Good enough for Elvis 'The King' Presley, good enough for us mere mortals...
In the twenty years after the War Cadillac reached the height of prestige, and while the White House might have chosen this marque over Lincoln, successful businessmen and Hollywood stars favoured Cadillac - the ownership of a convertible model particularly showing that they had really made it.
No single automotive design singularly characterizes the industry's late 1950s flamboyance than the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, which incorporated totally new styling, large tail fins, twin rocket-ship tail lamps, and new jewel-like grille patterns. General Motors' chief stylist Harley Earl had introduced distinctive fins on the 1948 Cadillacs - reaching their zenith in 1959.
Engine stroke was increased to 3 7/8" resulting in the V8 overhead valve engine capacity increase to 390 cubic inches, while standard features included automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, windshield washers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rear view mirror, and 'vanity mirror and oil filter'! Built on the 130" or 10' 6" chassis, the car occupied 18ft 9" of styling extravagance, accommodating six passengers on wide bench seats, the coachwork sparkling with chrome.
