It just speaks to me. Something about the sum of it's style and proportions and presence that just works beautifully
together. The color is also very flattering on this model.
|
1971 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible |
|
|
This was a land-yacht of vast proportions, yet it looked sleek--even
fast. Back when safety was measured in curb weight and the length of your hood, a car like this made you feel like
you were cruising around in your recreation room. This was the first, and perhaps the purest eldorado convertible design,
since they ceased producing them in 1967. I guess having FWD and a convertible top in a car of this size was too
much to ask of GM back in 1967--now that would have been a car to remember.
|
