1961 Cadillac 4-window with Calais Package

As much as I love the 1959-60 wraparound rear window of GM's 4-window hardtop sedans, but the '61 Caddy was a bit more awkward. Besides my beloved wood paneling, I subtly changed the C-pillar. I widened the painted portion, and lowered the greenhouse a bit. The rear window is now a Mercury/Lincoln-like 3-piece affair, with a central section that lowers a few inches. I did this imagining that the 3-piece window became a fin-like fad after Lincoln's '58s, and by '61 Caddy would have fielded one.

A "Must Read" for All of Us!

 

Look what just arrived at Pink Gardens! Longtime and very loyal reader, Katie, had this wonderful book sent me the other day. Her friend, the author David Dickinson inscribed it for me and sent it from his home in Seattle. It's an anthology of short stories about old cars and the "old car nuts" that love them, lol. I can't wait to delve into it!

From the back cover:

Millions of Americans are obsessed with old cars of one variety or another and feel that the newer cars have no soul. There are no memories in a car that just rolled off the showroom floor last week or last year. The fondness for old cars is about the memories of days past and fun adventures with friends.

The Old Car Nut Book provides a place for people to tell those old stories that often don't get shared outside of a garage or with a couple of buddies at the back fender of a special ride during a car show.

Within these pages, you will hear directly from the individuals that make this whole experience of living in the world of Old Cars more than just about the steel, glass, and rubber. You'll laugh and you'll cry. You'll step right into the past with each story told.

Here's the link to its entry at Amazon which has a nifty "Look Inside" feature.

David is planning on future volumes of this book and is looking for more stories. Go to www.OldCarNutBook.com and click on "How to Submit" in the menu for details! Let's hear about those old cars we love!

Thank you so much Katie for thinking of me, and to David for writing the book a lot of us have thought about. And of course, thank you for sending it to me!

Daily Driver: 1961 Cadillac Brougham by Pininfarina

Sometimes my pixel pushing just doesn't quite come in line with my visions. I like this mythical Pininfarina-bodied '61 Caddy Brougham, following on from their '59s and '60s. Besides deleting the fins, something all manufacturers were beginning to do by '61, I widened the greenhouse, the glass and roof structure. I did that to lessen the shoulder width, to give it more of an Exner-like early fuselage look, like the '60 Valiant and '62 B-bodies. The finless and sloping trunk now look a lot like the beautiful '61 Oldsmobile, but I'm pretty sure Caddy would never have gone with it. On the other hand, it has the look of the '57-'58 Eldorado without the fins.

I think that's where I got this chop wrong. I extended the wheelbase from the donor Series 62, and the straight-edged upper window line looks wrong. It should be more of a graceful arch. I'm pretty sure Caddy would have insisted on the straight upper though. I created a bit of chrome trim near the taillights, pretty much leaving all "jewelry" associated with the rocket exhaust taillights , bumper, and lower skegs.The center-opening door handles line up with a '60 Eldorado-like chrome-edged and paint-filled full length molding. A gold Cadillac crest adorns the roof's sail panel.

Daily driver, so I didn't clean the whitewalls, lol.

• Bobf, this was done a few days before I read your last commetn out doing an Eldorado with a modified rear end. Great minds and all that, lol. I'm going to do a coupe or convertible though, a true Eldo next, per your suggestion.

Lamborghini LMPV-003 for 2015

artandcolour's 2006 Delivery Van Replaced

Reprising the original Muira's "eyelashes" over the headlights, my 2015 Lamborghini minivan, the LMPV-003, takes over for my original Lambo minivan I created way back in 2006. This new rendering is basically drawn in with flat shapes and then airbrushed into a rendering. I like the rawness of it. The roof would be carbonfiber opening accordion style. Closed it would riff on the the classic Lambo engine venting. Drivetrain would be premium VW/Audi with a triple-turbo V6 up front and 9 speed automatic transaxle in the rear.

 Original LMPV-002 I Photoshopped in 2006.

• My vintage scale model Muira, here,

1963 Cadillac Series Sixty One Coupe

Another stab at creating an entry level Cadillac for the 1960s, this time a 1963 coupe. Cadillac was soaring high in the '60s and in no way needed a reprise of its 1940s and '50s Series 61 line, but I like to think of what they may have looked like. "61s" were the least expensive and a bit more "youthful" perhaps, with a slightly sprier look than its more expensive siblings, replacing the LaSalle after 1940.

Above, the coupe. For this year I've spelled out "Series Sixty One" on the bodysides and trunklid, and given this example optional two-toning. The rear fascia has been simplified, deleting the expensive to produce chromed upper bumper "grille" trim and adding a simple sheet metal extension to the trunk lid. The look works perfectly with the already simple and elegant side trim.

• The '68 version from a few years ago.

Good Bye E Class. Say Hello to the 280SE

(updated image)

2016 280 Series—Ushering in an entirely new design language as well as a new naming scheme and brand new engines, drivetrains, and platforms, this new "280 Class" is as new as new can be. Above, the SE sedan, available with gas, diesel, extended range hybrids, and plug-in electric modes. The 280 Class replaces the current E Class. The S Class will be renamed the 450 Class, with the C Class the new 190 Series. Bringing the "Bookends" into the fold, the compact A Class is now the 90 Class with the Maybach luxury liner becoming the 600 Class.

Style-wise, Mercedes blunt new front end is refined and leads to much smoother bodysides with simplified window graphics. Gone are the radical wedges, severe swages, and tortured light shapes and details. This 280SE features lower bodyside corrugations evocative of the 1970s "Scientific" Mercedes models and assist in the aero ratings of this smooth new language.

Keen eyes will notice a thin body seam halfway up the bodysides. This hints at the new body construction. The lower "tub" is now completely fabricated from carbon fiber. The upper body is high-strength aluminum which is also used for the front- and rear-subframes and suspension. Overall weight will be reduced by more than a thousand pounds per model enabling much smaller and efficient powertrains. Overal fuel efficiency should be raised by more than 10mpg per model, too, with this mid-size 280 Class boasting the highest efficiency rating in its class by a wide margin.

• "SE" will be the designation for all sedans
• "C" will be the coupe designator
• "h," "e," or "d," will be added to signify hybrid, electric, or diesel drivetrains
• "SW" "T" will be reserved for station wagons, and thanks to PaulNYC for reminding me about their original alpha for wagons!
• "X" will denote all crossovers, tall wagons, and SUVs, with 4-Matic still added for the awd versions.

Lincoln Continental Starts Off the New Year Right!

My latest Lincoln chop utilizes a 1950s Lincoln tagline, the "Living Garage" concept. The car itself is a low and wide luxury sport sedan. The aero rear deck is accentuated to imply the famous Continental "hump" and doors are center opening in the traditional manner. High-powered gas and plug-in electric drivetrains would be available, as well as electronic all-wheel drive. Click on the image to enlarge and you'll notice the rear window is divided like the classic Continentals of the late '50s (and the Breezeway sedans from Mercury in the 1960s). The center section would retract slightly to enhance airflow, just as the originals did.