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The 1959 Cadillac was the brainchild of Designer Harley Earl, who drew on the inspiration of American space travel and rockets for his design. The 59 Cadillac was the pinnacle of the American auto design excess. With tail fins that rose a full 42 inches off the ground, rocket flare tail lights, quad headlights and massive chrome bumpers, a body length of over 20 ft, this was the ultimate Cadillac for grabbing attention. The ’59’s outrageous fins are accentuated by its very low profile, which is 3 inches lower that the ‘58 model’s already low profile.

Harley Earl was directly responsible for the design of 50 million vehicles and completely changed the face of the American automobile in the 1950’s. No single man has had such an impact on the shape of American auto design and no one man has been guilty of so many design excesses. Included in his space-themed design were other images such as chrome denture like grilles, dashboards that looked like they belonged to jet fighters with dozens of switches and controls, bumpers protrusions known as “Dagmars”, hood ornaments which looked like missile launchers.

The 1959 Cadillac is an American icon. You will see this year model displayed in many 50’s styled diners and restaurants. Hard Rock cafe always has either a 1959 or 1960 Cadillac displayed in their restaurants. The 59 also starred in many films, like in the Clint Eastwood movie “Pink Cadillac”. The 59 Cadillac was a monument to American optimism in the 1950’s; it was in fact the “American Dream”. Who wouldn’t love to drive one of these today? Today you will be hard pressed to find a restored 59 convertible for less that $70,000 with many of them selling for well over 100K.

Some of the features of the 59 Series 62 Cadillac included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, central locking, tinted glass, and some options include headlight dimmers (autronic eye), electrically operated windows, seat adjust, and trunk. Some of the other models available included the 8 seater Fleetwood Limo, and the Eldorado Biarritz which is the most valuable ‘59 Cadillac model.

Specs for 1959 Cadillac Series 62

Engine: 390 c.i. V8, cast iron head and block

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Induction: Carter 4-barrel carburetor

Maximum Power: 325 bhp at 4800 rpm

Maximum torque: 435 lb-ft at 3400 rpm

Top Speed: 121 mph

0-60 mph: 11 sec

Transmission: GM TurboHydramatic Automatic

Body/Chassis: Steel body on steel X-frame chassis

Steering: Recirculating ball

Wheels and Tires: Steel discs, 15 inch diameter

Brakes: Drums, 12 inch dia. (front and rear)

Front Suspension: Wishbones with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers

Rear Suspension: Live axle with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers

Wheelbase: 130 inches

Height: 55.9 inches

Weight: 4885 lbs

Quarter Mile Performance: who cares?

Production: 11,130

Price: $5000 for Series 62, $7400 for Eldorado

This article is brought to you by Dallas Dream Cars, your source for exotic car rentals in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. It is our mission to provide top of the line classic car rentals for a unique and memorable experience that will last a lifetime. Perfect for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, high school reunions, or any special occasion, our cars will get you there in style. Whether you’re re-living the past, or celebrating the future, Dallas Dream Cars enables you to “Live the Dream”!

If you would like to see pictures of this featured classic automobile, please come visit us at our website http://www.dallasdreamcars.net and look at our Articles page.

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In 1967 the first big-block Mustang was introduced, the S-code 390 which was rated at 320 hp. This Mustang was not able to compete with the hot new SS 396 Camaro , so in 1968 the 428 Cobra Jet engine was introduced, giving the Mustang true muscle car status, but then why stop there? In February 1968 when Bunkie Knudsen arrived in Dearborn he brought with him some strong ideas concerning the Mustang. He believed the popular pony car was a good looking automobile, but that there were a tremendous amount of people out there that wanted a good looking automobile that could perform. He also knew that the Z/28 Camaro, created with SCCA Trans-Am road racing in mind, could handle and stop as well as it could accelerate. Big block pony cars were faster, but left something to be desired going through the curves with all that weight up front.

Bunkie was able to lure several GM Design Engineers over to Ford in 1968. One of them was designer Larry Shinoda, the man who had drawn up the Z/28’s sport image in 1967. Shinoda was tasked with besting a performance legend that he had helped to create. Shinoda contributed the new cars stripes, spoilers and window slats, as well as its name. Two Boss Mustangs were born in 1969, both originally developed concurrently by Ford’s performance contractor, Kar Kraft Engineering, in Brighton, Michigan.

The Boss 429 was also built in response to Chrysler’s 426 Hemi and it’s success in Nascar. Ford built a 427 Hemi-headed single overhead cam motor first, but it wasn’t considered stock enough for the series so along came the “semi-Hemi” head 429. Kar Kraft was given the task of wedging a 429 into the Mustang. Quarter-mile times were reported to be in the lower 14s. Although another of the hot rod magazines, Car Craft, slightly modified the stock 429 and got a 1/4 mile in the mid 12s. The street cars came from the factory with a conservative cam and a somewhat small carburetor.

Starting with the 1969 model year the Ford brought the road racing Mustang program in house by creating the Boss 302 with styling by Larry Shinoda, suspension was design by Kar Kraft. Engineer Matt Donner was the man responsible for the excellent Boss 302 chassis, which quickly impressed the critics with the way it hugged the road. The engine was a Ford 5.0L block with the new 351 Cleveland heads. The car was originally to be called the Trans Am, until Ford found out GM had already licensed the name from the SCCA.

The Boss 302 was rated at 290 HP because insurance companies were beginning to penalize the muscle cars by tacking on higher charges to any car rated over 300 HP. Actual horsepower was closer to 350. (These are Gross HP figures, not Net, as used today). Race versions made 450 HP at over 8,000 RPMs.

Boss 302s also ran in Nascar’s Grand American (GA) series. The car came with a wide-ratio or close-ratio 4-speed top loader. A 3.50:1 rear gear was standard with 3.91 and 4.30 optional. Front discs are rear drum brakes and 15-inch wheels were standard. Road tests at the time put 1/4-mile performance in the upper 14-second range. However, Super Stock magazine tweaked a ‘70 Boss 302 and put slicks on to get a time in the mid-13s.

How did the Boss 302 compare to the Chevy Z28? Well it seems that is was very close indeed. Chevrolet’s Trans-Am Camaro took home the SCCA racing championship in 1969, while Ford’s Boss 302 put the Mustang back on top in 1970. As for street performance, both machines relied on specially built 290 horsepower 302 cubic inch small block V8’s. Performance was so close as to be a toss-up in most street or track encounters.

In late 1970 Ford stopped all factory-sponsored racing. So regrettably the fun had to end … for now.

This article is brought to you by Dallas Dream Cars (http://www.dallasdreamcars.net). Your source for exotic car rentals in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. It is our mission to provide top of the line classic car rentals for a unique and memorable experience that will last a lifetime. Perfect for weddings, birthday’s, anniversaries, high school reunions, or any special occasion, our cars will get you there in style. Whether you’re re-living the past, or celebrating the future, Dallas Dream Cars enables you to “Live the Dream”!

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