Tuesday, May 30, 2023

  

Cadillac's Spanish Beauty

1957 Eldorado Seville :

      

Gliding down the road in Joe Flinkier’s Cadillac, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild. With the original owner of Joe’s car being unknown, the temptation to speculate in regard to his or her identity is irresistible. Maybe the lucky buyer was a Miss Universe contestant with a generous sugar daddy or a cigar-chomping cattle rancher. Perhaps he owned drive-in theatres and made his millions out of all those “rubber monster” movies of the period.

Being a 1957 Eldorado Seville, this particular classic is a rare find as only 2,100 left the factory that year. It’s also extremely big. In fact, it’s bigger than Texas which is precisely where it came from. And in keeping with the flamboyant image of its home state, this bright red chrome colossus would be enough to trigger a panic attack in all but the most dedicated show ponies.

GLITZ  AND  GLAMOUR

At $7,286, the Seville was a luxury few could afford. A basic Chevrolet sedan at around $2,000 would have been a more likely option for most buyers.

In the push-button, consumer heaven of 1950s America, Cadillac’s range of dream machines was the closest thing Detroit had to a royal family and the reigning monarch was Eldorado. Of Spanish origin, the word means “The Golden One” and it was General Motors office worker Mary-Ann Marini who suggested it as the name for Cadillac’s 50th anniversary show car in 1952. The glamorous creation they came up with was then transformed into a limited-production model the following year as GM’s top-of-the-line convertible.

Boasting a wrap-around windscreen, wire wheels, leather trim and a new 210 horsepower engine, it caused a media sensation at the Motorama auto spectacular. But the ultimate publicity coup was pulled off when President Elect Dwight. D. Eisenhower rode to his inauguration in an Eldorado (right).




From the beginning, the establishment had embraced Cadillac, and its makers adhered to a strict policy of “engineering excellence and refined elegance”. At least, that’s what the advertising said. Between 1954 and ’57, General Motors design chief, Harley Earl, insisted on some mandatory styling features which included the unique ‘Gull Wing’ bumpers up front with their bullet-shaped impact absorbers, known as ‘Dagmars’ (left) after a busty comedienne of the day.


Continuing Eldorado’s Latin theme, the exciting and spirited Seville coupe was launched in 1956. Inspired by the Spanish province of the same name, this sporty and vaguely aggressive newcomer must have sent minor shock waves along the oak-paneled corridors of New York and Boston. The next year, an even racier version came down the assembly line.

LOOKING  FOR  LUXURY

By 1957 America’s post war automotive boom was reaching its zenith. The competition was unusually fierce as Detroit’s “Big Three” pulled out all the stops. The bean counters warned that a recession was looming, so there was no time to waste. Sales brochures of the day were swamped with gimmicks and gadgets and engine capacities began to
increase rapidly. Over at Ford, the boys in the Mercury division proudly unveiled a glittering jukebox on wheels called the Turnpike Cruiser (right). Decked out in three-tone paint jobs, these controversial cars were loaded with all sorts of interesting bells and whistles. They also offered excellent performance. But a base price of around $3,600 was high for a mid-range vehicle and production was less than expected at 17,000 units.



1957 NASCAR Convertible Racing on Beach in Daytona, Fl. Tim Flock, Billy Myers, Murcury, Color! - YouTube

Chrysler presented its clean and futuristic “Forward Look” which was well received. At GM, Buick participated in the fashion for hardtop wagons by introducing the Caballero, yet another naming influence from Spain.

Promoting Chrysler's "Forward Look" top)
 Buick's Century Caballero wagon (lower)







But, once again, it was Cadillac that hit the jackpot in the publicity sweepstakes with their Series 70 Eldorado Brougham ; an ultra-luxurious experiment in total excess. Retailing at a stratospheric $13,074, this technically advanced king of the road was intended to steal the thunder away from Ford’s Continental Mark II which sold for less than $10,000. Compared to the smooth, uncluttered appearance of its rival, however, the General’s “Masterpiece of Motordom” was, perhaps, just a bit too excessive. With center-opening doors, a stainless steel roof, quad headlights (that soon became standard throughout the industry), air suspension, every power option including air conditioning and more chrome than was necessary, only 704 made it onto the streets. This was about half of Continental’s equally unimposing market share and both were quickly relegated to the history books.
A  GOOD  YEAR

However, the Brougham was mainly a promotional venture and, on that level, it was an unqualified success. Indeed, it was the crowning glory on what turned out to be a good year for Cadillac. The division would offer ten models in ’57, starting with a “budget-priced” Series 62 hardtop coupe at $4,677. An impressive 146,841 Cadillacs were sold compared to Lincoln’s 41,123 and Imperial’s 37,593. The Seville sat close to the top of GM’s product range on the same level as its Eldorado stable mate, the Biarritz convertible. Only the Series 75 eight-passenger limousine at $7,678, and the Brougham were more expensive.

All Cadillac’s received a major face lift under studio boss Ed Glowacke. The introduction of an X-type chassis with outrigger body mounts meant that the height of the cars could be reduced. The ‘egg crate’ grilles were retained, as were the bullet-shaped impact absorbers which gained rubber tips. Dual circular parking lamps were set into the bottom corners of the front bumper. Throughout the standard Series 60, 62 and 75 lines, side trim was revised, dual tail-lights were used and forward-slanting ‘Scimitar’ fins lept off the back. All models were now hardtops except the formal limousines.

DISTINCTIVE  STYLING

The Eldorado Biarritz and Seville shared the same basic panels as the rest of the Cadillac range from the front bumper to the back doors. But that’s where the similarities ended. These prestige chariots were given a unique and dramatic rear styling treatment (right) which made them instantly recognizable. Massive chrome inserts ran along the bottom of the rear side panels, curved around the tail end and then fell away just before meeting the deeply recessed number plate which was surrounded by a heavy frame, also in chrome. There was no rear bumper as such. Back-up lights were mounted into the bright work, which also incorporated the twin exhausts.

For several years, the Eldorados had been sprouting their own distinctive and sharply-pointed “Shark Fins”. In 1957 they were slimmed down and moved in towards the trunk lid, giving the rear of the cars a slightly bulbous look (left). The small circular stoplights with their hoods, adorned with still more chrome, look very much like those which later showed up on the 1960 Dodge Phoenix.

Eldorados also featured cast alloy “Sabre Spoke” wheels during this period (below right). The twin wind-splits, which sit at the centre of the hood on all other Cadillacs, grace the top of the front fenders on the Biarritz and Seville.

Most of the Sevilles were coupes but a small number of special order four door hardtops were also built. Rough grain vinyl roofs were available as an option. New interiors were introduced across the entire range. An attractive and functional dashboard was well padded and included a large, centrally located glove box. The radio speaker was contained in a beehive case which nestled underneath the dash and on top of the transmission tunnel. The enormous steering wheel was dished for additional safety.


Dashboard of the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

Sevilles came with electric windows, seats and boot locks as standard. A radio, heater, clock, fog lamps, power brakes and power steering were also part of the deal. One quirky addition on this particular model was the inclusion of four air vents that ran along the back of the dashboard which could be opened and closed manually. If you wanted “proper” air conditioning you had to shell out quite a few extra dollars. GM’s exclusive “Autotronic Eye”; an automatic headlight dimmer, could also be supplied on request. Trim was done in hand-stitched leather or a mixture of cloth and leather. Arm rests dropped down onto both the front and back seats (below)




HIGHWAY  CRUISER


With an overall length of 222 inches and tipping the scales at 2.3 tons, the Eldorados would have been restricted to down hill driving if it hadn’t been for their 325-bhp V8 (left) that ran like a Swiss watch at 4800 rpm. With a 10:1 compression ratio, these big cars should start easily and drive away smoothly thanks to a four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. Two four-barrel Carters were offered and a petrol consumption of around 12 mpg was considered quite acceptable. A top speed of 120 mph was quoted.

Driving and handling was noticeably improved with the insulated body mounts, new spherical ball joint front suspension and more spread-out rear leaf springs. Big tires, considerable bulk and a lower center of gravity also helped. But the Seville was never intended for stop-start driving around the congested inner-suburban streets of modern day Australia. It was conceived as a powerful highway cruiser and it would be most at home roaring down the endless blacktop with everything tuned just right and running to perfection.

COMMON  FANTASY

Joe Flinkier is the owner of Melbourne’s American car specialists Flinkier Motors and he’s enjoyed a long association with Cadillacs and other Detroit exotics. The family business was established in the late 1940s as Acland Motors in a plush showroom on the Upper Esplanade at St.Kilda.

“It must have been so interesting in the early days when my grandfather, Arthur, started the business” said Jamie Flinkier, Joe’s son. “It would have been great to have driven these amazing cars when they were new”.

It’s a common fantasy, shared by most of us. One thing’s for sure, these noble chariots certainly open a window onto a by-gone era when dress-up glamour and seemingly unlimited optimism were the norm. Here’s hoping that they’ll still be around, spreading their own special brand of good cheer long after the rest of us have turned our last ignition key.



........ and go for a ride in a '57 Seville .......with this video..




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Based on a magazine article that was published in 2004
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