The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 to 2002 over twelve generations.

The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham models of 1957–1960 had distinct bodyshells[1] and were the most expensive models that Cadillac offered those years. The Eldorado was never less than second in price after the Cadillac Series 75 limousine until 1966.

Starting in 1967 the Eldorado retained its premium position in the Cadillac price structure, but was built in high volumes on a unique two door personal luxury car platform.

The Eldorado carried the Fleetwood designation from 1965 through 1972, and was a modern revival of the pre-war Cadillac V-12 and Cadillac V16 roadsters and convertibles.

Second generation (1954–1956)

In 1954, Eldorado lost its unique sheet metal and shared its basic body shell with standard Cadillacs. Distinguished now mainly by trim pieces, this allowed GM to lower the price and see a substantial increase in sales. The Eldorados had golden identifying crests centered directly behind the air-slot fenderbreaks and wide fluted beauty panels to decorate the lower rear bodysides. These panels were made of extruded aluminum and also appeared on a unique one of a kind Eldorado coupé built for the Reynolds Aluminum Corporation. Also included in the production Eldorado convertible were monogram plates on the doors, wire wheels, and custom interior trimmings with the Cadillac crest embossed on the seat bolsters. Two thousand one hundred and fifty Eldorados were sold, nearly four times as many as in 1953.

For 1955, the Eldorado's body gained its own rear end styling with high, slender, pointed tailfins. These contrasted with the rather thick, bulbous fins which were common at the time and were an example of the Eldorado once again pointing the way forward. The Eldorado sport convertible featured extras such as wide chrome body belt moldings and twin round taillights halfway up the fenders. Sales nearly doubled to 3,950.

For 1956, a two-door hardtop coupé version appeared, called the Eldorado Seville at which point the convertible was named the "Eldorado Biarritz". An Eldorado script finally appeared with fender crest on the car which was further distinguished by twin hood ornaments. An extra feature on the Eldorado convertible was a ribbed chrome saddle molding extending from the windshield to the rear window pillar along the beltline. With the addition of the Seville, sales rose yet again to 6,050 of which 2,150 were Sevilles. Eldorados accounted for nearly 4% of all Cadillacs sold.

 

The Ford Mustang is a sports car produced by the Ford Motor Company. The car was presented to the public on April 17, 1964 during the New York World's Fair. The Mustang, despite major changes over the years, is Ford's oldest car line. The name "Mustang" is inspired by the US P-51 Mustang fighter jet, named after the country's only wild horse race. It was the first "Muscle Car" in history, being followed years later by competing models clearly inspired by it.

Launched in April 1964 as a 1965 model the Ford Mustang was presented in two versions: Convertible and Coupe 2 doors. Designed and designed to suit every taste, it could come equipped with a modest 2.8L 101HP 6-cylinder engine up to a 271HP 4.8L V8.

After 6 months, the Fastback version was presented, with strong sporting appeal. There were no significant changes for the year 1966, when the car completed a total of 1 million units sold, proving the enormous success achieved.

About 70% of the cars sold were equipped with some version of the V8 engine. For 1967 and 1968 Mustang has already undergone the first style update, growing a few inches and looking to have a more aggressive line and become more comfortable.

The main novelty was the introduction of the big block V8 engines as an option. For 1967 the power could reach 325HP, with a 6.4L V8 and 390HP in 1968 with a 7.0L V8. In 1969 and 1970 new style update, made the most current and aggressive line. Launch of BOSS 302 and 429 models, equipped with high performance engines and Mach 1 (Sport) and Large (Luxurious) lines. The years 1971, 1972, and 1973 saw the most significant change of style within the first generation.

They were strongly influenced by anti-pollution laws, growing concern about fuel consumption, and insurance companies' resistance to accepting high-performance cars. Compared to the 1965 model, the Mustang increased by almost 15 cm and was 250 kg heavier and no longer had engines as powerful as those offered in the 60s. All these factors eventually influenced the end of the first generation and caused the birth of the Mustang. II in 1974, much lighter and more economical, but without the charisma of a true sportsman.

 

Studebakers American roots were firmly rooted in 1852, when the brothers Henry and Clement Studebaker started a forge, the 'Studebaker Corporation' in Indiana. They became the leading producer of covered wagons for the army and did very good business in the civil war. When the US became 100 years old, the Studebaker Company was the largest manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles in the world. Around the turn of the century they entered the car world. Their first car was made in 1902 and was ... electric. Only two years later did Studebaker switch to gasoline.

In the 1920s, the Big Six, Special Six, Light Six and Standard Six type names indicated motorization at Studebaker. In 1927 the mutual differences became clearer with the new names President, Commander and Dictator. For the small scholarships there was the 'Erskine'.

In 1915, Albert Erskine was head of Studebaker and brought the brand to the 'next level' by buying the renowned car manufacturer Pierce-Arrow. In 1933 the company almost collapsed due to the consequences of the Great Depression. The chairman, Albert Erskine resigned and committed suicide. Studebaker returned to the black numbers, but never got going again. The fact that the brand was also going to make very good trucks did not change that. In 1939, Studebaker presented the cheap six-cylinder Champion in parallel with the six-cylinder Commander and the eight-cylinder President.

THE HAWKS
For us it usually only gets exciting at the Hawks, the Golden Hawk and the Silver Hawk and the Gran Turismo. Those cars bore the signature of Raymond Loewy and Robert Bourke. And despite their size, they had an impressive degree of un-American elegance.

Around that time the Packard Motor Car Company had taken over the Studebaker Corporation and the new kongsi was engaged in a fierce battle with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. It was a kind of Calimero effect: "They are big, and I am small ..."

Somewhere in the process, the dictator fell. That happens more often and still with dicators. Just look at the news. The curtain finally fell in 1966.

WITH TWO FACES

Before that and after the war, the new Studebakers were nicknamed "Coming-and-Going cars" because the front and rear were very similar. But for 1951, Studebaker came up with its very own V8 head valve and that block went into the Commander.

In the meantime, demand for smaller cars grew and Studebaker left only the Silver Hawk in the large segment. The rest of the energy went to the smaller birds: the Larks. And my father would have explained in my toy age that a "lark" is a lark. That was not a bad idea in the short term. Because in 1959 the Larks left the store like hot cakes. 1959 was Studebaker's glory year. In 1960, GM, Chrysler and Ford had their own compacts ready and for sale. Aiii. That hurt.

STUDEBAKER DECIDED TO GO ON A SPORTING TOUR
Because a tight course change was needed to survive, the Gran Turimo Hawk was presented in 1962, a car with a V8 and a Paxton Supercharger. And then there was the futuristic Studebaker Avanti. An un-American styled beauty with a polyester carriage.

IT ALL DIDN'T HELP. THE TENT WENT FLAT.
Dedicated Studebaker riders took the lead in the 'sale' and founded 'the Studebaker Drivers Club', the 'Antique Studebaker Club' and the 'Avanti Owners Association'. Those are still thriving clubs.

THE DOWNFALL

This was because Studebaker never knew the mass and momentum of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. And from that angle, Studebaker has actually done very well in his 114-year existence.

THE REASON FOR THIS ONLINE TEXT
Studebaker is such a brand that is in your mind. It was a nice brand. And the Hawks and Avantis were beautiful cars. Yet you don't see much of it. Auto Motor Klassiek was lucky to find a very nice specimen. We are working on the story about that car. And we also tell him where he is. But in the meantime we are saving ourselves.

 

1968 Shelby GT500-KR Convertible, Shelby 3854 - FACTORY AC, 428 cu. in. Cobra-Jet V-8 engine, C6 auto, 3:00 9" Diff. Built June 26th, 1968 this Shelby is a substantial, rare and very documented car in many publications going back to the 80s as it sits today. Original miles, original body and most interior, Date code originality authentication on major components. This car received a comprehensive refinish done in 79 by its 2nd owner, Chuck Brown in CA documented not only in photos, but many publications of that era. This was never a left for dead or done for profit car. It was not a torn up neglected car or just a VIN used to cash in. This is not a "just restored car" muscle car dealer car. It was, always was and still is a very nice example that has been loved and maintained as needed all of its life. From 1996 to 2007 it sat in a private collection here in Dallas, a friend/acquaintance and neighbor of Carrol. It became part of my collection it 2007. I showed it for many years locally and it has been featured on my web site since then. In 2016, I took off a lot of time to take the car up a level beyond its historic authentication and documentation trail it has carried all its life. From attending early SAAC events, to being cover of magazines in the 80s, even with that going for it, today's expectations are much much higher and quite over expected vs yesterdays true forgotten and often pedestal quality.

With that said, the 40 year old paint was refinished again but now at a standard demanded by its ever increasing value. All body panels (fenders, doors, hood, trunk, bumpers, etc) were removed and refinished using several of the best craftsmen I have got to know in my near 4 decades in classic cars. The fenders/doors are still original to the car and were worked to perfection in the PDR method before any primer, paint etc. Filler was not an option here. All of the AO Smith Fiberglass parts were blocked to a standard that is now expected to see in a car of this value, or on the lawn at pebble beach. All of this work was micro managed by me, and ALL of the mechanical and detail work, assembly was done by me. All poor factory gaps and body lines were taken into consideration and improved to a standard that was never there originally. The code "T" Candy Apple red was again applied back to the car, but at a now concourse level with weeks and weeks of color sanding and refining put into it. No stone was left unturned, but again, original integrity was kept in mind as I did not want to take the car apart to that "frame off" level. or in these cars, the body alone.... I could have done it of course, but it did not need that!!!! It would be a lesser car if so but again, this car has always been nice! So again this is not a "rotisserie restoration" as you see down to the tub, but a very high quality refinish that reflects the work of pebble beach wining craftsmen in its paint, and a level of mechanical and cosmetic detail that reflects my work but left with a ton of originality in the hard to find places that are never really revealed or seen or even understood without a lot of time studying these cars under your belt.



Along with the now concourse level body refinish (which is way beyond original quality), the already very nice engine compartment was comprehensively detailed to exacting details using the guidance of people like Pete Disher (Coralsnake) and Jeff Sneath at SEMO. Small things that were not on the car since the late 60s like the air injection system, etc were put back on. Little details like all of the smaller components like AC compressor, alternator, PS pump, fan, clutch were refreshed and authenticated with date coded correct parts in their correct finish driven by date coded reproduction belts, etc. The car is not a 100 point car, I don't know if one really exists, (Pete's is prob the closest thing) but this is certainly a top mark contender and with the small intricacies I still piddle with, its just getting more refined. It expect it to stand up proud in competitive judging, and as an overall package, all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed as well as one could be. Its hard to pick apart these days. Someone else's is always better... A friend of a friends uncle's car that is one day going to get restored, but he has yet to find the car.... you know the game..... but this is what it is, apologies are minimal, its real, its here.

I guess to sum this car up, I have tried to balance yesterdays forgotten true bad quality of original that was still reflected in a very well documented car with today's pedestal over expectations, all the while trying to keep originality and authentication in mind.... an almost impossible task..

In 2019 I found another set of original 68 wheels and restored them to the original look. The outlined red wheels are as you see in the 80s publications and in SAAC photos from 78. The car has 2 sets of original wheels, one with the Red insets, of which has been on the car since the 70s and kind of its identifying trait it has carried over the years, and now the purism original. Change of pace looks.. it is on the originals for the next judging's in 2020 (or 2021 due to corona).. In 2019 the car won best Shelby and ford southern Nationals, out of some 20 plus major contenders in that group, it has been invited to many other national events... I just stay close to home base.

If you see this car on any website "for sale", I am open to talking on a couple options. The price on this car will obviously be high retail, that number is floating, if you know these cars, you know that number at any given time.... Dont expect an "i got a deal" situation here, but you can insure you are buying the best 1% of these cars out there. ALSO I am open to trade talk too........ And when I say trade, it would have to be a screaming number 1 condition car like this, and valued like this. As you see I am GM-Classics.com That is what my strongpoint has been for now 38 years. So a GM car like a 67 Corvette 435 with similar credentials and history, a 67 400/AIR Corvette, a highly notable GTO Vert with 455/Air, a 59/60 Eldo Biarritz that is over the top perfect... and similar..... I am not a dealer, these are my personal cars, many I have owned since the 80s, this one I have had for over 10 years and have known it for over 20. So if you are looking for a change of pace in your collection, possibly a match can be made.... no auction "gotcha" rush, no pressure, just good car stuff!

Lincoln introduced the Continental line in 1939. By 1961, the Continental was onto its fourth and possibly most notable generation.

The Continental was offered in two body styles a four-door sedan, as well as a four-door convertible. Both styles featured unique suicide-hinged rear opening doors.

In 1961 Lincoln produced 3,138 Continental convertibles, by far the rarer of the two body styles. Fourth generation production ran through 1969.

 

The Chevrolet Corvette (C2) is the second generation of the Chevrolet Corvette sports car, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1963 to 1967 model years.

History

Origin and development

The 1959 Corvette Sting Ray concept and 1960 XP-700 show car in the front and the 1963 Corvette convertible and fastback in the back.

The 1963 Sting Ray production car's lineage can be traced to two separate GM projects: the Q-Corvette, and Bill Mitchell's racing Sting Ray. The Q-Corvette exercise of 1957 envisioned a smaller, more advanced Corvette as a coupe-only model, boasting a rear transaxle, independent rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes, with the rear brakes mounted inboard. Exterior styling was purposeful, with peaked fenders, a long nose, and a short, bobbed tail.

Meanwhile, Zora Arkus-Duntov and other GM engineers had become fascinated with mid and rear-engine designs. Duntov explored the mid/rear-engine layout with the lightweight, open-wheel, single-seat CERV I concept of 1959. A rear-engined Corvette was briefly considered during 1958–60, progressing as far as a full-scale mock-up designed around the Corvair's entire rear-mounted power package, including its air-cooled flat-six, as an alternative to the Corvette's usual water-cooled V8. By the fall of 1959, elements of the Q-Corvette and the Sting Ray Special racer would be incorporated into experimental project XP-720, which was the design program that led directly to the production 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. The XP-720 sought to deliver improved passenger accommodation, more luggage space, and superior ride and handling over previous Corvettes.

While Duntov was developing an innovative new chassis for the 1963 Corvette, designers were adapting and refining the basic look of the racing Sting Ray for the production model. A fully functional space buck (a wooden mock-up created to work out interior dimensions) was completed by early 1960, production coupe styling was locked up for the most part by April, and the interior, instrument panel included, was in place by November. Only in the fall of 1960 did the designers turn their creative attention to a new version of the traditional Corvette convertible and, still later, its detachable hardtop. For the first time in the Corvette's history, wind tunnel testing influenced the final shape, as did practical matters like interior space, windshield curvatures, and tooling limitations. Both body styles were extensively evaluated as production-ready 3/8-scale models at the Caltech wind tunnel.

The vehicle's inner structure received as much attention as the aerodynamics of its exterior. Fiberglass outer panels were retained, but the Sting Ray emerged with nearly twice as much steel support in its central structure as the 1958–62 Corvette. The resulting extra weight was balanced by a reduction in fiberglass thickness, so the finished product actually weighed a bit less than the old roadster. Passenger room was as good as before despite the tighter wheelbase, and the reinforcing steel girder made the cockpit both stronger and safer.