Cadillac History 1953

Cadillac Models & History 1953

Stylingand horsepower sold cars in the Fifties, and nobody knew that better than Cadillac. Stylewise, its famous tailfins debuted on the 1948 models, a design hallmark that was destined to last nearly two decades. A year later the trend-setting Series 62 Coupe de Ville hardtop bowed. Although styling changed from year to year, Cadillac carefully maintained a continuity of design so that even though the car always looked “new,” there could never be any mistake that it was indeed “The Standard of the World.”

In 1949, Cadillac and Olds were the first to market new lightweight, high-compression, overhead-valve V-8s, which marked the beginning of the horsepower race. Caddy’s version churned out 160 horses, 18.5 percent more than Olds, even though its 331-cid engine was only 10 percent bigger. It thus became one of the fastest cars of its time.

Cadillac also enhanced its image with some of the classiest advertising of the day. In the early ’50s it ran a series of ads with the car displayed above a necklace of diamonds, emeralds, or rubies, with simple, direct, and devastating mini-stories underneath. For example, one of them told of the paperboy who had admired Cadillacs 31 years earlier, and now was an industrialist about to purchase his first one: “No compromise this time!” the ad declared.

Three GM divisions had 50th anniversaries in 1953, and celebrated by issuing expensive, flashy limited editions, all big convertibles with Motorama-inspired styling features. Buick offered the Skylark and Oldsmobile the 98 Fiesta. Cadillac’s birthday model appeared in the Series 62 as the Eldorado. Only 532 were built that year, largely because of a towering $7750 price. Among its attractions: custom interior, special cut-down “Panoramic” wraparound windshield, sporty “notched” beltline, and a metal lid instead of a canvas boot to cover the lowered top. A striking piece, it was a preview of Cadillacs to come-and, of course, the start of a now long-famous line. Incidentally, some ’53 Cadillacs were built with Buick Dynaflow after a fire in the Hydra-Matic plant at Livonia, Michigan reduced available transmission supplies, though this situation lasted only a few months.

George M. “Rick” Shahovskoy, who worked at the Hartford Fire Insurance Company for a few decades wrote to correct my statement that the fire was at Willow Run. It was at Livonia. He says, “The insurance industry calls the fast spread of the fire due to the infamous ‘Livonia Roof’ which all insurance inspectors must be on the lookout for whenever inspecting commercial buildings.”

HISTORICAL NOTES

• 28,000 Cadillacs were built with Buick Dynaflow transmission after GM’s Hydramatic plant burned to the ground.
• Eldorado features “Panoramic” windshield
• Eldorado, at $7750, is the most expensive car of the year
• Don E. Ahrens was general manager
• Charles F. Arnold was chief engineer
• Edward Glowacke was chief designer (Cadillac Studio)
• James M. Roche was general sales manager
• Cadillac production figures

Series 6270,364 (increased 11,274) Coupe de Ville14,550 (increased 3,385) Eldorado532 Series 6020,000 (increased 3,890) Series 754,205 (increased 311)

1953 Automotive Notes

• Production tops 6 million, half have automatic transmission
• Charles E. Wilson was president of GM until January 26 when Harlow H. Curtice became president
• Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. was chairman of the board at GM
• The average motorist drives 16,000 km a year
• There are two motels for every hotel
• Battery voltage begins the change from 6 volts to 12
• Chrysler finally adopts a one-piece windshield
• Buick introduces the new Skylark convertible
• All Buicks, except the Special, have V-8 engines
• Because of GM’s fire, Oldsmobile use Buick’s Dynaflow transmission
• Some Pontiacs get Powerglide
• Chevrolet introduces the Corvette
• Chrysler gets two-speed fully automatic transmission called PowerFlite
• Dodge gets a Red Ram “Hemi” V-8 producing 140 hp
• Virgil Exner leaves Studebaker to design Dodge
• Last year for the Ford flathead V-8
• Hudson gets Twin H-Power dual carburetors; the “7-X” race engine produces 210 hp
• Hudson introduces the compact Jet
• Packard’s Caribbean convertible outsells the Eldorado
• Top American Automobile Corporations for 1953

1. General Motors2,599,344 (increased 902,335) 2. Ford1,594,167 (increased 723,076) 3. Chrysler1,272,569 (increased 495,099) 4. Others616,785 (increased 61,218)

• Top model year production for 1953

Chevrolet1,341,475 Special176,579 DeLuxe649,821 Bel Air514,760 Corvette315 Ford1,247,542 Mainline305,714 Customline761,662 Crestline180,166 Plymouth647,451 Cambridge201,955 Cranbrook445,496 Buick486,812 Series 40 Special217,170 Series 50 Super190,514 Series 70 Roadmaster79,128 Pontiac418,619 Chieftan Six38,914 Chieftan Eight379,705 Oldsmobile334,462 88 Deluxe32,800 Super 88201,332 Ninety-Eight100,330 Dodge320,008 Meadowbrook120,924 Meadowbrook Suburban15,751 Coronet Eight183,332 Mercury305,863 Custom149,524 Monterey156,339 Chrysler170,006 Windsor30,950 Windsor Deluxe52,277 New Yorker47,914 New Yorker Deluxe27,205 Town & Country2,641 Custom Imperial8,859 Crown Imperial160 Studebaker151,576 Champion93,807 Commander76,092 DeSoto130,404 Powermaster43,902 Firedome86,502 Nash121,793 Rambler36,231 Statesman56,300 Ambassador32,900 Cadillac109,651 Series 6270,364 Coupe deVille14,550 Eldorado532 Series 6020,000 Series 754,205 Packard90,252 Clipper33,169 Clipper DeLuxe30,715 Clipper comm380 Cavalier10,799 Packard comm166 Patrician7,481 other7,577 Hudson66,143 Jet/Super Jet21,143 Wasp17,792 Hornet27,208 Willys42,224 Lincoln40,762 Cosmopolitan14,122 Capri26,640 Kaiser27,652 Dragon1,277 Deluxe8,300 Manhattan17,950 Carolina1,800 Henry J16,672 Corsair8,500 Corsair DeLuxe8,100 Alfa-Romeo3,477 U.S. Alfa-Romeo sales62 Metropolitan743 Allstate797 A3304 Four (wb 100 in.)425 210 basic sedan 2d, 4200 213 Deluxe sedan 2d225 A3404 Four (wb 100 in.)372 215 standard sedan 2d372

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