1958 Continental Mark III V12 coupe

This is a serious stab at creating a true follow-up to the gorgeous Mark II of '56 and '57. I've done an earlier version but that one was tongue-in-cheek, here. This version was created with an eye toward full production... Biggest change beyond the new proportions are the restyled rear fenders. I modified the front fender "scallop" motif for these new, shorter rear fenders, tying the side together in a more cohesive way than the way they were. I also kept the rear wheelwells open instead of skirted, to more closely align this III with the II and to keep the car as light appearing as possible. The "T-Bird" style roof with flat, inset rear window would include a powered center section, sliding down behind the rear seat and a small, stainless steel visor powers out from the roof when the backlight is lowered.

That long hood points to the first production postwar V12 in the American luxury class. The lowered body and roofline, as in the '58 Thunderbird, would mean a raised driveline "hump" necessitating a full length console front-to-rear and four bucket seats. Leathers and fabrics would rival the crosstown competition, the '58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.

The roof of this example is clad in dark-tinted brushed stainless steel panels which perfectly complements the dusty rose metallic body color. Pink-and-Gray were my college's school colors and I'll consider this an homage to my recently missed 35th Reunion!

La Salle Returns! Chopping the Chop

Looking at my recent 4-door Jacqueline rendering, here, I wondered what it would look like with the classic V-and-Crest logo used by Cadillac for decades. The Jacqueline's trunklid was bare except for a chromed lock. I used a late 1950s version for the "V" and I liked what it looked like. Then the taillights looked way too plain for anything Bill Mitchell would have approved, so I extended the side chrome spear all the way around the taillights. I tied them together with a very Sixties brushed aluminum trim piece. The painted C-pillars became adorned with pebble-grained leather inserts. I also changed to color to a very elegant peach-tinted silver metalflake, and the interior would have been a combination of that black pebble-grained leather and pleated peach leather or brocade.

I rarely go back and modify one of my renderings but I'm glad I did.

I think Pininfarina was hoping the Jacqueline would be built as the Brougham had been taken away from them. Instead of a coupe if they had done a new sedan maybe they may have scored a new Cadillac to build. If they had used Cadillac logos and nameplates perhaps it would have swayed the powers-that-be enough to be a "Yes."