Mad Men, Tin Men, and Made Men all agree

MAD MEN, TIN MEN, AND MADE MEN ALL AGREE

I was riding my bike along the warehouses of lower Sunset Park when this mighty vision appeared:

Yes! This is a 1962 Cadillac Series 62 convertible in the appropriately named Olympic White.
I've said it before and I'll say it again; the streets of Brooklyn are littered with old Cadillacs but this one manages to tower over the rest even in shabby condition.

Cadillac was the undisputed king of class in 1962. There were more expensive cars out there (not many) and several that were more exclusive but none more damn American than this. One look at how stylized the logo here had become will show you how streamlined the entire look was.

It is a coincidence that this is a Series 62 from '62 as the Series 62 name was used from 1940-1964. It represented the entry point for Cadillac but let's put that in perspective. First of all this is absolutely a luxury car, and a convertible to boot. The lowest Caddy is like the most humble Rolls Royce.
*The one surefire way to pinpoint the vintage on this ride is the shape of the turn signals. The otherwise identical 1961 Caddy had perfectly round signals as opposed to these rectangles.

This sleek front end treatment was only produced from '61-'62. The massive yachts of the '50s had brooding eyebrows hanging over the headlights, a look that would return from '63 on. For these 2 years there is a fresh faced eagerness to these big rides that suits it beautifully.

One great design element left over from the previous decade is the fact that the front bumper makes up the leading edge of the wheel well. These bumpers are absolutely mammoth.

My favorite features of the '61-'62 Caddys are the lower fins that start just behind the front wheel and emerge as sharp points in the rear. This car has 4 freaking fins! At the same moment when they were leaving the automotive scene Cadillac decided to double down.

Few cars are such natural convertibles as these big Caddys.

Dig the faux grill treatment on the rear - another design holdover from the 1950s. The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters was based on a Caddy from just 2 years before this example. These fins, while prominent, are massively downsized from the 1959 peak.

Even grubby and schlubby the lines on this ride are unbeatable. A little bit of black electrical tape is securing the end of the fin. Those fin lenses do light up with the larger taillights by the way.

A free breathing 390 V8 lurked under the massive hood which had plenty of grunt to toss this beast around as if it were a much smaller car. Cadillac was proud of the performance and handling, something you might not expect from a 4,600 lb car. Since they were the flagship of the entire General Motors company they spared no expense in perfecting these rides as best they could. Starting price for this ride before options was a whopping $5,588!

Anyone who watched Mad Men knows the deal with this ride and they weren't exaggerating the lifestyle. This Caddy came from the factory with 4 individual cigarette lighters and ashtrays! If they offered an ice machine and martini bar option they would've sold a million of them. The somewhat forgotten Danny DeVito/Richard Dreyfuss movie Tin Men featured Caddys like this as part of the backdrop. It goes without saying that this was THE car of choice for the Mafia (not that there is a Mafia of course because the Mafia doesn't exist).

If those pointy spoke wheels didn't already give it away we can see from the interior that this ride has led a couple lives. This is flashy period correct early '80s lowrider style upholstery. Seeing the fender skirts in the backseat means that this ride is only missing a front signal lens.

Chrysler tried with the Imperial and the Ford Motor Company tried with their Lincoln Continental (losing money on every one they sold) but nobody made a convincing attempt to topple Cadillac from the top of the automotive heap. In this era the Old World stalwarts Rolls Royce and Bentley produced bloated, out of date cars by hand. As a result the production would remain minuscule and prices astronomical. Cadillac produced 16,800 Series 62 convertibles in '62 alone while Rolls and Bentley combined for less than 6,000 cars.

Out of the many vintages of desirable Cadillacs the '62 is a wonderful choice for the collector or classic car fan who wants a drivable ride. The mechanicals are widely available and easy to work on. You'll never save on gas money with one of these but you can sit in it while parked and still outclass everything on the street.

Dogged, rugged, loyal donkey

DOGGED, RUGGED, LOYAL DONKEY

I've been walking Brooklyn neighborhoods scouting for potential places to move and have encountered some cool vehicles on the way. This rough and tumble beast was roosting on an overpass above the BQE at the edge of Bay Ridge recently:

This is a half destroyed wreck that continues earning its keep after decades of abuse and neglect! More specifically this is a 1962 Willys Jeep Truck in President Red (how presumptuous and sadly true at the moment). 

Here is its face which has probably been covered up since the '80s. This has a current inspection sticker in the windshield which really pushes the envelope as there are no turn signals at all! I've gotten an inspection sticker with broken reverse lights and a horn that didn't work but you could always claim they just went out if you were pulled over. When there isn't even a signal housing present it shows faith in the local cops.

These hardy beasts grew out of the standard Willys-Jeep CJ in 1947 to widen the market in the post war vehicle shortage. They sold well to returning G.I.s and the general public alike. In the late '40s Jeep as a company was regarded fondly as another U.S. soldier who helped win the war. Luckily the durability matched the patriotic enthusiasm.

This truck is so basic it might as well have been built in the 1920s. The body consists of stamped steel bolted to a sturdy frame. Along with this pickup body it could've been ordered as a station wagon, flatbed, or just a cab on the frame ready for you to complete however you want.

Somebody has been painted black rust proofing wherever it emerges. There has also been a replacement piece of metal welded onto the rocker panel below the door. Random moments of Bondo are also visible in some precursor to restoration.

Rugged durability was what they were selling with this vehicle and its existence in Brooklyn after 55 years is proof that it has fulfilled its promise.

Everything you need to know about this ride is in the above pic. The gas cap is duct taped on to a fuel filler neck sporting brown tape of its own. The taillight is a cobbled together mess with two hand-twisted pieces of soldering wire replacing the lens as protection for the naked bulb. The tires are in great condition but everything else is well worn.

This side of the bed is collapsing in the front due to a fatal amount of rot. Seriously - take a look at the line of the bed where it meets the cab compared to the cab accent lines! Some might ask what's the point? Our intrepid owner has more immediate fish to fry such as the missing passenger side window.

Not entirely missing actually as a piece of plexiglass is resting across some of the opening. I peeked around the protected baggie to snap a quick interior shot. It looks like this was originally painted Foam Green which was an awesome aqua/teal color. The three gearshifts you see are the transmission, the transfer case to engage 4WD, and the rear end for High and Low.

Well that's where I'm leaving this hardy little trooper who seems perfectly content to be a plow donkey. These are as much utility appliance as vehicle; meant to work hard for a living and ask little in return. There is an identical truck to this parked in front of the famous Sunny's Bar in red Hook. Stay tuned for that at some point in the future!

Shiny 62 from 62

Flashy Wrapper Got His Eye Knocked Out

For those of you who haven't seen it, that is my wine shop with the burgundy awning on the corner behind this ride. After seeing this shiny beast parked a mile away for the past year it showed up one day while I was looking out the window! Time for a tune up I suppose as that's no body shop.

What we have here is a 1962 Cadillac Series 62, otherwise known as the Sedan De Ville. The entire body is wrapped in a chrome-look advertisement for vehicle wraps, but I remember a time when it was what I believe to be Newport Blue.

This poor Caddy took one hell of a knock to the front, and I think it happened where it's been parked for the past year. When I first saw this car it was blue and for sale for under $3,000. Before I could talk myself into trouble it was sold and repurposed as a billboard. Since then it has been parked on busy 4th Avenue in front of a gas station. It's hard to tell which direction this damage came from.

I will be inadvertently plugging their company even though it's a damn shame this sweet ride was taken out of circulation. This is a true hardtop sedan, meaning that when the front and rear windows are down there's no pillar in between.

Cadillacs were spectacular spaceships from around '57 through the end of the '60s, with each year sporting some design change. Grills, taillights, and fin treatments all evolved annually.

I was only able to get a faded glimpse of the interior due to the limo tint. Seats remarkably intact, dash and gauges all present, coat hangers and wire cutters in the house.

The fins would remain on the rear ends of Caddys long after their competition forfeited. The one thing I've always loved about the '62 (and '61) Cadillac is that there was a lower set of fins to match the uppers! I was surprised to learn that those lower fins have a name; they are called steegs.

This is ready to launch into outer space!

I believe the brakes light up both the top and bottom lights on these (with red bulbs behind clear lenses below). The turn signals may only be on the top.

Before getting smashed up this car was in fine shape. 

At this point in history Cadillac was at the top of the luxury car market with few peers (the Imperial and Rolls Royce being a couple). This beast has 3 ashtrays in it, each with its own lighter! One in each rear door armrest, and a large center unit in the from with the lighter in between 2 individual receptacles, all in one pull-out drawer. Each would also have a small metal tab for extinguishing your smoke, and the lighters were cigar sized (of course).

I suppose we'd better get the trunk portion of the conversation out of the way. It starts somewhere between the rear wheel and window, going all the way back to the bumper. Massive and deep, this thing carries a full size spare tire on the rim without getting in the way of whatever it is you need to haul around. 8 adults, a bank safe, dining room table, etc.

This poor old girl is still wearing her original hubcaps and fat white walls. I'm hopeful that someone will actually fix it up before rust creeps along the damaged parts.

That lens between the bumper and fender is not a turn signal, but rather a cornering lamp. When the turn signal was used the corresponding cornering lamp would light up the area where you were turning, something very handy in a massive ride. Probably saved a lot of garage corners.

My guess is that the pieces of wrapping material they were using weren't quite vast enough to cover the hood and trunk in an unbroken stretch, so they used these black edges. Likewise the stripes on the hood make me wonder if they're covering up a seam.

A 390 V8 lurks behind this grill, along with enough sound deadening insulation to make you forget you're driving. Likewise the suspension for these cruisers is akin to a ship on moderate swells; speed bumps can be seen but barely felt. Power steering was famously so sensitive that you could drive with a single finger on the wheel.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; the streets of Brooklyn are littered with old Cadillacs. However this is the first '62 I've seen so after ignoring it for a couple years I figured it needed its due.