Dad, a welder, bought one new. $4500. I took my driving test in it in about ‘67. Parallel parked it perfectly, maybe because I learned to drive by backing it out of the garage, past a gate and chimney. I kept it polished like new. Recall every bit of chrome and trim.
They are extremely easy to drive. It was first automatic car I ever drive and like 4 car i ever drive. I'm from europe so i took all my driving lessons and test in 08 yaris, first car i ever drive and i learned to drive was '71 or '72 w115 mercedes and my parents at the time have 05 polo ( car smaller then golf ) and my daily at the time was '90 ford sierra. Typical small euro cars. But how i was able to drive '59 cadillac ? Man form my village have one, he win it while playing cars in 90s, it is 62 4 door hard top. I know this geleman and we sometimes talk about cars. One time he had to many beers and he ask me, ''Boy you 18 right, so you have driving licence ? I say YES, so he gived me kays to his cadillac and say he want to go on the cruise. I was scared as hell, I had licence for like 2 weeks at the time. I started the car, put it in D and go. It drive like dream, super smooth, good handling car with the best visibility in any car i drived to this day. Roads here are pretty narrow compare to US, but i don't crashe it. It was 2 hours drive and i loose all my fears of driving. Only problem was the rear hang, car is very long so you need to be remeber to not hit anything while making full turn. Besides this they are extremely easy to drive and oparate, those big US boats are much easier to drive then many many much newer europe cars, I'm talking 80s even 90s. Now i'm driving 89 caprice wagon very often here, with no problems.
Congrats on 100,000! I'm not at all surprised, because you do such a nice job with all of the topics you cover! I'm a lifelong car guy and, while I don't always agree with some of the things you post, I appreciate the thoughtful way in which you present your points of view. Definitely one of my favorite channels!
I just saw a channel of videos of a loudly howling husky… at 890k subscribers. I thought about Adam and all the work he puts in for 100k. So how can Adam reach 1m? Get a talkative husky “cohost.” 😉
Did you ever see the miniseries on TBS years ago called Driving Passion about the automobile in America? Chuck Jordan said of the 1959 Cadillac, “I’ve got to tell you, at the time, it was the thing to do!”
I've always been a big fan of the amazing design of the 1959 Cadillacs. The fins are so attractive. The ground clearance is nice and low. Beautiful boulevard cruiser styling with the convertible.
Congrats on the 100K Adam so happy to see that very well deserved with all the hard work and dedication you have put into these videos!! The 1959 Cadillac is by far my favorite year!!
My Uncle Roland had a 1959 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 4 door hardtop with the " Vista " roofline which he used as a daily driver way up into the 1970's. It was so long it barely fit in his 24'-0" deep garage. His wife had also as a daily driver a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air 2 door sedan. Who would have thought that these cars would go on to be some of the most collectable cars of the 1950's.
It would be interesting to see what the 1959 Cadillac’s were originally intended to look like before the changes. Great videos! Congratulations on 100K subscribers.
It originally was to be a restyled version of the 58. Same with the Buick, a restyled 58, but when GM saw Chrysler's (and Ford's) proposals for 1959, they felt that they needed to create something all new for 59, something that would match their competitors for visual lightness as well as newness. The 57 GM cars all looked "old", except for the Cad.
Today few people think about, and outside of car enthusiasts really even know about, the late 50s Chryslers or the "suddenly it's 1960"........ but EVERYONE knows the 1959 Cadillac lineup. Instantly recognizable to anyone who doesn't even care about cars. They all know it's a Cadillac. That to me is proof Harley Earl's design team did him one last huge home run before he retired. Pretty much EVERY 50s Cadillac starting in 1954 was really elegant, beautiful, classy, and timeless. You just feel like you need to be wearing a tuxedo and sipping 15 year scotch from one of the included glass tumblers in the glove box while smoking a Chesterfield or a Pall Mal while just standing next to one of them.
Our 59 was a base model but looked and felt substantial. I maintained ours in pristine condition. Sparked under parking lot lights. Really, any decent car nicely maintained makes one feel good.
I have always liked the 1959 GM cars, ever since I was a small child and my great uncle gave me a large tin friction toy 1959 Cadillac. This was about 1964 and he probably got it half price at the drug store where he worked, but I was a car nut and loved it. Other uncles drove 1959 Buicks and Oldsmobiles and I liked those too. I never knew they all shared a front door, but I did realize the vent windows and windshields were very similar.
I would be very interested to see more of the "what might have been" designs such as the original design for the '59 Cadillac. I've seen a few here and there about planned designs that were scrapped and changed mid-stream in the past but more interesting would be those designs planned but scrapped when well into the process such as the '61 Chrysler products that were mistakenly downsized based upon the rumor that GM was down-sizing for that year and others as well. Great video, as always.
I nearly bought a perfectly-restored 1959 Eldorado Biarritz (white, with a red interior) for $3,000 in 1982. Why didn't I follow through with the purchase? Because of the test-drive. I was cautiously driving the car with the owner next to me, ,and suddenly, some idiot came roaring around a corner and straight at us. I YANKED the steering to get us out of the way, and the car wallowed like a kayak in rough water. I was terrified, and declined to follow through. Yeah, in hindsight, dumb move. Instead, I bought a '61 Imperial Crown convertible (wonderful, precise torsion-bar handling), which I assert was styled directly in reaction to the '59 Cadillacs. I loved to drive it to the Cadillac-LaSalle club events... It always pissed people off! My reaction? "There are two kinds of cars: Imperials, and INFERIALS!" Incidentally, at one of these events, I measured the fins on a '59 Cadillac and my own '61 Imperial: They are the same height, when measured from the bottom of the fender. That's why I liked it so much when Adam SPECIFICALLY says "The biggest tailfins of any Cadillac".
Congratulations on 100,000 subscribers. Now on to the '59 Cadillac. When I was a kid we lived one block away from a very large hospital in Cincinnati. When walking to school we had to pass by the doctors parking lot. It was full of late model Cadillac's and Lincoln's. When I first saw a '59 Cadillac I thought it was ..shall I say not so attractive to my young eyes. Honestly now I have to wonder what GM design crew of Bill Mitchell, Mr. Chuck Jordan, and Mr. Dave Holls of GM's design crew were thinking. BUT nowadays these cars are few and far between and oh so iconic!! Thanks for posting Adam. Love the bits of history and inside information you always reveal! Thanks again!
The 59 GM cars were their response to Chrysler's 57-58 cars. GM's 57s all, except the Cadillac, looked "old". The 57 Buick looked like a warmed-over 55 with 54 grille teeth, the 57 Olds looked like a 56 with new taillights and 54 side trim. The now iconic 57 Chevy looked like a tarted-up version of the 56. The 57 Pontiac wasn't too bad, but hardly earth-shaking. I like the 58s, but they were a completely different philosophy than the 58 ChryCo cars. GM was afraid of being left behind.
I was wondering why Caddy (and some other models) had 2 roof styles the 4-window (flat top) and the 6-window (sloping top). The flat top seemed more in tune with the rocketcar styling.
I grew up with a 1959 Buick Invicta flat top. It was a beautiful car, bright red with a white top. I preferred the more restrained Buick styling to the Cadillac styling, but these days I have a greater appreciation of the Caddy. The one thing about that Buick, the windows rattled like crazy!
That was a problem with those 4 door hardtop sedans, the ones with the convertible style doors and no center post. Regular post sedans were much tighter.
I had a chance to buy a 1959 Cadillac, red, with white interior, for $50. Being 16 or 17, I just couldn't _imagine_ what I'd want with some big boat like that. Now, 50 years later, I wish I had bought it.
I noticed a couple of interesting ironies. At 7:55 the brochure not only mentions "economical motoring" (ha-ha) but also electric door locks, even though they were about to go backwards to vacuum power for most of the 60s... At 3:42 they had what I think is the perfect side styling. If you're gonna' have big jet exhaust nozzles in the rear bumper, then you gotta' have proper air intakes for them! 🚀
My Dad bought one, a black two door series 62. $4500. Huge car, but easy to drive. I passed my driving test in it. Fins helped when backing up, and gauging where rear bumper was. Yes, interior had very good quality materials. Lots of chrome die cast and stainless. Never lost its new car aroma. White vinyl door panels looked like new because I foam cleaned it weekly. Was garaged and waxed by hand with Rain Dance, which seemed best suited to its lustrous black paint. X-frame was rigid. No squeaks. Engine emitted pleasant turbine sound from air intake when floored. Downside: developed some rocker body rust near wheel wells at about 10. Springs sagged. Needed helper shocks to restore tide height. Driver’s door started sagging at around 9.
Hey! That white Plymouth is in my state. For years my parents bought & drove Chrysler products while our neighbors all drove GM. Still remember the bright red 1960 Dodge with the push button automatic transmission.
They were really parts sharing way back then it seems at GM. They became good at hiding the shared parts up to a point. It became apparent in the 70's and 80's models. You really nicely discussed the shared parts and how they were utilized. It is interesting when you are in a time crunch you become quite creative as well. Thank you so much Adam.
My dad bought a 59 Olds Delta 98 instead, my preference is the 1960 coupe devile................. Back in those days, we all waited in anticipation of the new models for the next year always introduced in August/Sept.
There is no such thing as a "Delta 98" by Oldsmobile.. Oldsmobile Ninety Eight was always written out.. Oldsmobile did make a Delta 88 however, but those came later.
😊 Ted Frith, I think the 1968 Pontiac Full Size Cars front and rear ends were very neeto looking. The front bumpers were inspired by the 1968 Pontiac Firebird and the rear ends look like the taillight that drops down to the bumpers . Another car from the 60s is the 1965 Ford Galaxy 500 LTD . The taillights were a square shaped design with the backups light incorporated with them. The front grill was all new for 1965 with the veribel headlights (first time Ford used the design for their full size cars). I think my 1992 Ford Escort GT ' Cayman Green Limited Edition 2 Door Hatchback quality it for your 1960s car designs themes. It has a wrap around rear taillights, including the back up lights, and very nice front lights w
I never realized all the C-bodies shared the front doors. I do like the Buick design, too, but the Chevy is what I saw everywhere when I was growing up. The trunks in those cars are enormous, too. Regarding jet plane influences at GM, I've never seen anybody mention this but the 1958 Chevy's front turn signals look just like the paired engine nacelles of a B-52.
I love these old Cadillacs with the giant tail fins. But looking at the clay model at the 4 minute mark. I think it would be a good looking car without the fins.
Based on the Buick? I don't think so. The 59 Cad uses that X member frame that lacks side rails. The Buick does not, but has a CONVENTIONAL frame WITH side rails. If you mean B body, ALL of the 59 and 60 GM cars, with the exception of Limousines and Formal Sedans, used the B body, not just the Buick. The 59 Cadillac was GM's attempt to out-do the 57 - 58 Chrysler Imperials.
my mother worked for a dr who had a white dodge woth the gold fins. gold leather upholstery, ragtop. he got a new car each year and traded it for a 58 t bird
The designs of the outrageous US cars of the late 1950s didn't wear well in later years, especially the really 'out there' designs from General Motors (especially Cadillac) and Chrysler (especially Imperial).. They were dirt cheap by the late 1960s and early 1970s..
The X frame was from '57 GM frames. The '57 X frame was used until '64 model year. Pontiac never had a perimeter frame. Also the width of the '57 X frame was never widen. The '57 frame was designed for a narrow '57 body. Except Pontiac, which came out with the "wide track" in '59. After '64 GM never had an X Frame
The fins weren't the tallest. 59 Imperial had that title. What made the Caddy's fins appear taller is the sloping side panel design that dives downward toward the fins giving the fins a taller look. Almost an optical illusion
Only Pontiac had a truly unique front door skin in 59. That was due to an extra strike creating a horizontal tube element. Cadillac and Chevrolet used the purest forms of this door skin, with Buick adding an ever-widening chrome belt line moulding leading to the canted fins and Oldsmobile adding a plastic upper door moulding to connect the fender and quarter panel rocket motif.
WHILE THE STORY OF THE 1959 GM CARS WAS INTERESTING AND THE TIME FRAME TO PRODUCE THEM AS WELL BUT NOT ONE WORD THAT THE 1958 WERE A ONE YEAR WONDER. THE WONDER BEING ""WHAT THE HELL DID THEY HAVE IN MIND . THEY WERE A ONE YEAR WONDER.AND A CELEBRATION IN CHROME.
Actually, only the 1958 A-bodies were one year only. All Pontiacs and all Chevys (except for the Corvette). The A-body designation would re-appear in 1961 on the compacts: Tempest, F-85 and Skylark. The Chevelle would join this group in the 1964 A-body re-design.
Latter day apologists for the '59, basically, a "cover version" of the '57 Imperial, don't realize what a pariah the '59 became when the '61 Continental came out. In the late '60's it became a symbol of embarrassing bad taste.
Uh oh! Starting off with Christine! Or at least - one of the white ones that were around when "she" crushed that poor auto workers hand in the beginning!
It seems Chrysler had inspired many designers around the world, including the USSR. And yet the company never managed to become a maker of very good cars.
Am I alone in my opinion that the '59 Cadillac is the most unattractive styling of any Cadillac ever built. It's bulbus, squat heavy, and it looks like they just doubled everything and stuck it on the front end and rear end. After this design, the Cadillacs became sleeker, streamlined, and elegant. Okay, go ahead, chew me up, and spit me out. 😂
The aspects you dislike somehow managed to complement each other harmoniously leading to today’s instant recognition. That can’t be said for models years you prefer. Who recalls a ‘63?
@@Trapper4265 Did I say recognizable? Aztec was a superbly functional, distinctive vehicle. Look at some SUV and crossover front facias and you’ll see similarities.
While the 57 Cadillac looks good, the rest of GM's 57 lineup looked "old" and lost sales ground over the 56s. The 58 recession hammered car sales. Just think what would have happened to GM if they made their 57s another year.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Agree with the "oldness" of GM's 57's, especially when compared to Chrysler's 57's, but the 58's were pretty hideous. And in retrospect, the 57 Chevies are a lot more popular than their Chrysler counterparts. Were they better looking (the Chevys)? Not IMO. Thinking out loud, the '58 full-sized Chevys were not bad from some angles - especially in coup form.
Very interesting! I have always have been a big fan of the GM full-size cars from all of their makes. I'm also a huge fan of Chrysler's 1957-59 full-size lineup across all makes.
I for one LOVED the '59 BUICK design even more than the Cadillac. From the canted headlights to the sweeping tail fins. Cadillac was more of a shock value for 1959. The most opulent they could make it. I loved the '59 Bonneville as well. The twin fins on each side and the split grill was a totally unique design. Their WIDE TRACK gave them the "Motor Trend" Car of the Year award. It was probably GM'S finest year.
I like the 59 Buick, always have, but it doesn't have "Venti Ports". That soured many Buick buyers. They felt that the car didn't look Buick enough. Ditto for the 58. It also lacked them. The 1960, which was a retouched 59, DID have them, as well as the teeth, but lacked real instruments, other than a gas gauge.
@@michaelbenardo5695 hiya Mike - Back in the early Nineties, one of my friends from Sweden ended up buying a '59 Electra coupe here in the States and shipping it back over there. It was a solid and clean original, but had no interior or drivetrain. Him and his car club chopped the roof ONLY about 1.5" and they accentuated the sharp creases on the body... Painted the car in that beautiful silvery-green metallic and made a custom interior that featured four original '59 General Motors bucket seats and a custom built, full length console... All wrapped in silvery green leather and matching vinyl. I swear that car was as gorgeous as any Motorama car that GM ever put on the circuit! It looked EXACTLY like a factory prepared Show Car! Oh... They even cast a factory style steering wheel out of clear acrylic for it. It was incredible. I don't know what's happened to the car since then... But I'm sure it still exists.
great info! i knew that GM took the cue from Chrysler in sharing cowls, glass, basic structure across the models, but did not know about the doors. Now that is all I will think about when looking at one of these cars! lol While the '59 is definitely dramatic and iconic, I much prefer the '60 with its much cleaner detailing and those murderously knife-sharp tail fins.
also, personally, given the choice between the Buick and the Cad, I'd take the Buick...they seemed to be more of an innovator and kind of do their own thing at GM with a bunch of different elements...i think they still had a perimeter frame at this point. i guess maybe that's why Buick got to dictate the '59 style language for the rest of the lineup
Buick did still have a perimeter frame, but they didn't dictate the 59 styling theme, Bill Mitchel did. GM management dictated more sharing of exterior sheet metal. The cars were all B body, but each division still had it's own engines, Buick and Chevrolet both still had their own automatic transmissions, DynaFlow and Powerglide, respectively, their own frames, and their own front suspensions.
@@michaelbenardo5695 The senior Buick Electra 225 and Oldsmobile Ninety Eight along with all Cadillacs were C bodies. B Bodies were junior Buick LeSabre, Invicta, junior Oldsmobile 88 and all full sized Pontiacs and Chevrolets
What made these models look sooo much lower than the 58’s? The dimensions really arent that much different if I recall. I’ve yet to see side by side photos of the two years which could give some clues.
We had the 59. Front seats were much too low. Driving was in semi prone position. Rear seat was very low as well. As little kids we couldn’t see out, and were sun baked by the huge rear window. The 58 was taller and narrower.
Much of it was due to the 59's visual lightness. The cars were deliberately styled to look lean and lithe, the 58s were styled to look massive. The 59s are actually the biggest.
One function of the fins was to hide the fact that the surface of the deck lid is actually a few inches higher than the corresponding body side surface. The blade of the fin allows this to happen unobtrusively. I believe the doors were actually shared with the B-bodies as well, not just the C-bodies, and looking at pictures of a 59 Chevy suggests so.
Fun Fact: If you look at the early Disneyland Monorails (50's and 60's) they have two upside down 59 Cadillac style fins "with red taillights" at the rear of each Monorail.
Should have been designed with a ROUNDED REAR front door metal stamping seals at the bottom front and rear of entrance doors. Cutting clothes and even skin must've been common. I know it was on my step granddad's '58. Across all lines and models this should've been a safety issue as well. Given the curved-edge accent themes at certain body points, this would have been a no-brainer, and from my personal perspective would have added just a hint of modernity and authenticity, consistent with flight entry doors and some hatches of the era, and even today.
Have you ever seen any of these cars? Lower front door rear corners were in fact rounded, as well as the leading lower front edge of the rear door, (but not the rear edge of the rear doors).
Hey Adam, thanks once again for a very informative review of the 1959 Cadillac. This time, I learned a few tidbits regarding the Cadillacs design I never knew, so thank you for that. I have known the Chrysler "Forward Look " really turned the Detroit designers on their ears. But I never knew about the GM C bodies all having the 59 Buick front doors as their starting point. The GM designers deserve a lot of credit for hiding that restraint on all the C bodies. No one could deny that the towering fins on the 59 Cadillac define the entire 50s automotive styling. However, in my opinion, it's actually the grill, headlights, and front bumper that truly are the best parts of the 59 Cadillac's overall design. It's absolutely massive, but it's also an extremely detailed design that's very strong and elegant at the same time. It's the very "Cadillac Look " that was carried through the 60s. The fins were too flamboyant to take seriously. And to think it all started with Chrysler's Forward Look. I always say the Big Three really needed Chrysler to balance out the US auto industry. Chrysler introduced so many important automotive engineering designs that today are industry standards used in the global automotive industry. We owe so much to Chrysler and always will. Thanks again Adam I appreciate your enclopeadic knowledge of our US auto industry's history.
I concur with others and congratulate you on your subscription milestone! As to the '59 Cadillac - it was and is a magnificent car, but I always make the effort to remind people that the flamboyant Cadillacs, Buicks, Chryslers and Lincolns of 1959 were considered unsightly and incredibly out of vogue (in terms of styling) within just a few years. There was a backlash against the swoopy styling excesses of the late '50's and of 1959 in particular. That's easy to forget when you go to a car show nowadays and see a '59 Caddy with a $25,000 paint job, newly replated chrome pieces and not a spot of dust on it. Imagine seeing dozens of these monsters with dirt and rust on them every day on your way to work back in 1965. People were really tired of them.
There is a Perry Mason episode from Season 2 that had a scene featuring a ‘59 Cadillac. While it was probably not noticeable on the black & white low resolution TVs in the late ‘50s, the windshield had been removed for filming the scene and it is quite obviously missing in the remastered videos. It’s quite ugly w/o that glass! 😉
I knew someone back in the seventies that had a 2 door 59 Cadillac that cut the talifins off & then mounted one right in the middle of the deck lid. He did a good job but the car looked very bizarre!!! 🙄
Great as always! The '59 Coupe de Ville (/ Series 62) was my favorite car for a very long time. But today it is a little bit too much for my eyes. I prefer the more elegant and sleak fin and taillight -arrangement of the '59 Chevrolet line up.
The ‘59 is clearly over the top, but that is what made it so iconic. It’s automotive art.
Gaudy is beautiful ❤ 😎
Stodgy , conservative European luxury cars were boring
It would be cool if current designers could give us those lighter-than-air rooftops with structural integrity.
It can be done, but at great expense. You would have to use the most expensive steel in an automobile, which is called boron steel.
It is about roll-over protection specifically, not structural integrity in general.
@@seventhanubis6930gm cars are basically designed in china now. At least buicks
@@thisguy2720thats definitely not true lol
@@sc1338 yes it is.
How can one not but marvel at the 59 Caddy. What an icon.
Congrats on 100K !
The '59 Cadillac must be like a parade float to drive. They are even bigger when seen in person.
Dad, a welder, bought one new. $4500. I took my driving test in it in about ‘67. Parallel parked it perfectly, maybe because I learned to drive by backing it out of the garage, past a gate and chimney. I kept it polished like new. Recall every bit of chrome and trim.
They are extremely easy to drive. It was first automatic car I ever drive and like 4 car i ever drive. I'm from europe so i took all my driving lessons and test in 08 yaris, first car i ever drive and i learned to drive was '71 or '72 w115 mercedes and my parents at the time have 05 polo ( car smaller then golf ) and my daily at the time was '90 ford sierra. Typical small euro cars. But how i was able to drive '59 cadillac ? Man form my village have one, he win it while playing cars in 90s, it is 62 4 door hard top. I know this geleman and we sometimes talk about cars. One time he had to many beers and he ask me, ''Boy you 18 right, so you have driving licence ? I say YES, so he gived me kays to his cadillac and say he want to go on the cruise. I was scared as hell, I had licence for like 2 weeks at the time. I started the car, put it in D and go. It drive like dream, super smooth, good handling car with the best visibility in any car i drived to this day. Roads here are pretty narrow compare to US, but i don't crashe it. It was 2 hours drive and i loose all my fears of driving. Only problem was the rear hang, car is very long so you need to be remeber to not hit anything while making full turn. Besides this they are extremely easy to drive and oparate, those big US boats are much easier to drive then many many much newer europe cars, I'm talking 80s even 90s. Now i'm driving 89 caprice wagon very often here, with no problems.
@@tomtumulec2504 Nice, right?
Congrats on 100,000! I'm not at all surprised, because you do such a nice job with all of the topics you cover! I'm a lifelong car guy and, while I don't always agree with some of the things you post, I appreciate the thoughtful way in which you present your points of view. Definitely one of my favorite channels!
I just saw a channel of videos of a loudly howling husky… at 890k subscribers. I thought about Adam and all the work he puts in for 100k. So how can Adam reach 1m? Get a talkative husky “cohost.” 😉
Automotive history is fascinating.
Did you ever see the miniseries on TBS years ago called Driving Passion about the automobile in America? Chuck Jordan said of the 1959 Cadillac, “I’ve got to tell you, at the time, it was the thing to do!”
I've always been a big fan of the amazing design of the 1959 Cadillacs. The fins are so attractive. The ground clearance is nice and low. Beautiful boulevard cruiser styling with the convertible.
Congrats on the 100K Adam so happy to see that very well deserved with all the hard work and dedication you have put into these videos!! The 1959 Cadillac is by far my favorite year!!
My Uncle Roland had a 1959 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 4 door hardtop with the " Vista " roofline which he used as a daily driver way up into the 1970's. It was so long it barely fit in his 24'-0" deep garage. His wife had also as a daily driver a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air 2 door sedan. Who would have thought that these cars would go on to be some of the most collectable cars of the 1950's.
Congratulations on 100K subs. When I was growing up in the early 1960 a family friend had a red 1959 Deville Convertible. I loved that car.
It would be interesting to see what the 1959 Cadillac’s were originally intended to look like before the changes. Great videos! Congratulations on 100K subscribers.
I've always wondered that too ....good question.
It originally was to be a restyled version of the 58. Same with the Buick, a restyled 58, but when GM saw Chrysler's (and Ford's) proposals for 1959, they felt that they needed to create something all new for 59, something that would match their competitors for visual lightness as well as newness. The 57 GM cars all looked "old", except for the Cad.
They looked like even heavier chromier versions of the 1958s.. There are photos online if you look around.
Today few people think about, and outside of car enthusiasts really even know about, the late 50s Chryslers or the "suddenly it's 1960"........ but EVERYONE knows the 1959 Cadillac lineup. Instantly recognizable to anyone who doesn't even care about cars. They all know it's a Cadillac.
That to me is proof Harley Earl's design team did him one last huge home run before he retired. Pretty much EVERY 50s Cadillac starting in 1954 was really elegant, beautiful, classy, and timeless. You just feel like you need to be wearing a tuxedo and sipping 15 year scotch from one of the included glass tumblers in the glove box while smoking a Chesterfield or a Pall Mal while just standing next to one of them.
Our 59 was a base model but looked and felt substantial. I maintained ours in pristine condition. Sparked under parking lot lights. Really, any decent car nicely maintained makes one feel good.
I have always liked the 1959 GM cars, ever since I was a small child and my great uncle gave me a large tin friction toy 1959 Cadillac. This was about 1964 and he probably got it half price at the drug store where he worked, but I was a car nut and loved it. Other uncles drove 1959 Buicks and Oldsmobiles and I liked those too. I never knew they all shared a front door, but I did realize the vent windows and windshields were very similar.
Shared greenhouses also applied to the 58’s and 60’s large GM cars.
The 1959 GM cars were hideous.
@@glennso47
They are now prized for their ingenuity and are recognized as styling mileposts.
@@glennso47 Opinions vary
I would be very interested to see more of the "what might have been" designs such as the original design for the '59 Cadillac. I've seen a few here and there about planned designs that were scrapped and changed mid-stream in the past but more interesting would be those designs planned but scrapped when well into the process such as the '61 Chrysler products that were mistakenly downsized based upon the rumor that GM was down-sizing for that year and others as well. Great video, as always.
GM and FoMoCo did downsize for ‘61 but not as significantly as Chrysler did.
I nearly bought a perfectly-restored 1959 Eldorado Biarritz (white, with a red interior) for $3,000 in 1982. Why didn't I follow through with the purchase? Because of the test-drive.
I was cautiously driving the car with the owner next to me, ,and suddenly, some idiot came roaring around a corner and straight at us. I YANKED the steering to get us out of the way, and the car wallowed like a kayak in rough water. I was terrified, and declined to follow through. Yeah, in hindsight, dumb move.
Instead, I bought a '61 Imperial Crown convertible (wonderful, precise torsion-bar handling), which I assert was styled directly in reaction to the '59 Cadillacs. I loved to drive it to the Cadillac-LaSalle club events... It always pissed people off!
My reaction? "There are two kinds of cars: Imperials, and INFERIALS!"
Incidentally, at one of these events, I measured the fins on a '59 Cadillac and my own '61 Imperial: They are the same height, when measured from the bottom of the fender. That's why I liked it so much when Adam SPECIFICALLY says "The biggest tailfins of any Cadillac".
Actually, the 59 Cadillac was in response to the 57 - 58 Imperial!
Congrats on your first 100 000 subscribers! Wonderful web site and excellent videos.
What a great presentation of America’s most recognized mid-century luxury automobile: The Standard of the World - Cadillac!
Congratulations on 100,000 subscribers.
Now on to the '59 Cadillac. When I was a kid we lived one block away from a very large hospital in Cincinnati. When walking to school we had to pass by the doctors parking lot. It was full of late model Cadillac's and Lincoln's. When I first saw a '59 Cadillac I thought it was ..shall I say not so attractive to my young eyes. Honestly now I have to wonder what GM design crew of Bill Mitchell, Mr. Chuck Jordan, and Mr. Dave Holls of GM's design crew were thinking. BUT nowadays these cars are few and far between and oh so iconic!! Thanks for posting Adam. Love the bits of history and inside information you always reveal! Thanks again!
There's likely no Cadillacs or Lincolns in the doctors parking lot today.😢
Sad but true! Likely Lexus, BMW, Mercedes Audi etc
The 59 GM cars were their response to Chrysler's 57-58 cars. GM's 57s all, except the Cadillac, looked "old". The 57 Buick looked like a warmed-over 55 with 54 grille teeth, the 57 Olds looked like a 56 with new taillights and 54 side trim. The now iconic 57 Chevy looked like a tarted-up version of the 56. The 57 Pontiac wasn't too bad, but hardly earth-shaking. I like the 58s, but they were a completely different philosophy than the 58 ChryCo cars. GM was afraid of being left behind.
Sadly, all you see is foreign. Everywhere.
@@jeffmiller3150 No there's not. There is a giant parking garage/ramp where that parking lot was....I've not been back to Cincinnati since 1989...
I was wondering why Caddy (and some other models) had 2 roof styles the 4-window (flat top) and the 6-window (sloping top). The flat top seemed more in tune with the rocketcar styling.
It was a less expensive way of creating a different look without creating an entirely different model.
I grew up with a 1959 Buick Invicta flat top. It was a beautiful car, bright red with a white top. I preferred the more restrained Buick styling to the Cadillac styling, but these days I have a greater appreciation of the Caddy. The one thing about that Buick, the windows rattled like crazy!
That was a problem with those 4 door hardtop sedans, the ones with the convertible style doors and no center post. Regular post sedans were much tighter.
I had a chance to buy a 1959 Cadillac, red, with white interior, for $50.
Being 16 or 17, I just couldn't _imagine_ what I'd want with some big boat like that.
Now, 50 years later, I wish I had bought it.
I noticed a couple of interesting ironies. At 7:55 the brochure not only mentions "economical motoring" (ha-ha) but also electric door locks, even though they were about to go backwards to vacuum power for most of the 60s... At 3:42 they had what I think is the perfect side styling. If you're gonna' have big jet exhaust nozzles in the rear bumper, then you gotta' have proper air intakes for them! 🚀
My Dad bought one, a black two door series 62. $4500. Huge car, but easy to drive. I passed my driving test in it. Fins helped when backing up, and gauging where rear bumper was. Yes, interior had very good quality materials. Lots of chrome die cast and stainless. Never lost its new car aroma. White vinyl door panels looked like new because I foam cleaned it weekly. Was garaged and waxed by hand with Rain Dance, which seemed best suited to its lustrous black paint.
X-frame was rigid. No squeaks. Engine emitted pleasant turbine sound from air intake when floored. Downside: developed some rocker body rust near wheel wells at about 10. Springs sagged. Needed helper shocks to restore tide height. Driver’s door started sagging at around 9.
I'll never be able to afford one, but a 1959 Eldorado has been at the top of my bucket list for a long, long time.
Hey! That white Plymouth is in my state. For years my parents bought & drove Chrysler products while our neighbors all drove GM. Still remember the bright red 1960 Dodge with the push button automatic transmission.
They were really parts sharing way back then it seems at GM. They became good at hiding the shared parts up to a point. It became apparent in the 70's and 80's models. You really nicely discussed the shared parts and how they were utilized. It is interesting when you are in a time crunch you become quite creative as well. Thank you so much Adam.
Congratulations Alan, it's the BIG 100K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So interesting how a door can shape so much
My dad bought a 59 Olds Delta 98 instead, my preference is the 1960 coupe devile................. Back in those days, we all waited in anticipation of the new models for the next year always introduced in August/Sept.
There was no “Delta” Oldsmobiles in 1959. Just the lower and mid-level Dynamic and Super 88
Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@bahamutsix5765
There is no such thing as a "Delta 98" by Oldsmobile.. Oldsmobile Ninety Eight was always written out.. Oldsmobile did make a Delta 88 however, but those came later.
Thankx You for the info about the Buick Doors Adam... I never have like the the '59 models from GM or Ford.... Just the Mopars. In that ERA..
Best video you've done so far
😊 Ted Frith,
I think the 1968 Pontiac Full Size Cars front and rear ends were very neeto looking. The front bumpers were
inspired by the 1968 Pontiac Firebird and the rear ends look like the taillight
that drops down to the bumpers
. Another car from the 60s is the 1965
Ford Galaxy 500 LTD . The taillights were a square shaped design with the
backups light incorporated with them.
The front grill was all new for 1965 with
the veribel headlights (first time Ford used the design for their full size cars).
I think my 1992 Ford Escort GT ' Cayman Green Limited Edition 2 Door Hatchback quality it for your 1960s car
designs themes. It has a wrap around rear taillights, including the back up lights, and very nice front lights w
Those '59s certainly are wild, but I have to say that the 1960 cars "epitomize" Cadillac in my mind's eye...
Iconic
I never realized all the C-bodies shared the front doors. I do like the Buick design, too, but the Chevy is what I saw everywhere when I was growing up. The trunks in those cars are enormous, too. Regarding jet plane influences at GM, I've never seen anybody mention this but the 1958 Chevy's front turn signals look just like the paired engine nacelles of a B-52.
Come with me on a ride in a 1959 like this. My favorite car. May the Lord grant me ride in one some day.
I love these old Cadillacs with the giant tail fins. But looking at the clay model at the 4 minute mark. I think it would be a good looking car without the fins.
Those fins are totally over the top
great job
For some musical accompaniment, check out "59 Cadillac", a tune by the Crazy Rockers, a Dutch rockabilly band 😊
I would love to see what the original 1959 design was.
Interesting story. These cars were also as elaborate as women’s dresses of the era. Kinda went hand in hand..
The 49" tall fins!
While the '59 is iconic the '60 model is more toned down and in my opinion more elegant.
Ditto that
All i have to say " masterpiece"😃😃👍👍👍👍
For the algorithm
The thumbnail is a sweet Seville but why does it have the Eldorado chrome trim AND the Series 62/Deville chrome strip too?
Based on the Buick? I don't think so. The 59 Cad uses that X member frame that lacks side rails. The Buick does not, but has a CONVENTIONAL frame WITH side rails. If you mean B body, ALL of the 59 and 60 GM cars, with the exception of Limousines and Formal Sedans, used the B body, not just the Buick. The 59 Cadillac was GM's attempt to out-do the 57 - 58 Chrysler Imperials.
my mother worked for a dr who had a white dodge woth the gold fins. gold leather upholstery, ragtop. he got a new car each year and traded it for a 58 t bird
These were pretty cheap on the used car market by the mid sixties. Many considered the fins to garish and an embarrassment.
The designs of the outrageous US cars of the late 1950s didn't wear well in later years, especially the really 'out there' designs from General Motors (especially Cadillac) and Chrysler (especially Imperial).. They were dirt cheap by the late 1960s and early 1970s..
The X frame was from '57 GM frames.
The '57 X frame was used until '64 model year.
Pontiac never had a perimeter frame.
Also the width of the '57 X frame was never widen. The '57 frame was designed for a narrow '57 body.
Except Pontiac, which came out with the "wide track" in '59.
After '64 GM never had an X Frame
The 1960 is so much better designed than 59.
The fins weren't the tallest. 59 Imperial had that title. What made the Caddy's fins appear taller is the sloping side panel design that dives downward toward the fins giving the fins a taller look. Almost an optical illusion
How come you guys refuse to amend the title when you are called out for being mistaken?
Only Pontiac had a truly unique front door skin in 59. That was due to an extra strike creating a horizontal tube element. Cadillac and Chevrolet used the purest forms of this door skin, with Buick adding an ever-widening chrome belt line moulding leading to the canted fins and Oldsmobile adding a plastic upper door moulding to connect the fender and quarter panel rocket motif.
While I miss cars having style ... these were too much. Late 70s sheer look is best.
the 1959 eldorado brougham had smaller fins, and a different hood, the whole body was hand made in italy
WHILE THE STORY OF THE 1959 GM CARS WAS INTERESTING AND THE TIME FRAME TO PRODUCE THEM AS WELL BUT NOT ONE WORD THAT THE 1958 WERE A ONE YEAR WONDER. THE WONDER BEING ""WHAT THE HELL DID THEY HAVE IN MIND . THEY WERE A ONE YEAR WONDER.AND A CELEBRATION IN CHROME.
Actually, only the 1958 A-bodies were one year only. All Pontiacs and all Chevys (except for the Corvette). The A-body designation would re-appear in 1961 on the compacts: Tempest, F-85 and Skylark. The Chevelle would join this group in the 1964 A-body re-design.
The 1958 Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile weren't that different from the 1957s. So not a 'one year only' model.
Interesting historical data on design constraints. However, always thought the 59-60 GM cars were ugly.
Adam, 29 comments in and nobody has said 'Fintastic'? 😉😂🤣
Dig the bumpers on the Fury - very picasso toro look.
Aero? who cared. Those barges must have been pretty whack in cross winds.
Latter day apologists for the '59, basically, a "cover version" of the '57 Imperial, don't realize what a pariah the '59 became when the '61 Continental came out.
In the late '60's it became a symbol of embarrassing bad taste.
I have always loved it, even in the late 60s.
Not everyone loved the boring 1961 Lincolns.. Cadillac maintained some element of a tail fin for decades, and always outsold Lincoln.
@@MarinCipollina You perhaps mistake clean tasteful design to faddish fashion.
Some find Richard Neutra and Craig Ellwood architecture boring, also.
Traum Auto,
i like tail fin cadillacs😅
Uh oh! Starting off with Christine! Or at least - one of the white ones that were around when "she" crushed that poor auto workers hand in the beginning!
It seems Chrysler had inspired many designers around the world, including the USSR. And yet the company never managed to become a maker of very good cars.
Am I alone in my opinion that the '59 Cadillac is the most unattractive styling of any Cadillac ever built. It's bulbus, squat heavy, and it looks like they just doubled everything and stuck it on the front end and rear end. After this design, the Cadillacs became sleeker, streamlined, and elegant. Okay, go ahead, chew me up, and spit me out. 😂
I would say you are alone on this. To each their own. I dislike all Chevrolets except the Corvette.
Absolutely. It was the "get Earl to retire" moment for GM
The aspects you dislike somehow managed to complement each other harmoniously leading to today’s instant recognition. That can’t be said for models years you prefer. Who recalls a ‘63?
@@FrankGutowski-ls8jt Recognizable?! You are correct, but so is a Pontiac Aztec. 😆
@@Trapper4265
Did I say recognizable?
Aztec was a superbly functional, distinctive vehicle. Look at some SUV and crossover front facias and you’ll see similarities.
GM should have just skipped over the 1958 redesign. Not pretty. I don't think GM's post-57 full-sized cars looked really good until about '61.
While the 57 Cadillac looks good, the rest of GM's 57 lineup looked "old" and lost sales ground over the 56s. The 58 recession hammered car sales. Just think what would have happened to GM if they made their 57s another year.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Agree with the "oldness" of GM's 57's, especially when compared to Chrysler's 57's, but the 58's were pretty hideous. And in retrospect, the 57 Chevies are a lot more popular than their Chrysler counterparts. Were they better looking (the Chevys)? Not IMO. Thinking out loud, the '58 full-sized Chevys were not bad from some angles - especially in coup form.
Now THAT’s a Cadillac!
Very interesting! I have always have been a big fan of the GM full-size cars from all of their makes. I'm also a huge fan of Chrysler's 1957-59 full-size lineup across all makes.
I for one LOVED the '59 BUICK design even more than the Cadillac. From the canted headlights to the sweeping tail fins. Cadillac was more of a shock value for 1959. The most opulent they could make it. I loved the '59 Bonneville as well. The twin fins on each side and the split grill was a totally unique design. Their WIDE TRACK gave them the "Motor Trend" Car of the Year award. It was probably GM'S finest year.
That Buick design is hard to beat!
I like the 59 Buick, always have, but it doesn't have "Venti Ports". That soured many Buick buyers. They felt that the car didn't look Buick enough. Ditto for the 58. It also lacked them. The 1960, which was a retouched 59, DID have them, as well as the teeth, but lacked real instruments, other than a gas gauge.
@@michaelbenardo5695 hiya Mike -
Back in the early Nineties, one of my friends from Sweden ended up buying a '59 Electra coupe here in the States and shipping it back over there.
It was a solid and clean original, but had no interior or drivetrain.
Him and his car club chopped the roof ONLY about 1.5" and they accentuated the sharp creases on the body... Painted the car in that beautiful silvery-green metallic and made a custom interior that featured four original '59 General Motors bucket seats and a custom built, full length console... All wrapped in silvery green leather and matching vinyl.
I swear that car was as gorgeous as any Motorama car that GM ever put on the circuit!
It looked EXACTLY like a factory prepared Show Car!
Oh... They even cast a factory style steering wheel out of clear acrylic for it. It was incredible.
I don't know what's happened to the car since then... But I'm sure it still exists.
I totally agree! My personal ranking of the 1959 'tails' is:
1. Chevy
2. Pontiac
3. Buick
4. Olds
5. Cadillac
Each divison had a unique tailfin. I had a 59 Pontiac, loved those 'cathead' fins.
great info! i knew that GM took the cue from Chrysler in sharing cowls, glass, basic structure across the models, but did not know about the doors. Now that is all I will think about when looking at one of these cars! lol While the '59 is definitely dramatic and iconic, I much prefer the '60 with its much cleaner detailing and those murderously knife-sharp tail fins.
also, personally, given the choice between the Buick and the Cad, I'd take the Buick...they seemed to be more of an innovator and kind of do their own thing at GM with a bunch of different elements...i think they still had a perimeter frame at this point. i guess maybe that's why Buick got to dictate the '59 style language for the rest of the lineup
Buick did still have a perimeter frame, but they didn't dictate the 59 styling theme, Bill Mitchel did. GM management dictated more sharing of exterior sheet metal. The cars were all B body, but each division still had it's own engines, Buick and Chevrolet both still had their own automatic transmissions, DynaFlow and Powerglide, respectively, their own frames, and their own front suspensions.
I prefer the 1961 Cadillac over the 1959 and 1960.. The 1961 looked much more futuristic.
@@michaelbenardo5695 The senior Buick Electra 225 and Oldsmobile Ninety Eight along with all Cadillacs were C bodies. B Bodies were junior Buick LeSabre, Invicta, junior Oldsmobile 88 and all full sized Pontiacs and Chevrolets
Congratulations on 100K subscribers!
A great summary of the design of the '59, Adam. And congratulations on reacing 100K subscribers!
Awesome car. Fascinating story. Thanks, Adam! For lovers of automotive history, these videos are gold.
Be interesting to see what GM had planned for 59 before they saw the Chryslers. Are those photos preserved?
Yes, and they ain't pretty!
Probably one of the best EVER 💯
What made these models look sooo much lower than the 58’s? The dimensions really arent that much different if I recall. I’ve yet to see side by side photos of the two years which could give some clues.
We had the 59. Front seats were much too low. Driving was in semi prone position. Rear seat was very low as well. As little kids we couldn’t see out, and were sun baked by the huge rear window.
The 58 was taller and narrower.
Much of it was due to the 59's visual lightness. The cars were deliberately styled to look lean and lithe, the 58s were styled to look massive. The 59s are actually the biggest.
One function of the fins was to hide the fact that the surface of the deck lid is actually a few inches higher than the corresponding body side surface. The blade of the fin allows this to happen unobtrusively.
I believe the doors were actually shared with the B-bodies as well, not just the C-bodies, and looking at pictures of a 59 Chevy suggests so.
So parts bin engineering was a thing even back then, though they put more effort into hiding it. Oh, and Adam- 100k! Well done, you deserve it!
Favorite Cadillac ❤
“Christine” influenced the Chevy designs …..very cool
My grandfather had a '59 Buick ... I would have never _dreamed_ the doors were common with the Caddy.
Very cool indeed 👍
Um dos carros mais bonitos da ė poca
e atė hj
Fun Fact: If you look at the early Disneyland Monorails (50's and 60's) they have two upside down 59 Cadillac style fins "with red taillights" at the rear of each Monorail.
I never noticed! Wish I could see those now!
google image Mark 1 or Mark 2 Disneyland Monorails tailfins.@@michaelbenardo5695
Probably built by gm
Should have been designed with a ROUNDED REAR front door metal stamping seals at the bottom front and rear of entrance doors. Cutting clothes and even skin must've been common. I know it was on my step granddad's '58. Across all lines and models this should've been a safety issue as well. Given the curved-edge accent themes at certain body points, this would have been a no-brainer, and from my personal perspective would have added just a hint of modernity and authenticity, consistent with flight entry doors and some hatches of the era, and even today.
Have you ever seen any of these cars? Lower front door rear corners were in fact rounded, as well as the leading lower front edge of the rear door, (but not the rear edge of the rear doors).
Hey Adam, thanks once again for a very informative review of the 1959 Cadillac. This time, I learned a few tidbits regarding the Cadillacs design I never knew, so thank you for that. I have known the Chrysler "Forward Look " really turned the Detroit designers on their ears. But I never knew about the GM C bodies all having the 59 Buick front doors as their starting point. The GM designers deserve a lot of credit for hiding that restraint on all the C bodies. No one could deny that the towering fins on the 59 Cadillac define the entire 50s automotive styling. However, in my opinion, it's actually the grill, headlights, and front bumper that truly are the best parts of the 59 Cadillac's overall design. It's absolutely massive, but it's also an extremely detailed design that's very strong and elegant at the same time. It's the very "Cadillac Look " that was carried through the 60s. The fins were too flamboyant to take seriously. And to think it all started with Chrysler's Forward Look. I always say the Big Three really needed Chrysler to balance out the US auto industry. Chrysler introduced so many important automotive engineering designs that today are industry standards used in the global automotive industry. We owe so much to Chrysler and always will. Thanks again Adam I appreciate your enclopeadic knowledge of our US auto industry's history.
They were all B bodies that year and 1960, except for the limousines and formal sedans.
I concur with others and congratulate you on your subscription milestone! As to the '59 Cadillac - it was and is a magnificent car, but I always make the effort to remind people that the flamboyant Cadillacs, Buicks, Chryslers and Lincolns of 1959 were considered unsightly and incredibly out of vogue (in terms of styling) within just a few years. There was a backlash against the swoopy styling excesses of the late '50's and of 1959 in particular. That's easy to forget when you go to a car show nowadays and see a '59 Caddy with a $25,000 paint job, newly replated chrome pieces and not a spot of dust on it. Imagine seeing dozens of these monsters with dirt and rust on them every day on your way to work back in 1965. People were really tired of them.
The Fleetwood/Biarritz versions had multiple rows of rear grille bullets that blow the mind! The amount of hand-built detail in these was insane.
I counted 6 uses of the word "unique". 😂
And everyone is used correctly... ;-)
There is a Perry Mason episode from Season 2 that had a scene featuring a ‘59 Cadillac. While it was probably not noticeable on the black & white low resolution TVs in the late ‘50s, the windshield had been removed for filming the scene and it is quite obviously missing in the remastered videos. It’s quite ugly w/o that glass! 😉
I knew someone back in the seventies that had a 2 door 59 Cadillac that cut the talifins off & then mounted one right in the middle of the deck lid. He did a good job but the car looked very bizarre!!! 🙄
To me, The 59 Eldo Brougham had the best tailfins of any Cadillac before or since.
1959 was the best year for GM cars imo. Cadillac, Buick, olds were all so beautiful !
Great as always!
The '59 Coupe de Ville (/ Series 62) was my favorite car for a very long time. But today it is a little bit too much for my eyes. I prefer the more elegant and sleak fin and taillight -arrangement of the '59 Chevrolet line up.
I prefer the 1961 Cadillacs. I think they looked much more jet-age and more futuristic.
As always, another stellar, information packed video.
You hit 100k! Congrats Adam. I hope you have a nice spot picked out on your wall for the plaque.