Cadillac Quality & Style

[Porter]

Is the reason why we own these cars.

The General had the finest and brightest engineers and some great creative stylists years ago, that was what made them # 1.

They had the funds to hire the best.

I dont begrudge what is good about the other brand of cars years ago, all products rest on their laurels.

Unlike today or recent years, the General used to lead the industry, the other guys were playing catch up or copying the General.

They still have the engineers and the stylists (and the funds to hire the best) , the new drivetrains are and must be the best, the leaders, not the followers, hopefully the stylists will create the individual Cadillac look we all crave.

Forget about the salad bowl styling, the new "art & science" curiously is patterned after the good old days, aircraft, today it is stealth fighter planes.

We really need a "V16" type Cadillac showcar, just like the Brougham, and they should or probably will lose money on every one they build, just like the good old days.

Didnt that formula used to work, keep the engineers and the stylists on their toes, something to keep the brand fresh and introduce some new technology ( air suspension, memory seats, high performance engines, etc.)

Porter, the Cadillac "racist"

[Johnny]

Porter....being 60 years old, I fully understand the sentiments of your post.  Sad to say, the past glory days of Cadillac, are just that "the past".  I have seen the whole car industry go through major changes in the last 50 years.  The industry used to be customer driven, manufacturers bent over backwards to give consumers what they wanted, especially with styling.  The biggest change came about when the goverment stepped in with their safety, enviromental and fuel consumption regulations.  These regulations put the handcuffs on stylists, limiting what they could do.  I do agree with you, that GM fell way behind in being the leader in styling, way behind!!!!!!

I see another fact being the priorities of younger buyers of cars.  Styling isnt as important to them as it was to us that grew up in the 50s and 60s.  The fact of the matter is that Cadillac is slowly regaining some of its past glorys, and what is accomplishing this?  TRUCKS!!!!!  Who would have thought 40-50 years ago, that the key to Cadillacs survival would be TRUCKS....

[Mick Harrison CLC #20844]

As a mid thirties type guy you old farts griping about the good old days make me giggle.  From what I see it looks like Cadillac is on the road to recovery, the CTS, STS, and Escalade Series are selling.  

Just a thought, many of us younger folk drive SUVs  (My current SUV is a Ford Expedition) because you get the best bang for the buck, plus all the room and power that we remember as kids while riding around in the back seat with you guys in your big Buicks and Cadillacs!

Mick

[Johnny]

As a mid thirties type guy you old farts griping about the good old days make me giggle.  From what I see it looks like Cadillac is on the road to recovery, the CTS, STS, and Escalade Series are selling.  

Just a thought, many of us younger folk drive SUVs  (My current SUV is a Ford Expedition) because you get the best bang for the buck, plus all the room and power that we remember as kids while riding around in the back seat with you guys in your big Buicks and Cadillacs!

Mick

Mick....thanks for backing me up, you are right on with your post! Its just a shame that your perspective on cars of the past is from the back seat, had you been in the drivers seat, you would have a different perspective on cars.  

By the way I have had SUVs since 1991, for the very reason you stated.  It was a compromise to get the room I was used to in days gone by.

[Porter]

Cadillac Cien

http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/gallery.jsp?model=cien

[Johnny]

Yes they do build nice show cars, they always have.  The question is why dont they bring them to market?  By the time the concepts of their showcars come to market, they are outdated!

[Porter]

When I  first saw pictures of the 1989 Voyage and the 1990 Solitaire concept cars a few years ago I was shocked, they are beautiful. Cadillac is so conservative they just dont build these futuristic cars, they used to do it every year. Recently they have followed Chrysler with some retro vehicles from yesteryear, fine, we prefer to restore our old "retro" rides, the real deal. Much cheaper to buy too !

Good grief, back in the good old days we had the GM "motorama" ?, showcasing the the new wave futuristic cars with all the bells and whistles, some features actually were introduced eventually. The Corvette show cars were a slam dunk for eventaul production, Bill Mitchell and Zora Arkus Duntov had so much fun they would have worked for free on the Corvettes, when they cancelled the race car program Bill Mitchell did it anyway !

The concept cars are vital to the health of an auto manufacturer, hire the best and brightest and turn them loose, be creative, look at what Henry Leland did for Cadillac, he stood the automotive world upside down, an innovative leader.

Hopefully the General is rebuilding its once good name and Americans will buy GM , not the foreign cars.

http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/cadillacs/images/concept.html

Porter

[Mick Harrison CLC #]

Mick....thanks for backing me up, you are right on with your post! Its just a shame that your perspective on cars of the past is from the back seat, had you been in the drivers seat, you would have a different perspective on cars.

My perspective is actually pretty broad.  But I certainly don’t have near the years of experience you do.

But I am a car guy.  I have had my British car period with my Triumphs, My Corvette, and my muscle car period with my 442.  My current phase is with Mazda Miata (got a couple, love these things).  And I also proudly keep and maintain my Grandfathers 67 Cadillac.  We show the Cadillac at local shows and I race one of the Miatas, the other Miata is my wife’s daily driver.  

I can understand why you enjoy living in the past and wishing for the good old days.  But you really need to go take a look at what’s out and available today!

The key thing to consider is the market dictated what cars are built, the New C6 Corvette is the best Vette Yet, and the new STS is leaps and bounds better than it’s predecessors.  The cars GM is pumping out today my help us forget some of the garbage they were building in the 70’s and 80’s that help fuel the foreign car revolution which put us where we are today.  So actually isn’t the demise of your “cars of the past” caused by your generation of car buyers?

Respectfully,
Mick

[Johnny]

Mick, let me say right up front I am in 100percent agreement with your posts.  I merely trying to give you the perspective from someone that actually lived during the 50s and 60s, when the Cadillacs we only see at car shows were on the road.

Regarding:
"I can understand why you enjoy living in the past and wishing for the good old days. But you really need to go take a look at what’s out and available today!"

Yes I will admit that as we get older, we get somewhat melancholy for the "good old days" when life was simplier.  When it comes to cars, what older guys, such as myself, would like to see is Cadillac once again produce cars with styling, that we can get excited about.  Im not suggesting bring back fins or Dagmar bumpers, but lets see something better then the stuff they are putting out now!  Back in our day, it was a given, that Cadillac was on the cutting edge of style, performance and luxury. This is not the case anymore, they lost a lot of ground starting in the early 80s and its been an uphill battle ever since.  Granted that the technology and performance in todays Cadillac is better then its ever been, but for some of us older guys, its still style that gets us in the showrooms.


Regarding:
"The key thing to consider is the market dictated what cars are built"

Amen to that, I have been preaching that same thing for years.....

Regarding:

"So actually isn’t the demise of your “cars of the past” caused by your generation of car buyers?"

Interesting thought.  Yes I guess it was people my age that caused the changes in the auto industry.  I guess the biggest factor was the oil shortages of the mid 70s.  People couldnt buy the gas saving imports fast enough.  Once people got used to buying the imports, the die was set.  It was a domino effect. Import car manufacturers started to make more money then they could count, thus they had the capital to make cars that were more desirable to Americans.  Of course the quality was always there with the imports.

[Mick Harrison CLC #20844]

Johnny,

Im sure you heard from your elders about the fact their cars were better and more stylish that the ones of your era.

We all have cars for different reasons, the key reason I have saved the 67 was I know it was a great accomplishment for my grandfather to have a Cadillac since at that time in history it was the pinnacle.  I have a great deal of pride living in the past as I drive around in the 67 trying to imagine what he would think if he knew this car was still in the family in 2005.  He is long gone and his lovely bride no longer remembers her grandsons name anymore, but when she sees the car you can see the wheels turning back the years.

I hope you have not taken offense to any of my statements, I hoped to offer a different perspective into this great hobby of ours.  I like many of the new Cadillacs on the market today, and I hope someday soon to take my kid for ice cream in daddys Cadillac.  Maybe her grandkid will save my car for future generations!  ;-)

Happy New Year!
Mick

[Johnny]

[ I hope you have not taken offense to any of my statements, I hoped to offer a different perspective into this great hobby of ours.]

Mick, no offense taken whatsoever, in fact getting different perspectives is what I enjoy the most about the board.

[and I hope someday soon to take my kid for ice cream in daddys Cadillac. ]

Be prepared for your child to like the ice cream more then the ride in the "big old car".  When my son became of driving age, I tried to steer him toward an used Cadillac, something in the late 80s or early 90s.  He had no interest at all, in riding around in an "old mans car".