1959 Cadillac Series 62
Depending on your taste -- and maybe age -- the 1959 Cadillac Series 62's soaring tailfins are either the literal height of period excess or a campy icon for Happy Days exuberance. The result of a crash General Motors redesign effort prompted by Chrysler Corporation's '57 "Forward Look," the '59 Cadillac was almost as radical as that year's "bat-wing" Chevrolet, though the towering fins and bomb-shape taillamps were nicely balanced by lower-slung bodies with tapered lines. There were also worthwhile technical improvements, headlined by a larger 390-cubic-inch V-8 (up from 365) with 325 standard horsepower and a rousing 345 in Eldorados.Classic Convertibles Image Gallery
The 1959 Cadillac Series 62's distinctive tailfins defined an automotive era.
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The Eldo convertible remained queen of the line at $7401, but the less glittery $5455 Series 62 version was no less arresting. It was certainly more numerous, with a record 11,130 built versus just 1320 ragtop Eldos. Today, all '59 Cadillacs are firmly enshrined as emblems of their era, thanks to those fins -- and the fact that Cadillacs would never look so wild again.
The 1959 Cadillac Series 62 are prized by collectors for their unique styling.
For more classic convertibles of the 1950s, see:
1950 Oldsmobile 88
1955 Cadillac Series 62
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
1951 Chrysler New Yorker
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
1957 Lincoln Premiere
1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan
1955 Mercury Montclair
1957 Oldsmobile Super 88
1951 Rambler Custom Landau
1956 Ford Thunderbird
1958 Continental Mark III
1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta
1956 Lincoln Premiere
1958 Edsel Citation
1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham
1956 Packard Caribbean
1959 Dodge Custom Royal
1954 Packard Caribbean
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
1959 Ford Thunderbird
1955 Buick Century
1957 Chrysler New Yorker
1959 Pontiac Bonneville
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