Was the 1964 Cadillac THE BENCHMARK?

[Jason Edge]

Ok, Some tongue in cheek commentary here! We all have our favorite model years and body styles.. mine is the 63/64 variety and if I had to pick between the two it would be the 1964 Cadillac. Other than the problematic first-year Comfort Control system, I think it is just perfect ... perfect in every way. (Hey, my opinion and I'm sticking with it!) But I appreciate all the other Cadillacs from those that Zig to my big bulging Escalades!

To the point, I have been scanning my collection of 1964 Cadillacs color print ads and posting to our 63/64 Cadillac Chapter Website in a photo album you can see by Clicking Here.  At the end I included the multi-year Cadillac ads, first a 1964 Ad with 3 prior years included, but then I got to my later year ads and their was an astonishing 5 ads that had the 1964 Cadillac included in the ad - 1 in 1965 and a whopping 4 in 1966.

So the question is... Was the 1964 Cadillac THE BENCHMARK?
(Note this is a playful question, but would be curious if the others that are into other model years, can match 5 prior ads for your favorite Cadillac model year!

Regardless, I thought these might be fun to post here since they do span several model years of 1960's Cadillacs.

NOTE: There were at least 15 Different 1964 Standard Color Print Ads, with a couple of alternate versions of two of them, but 5 later model year ads that included a 1964 Cadillac. Here are those 5 ads:

 

As a Bonus, Here is the 1964 Ad that featured 3 prior year Cadillacs:

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I had noticed the same thing regarding how often '64s were used to typify the preowned Cadillac. My guess is that they felt '64 would be the most logical choice being the last version of the previous generation and with the latest luxury refinements. I have also seen an ad for 1966 with the tail of a '63 just within view so there were some exceptions.

One thing I never saw was a 1959 being represented as a preowned Cadillac. As used cars, the Division just assume that year was forgotten.

[jdemerson]

Going back to advertising in the mid-1920s, Cadillac emphasized how well their cars retained good value at resale. They used this fact to bolster their case that the overall cost of Cadillac ownership was not as high as prospective buyers might expect.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Cadillac published sales brochures for used or "pre-owned" Cadillacs. The brochures included photographs of Cadillacs from the preceding 3 or 4 years. I have examples of these pre-owned Cadillac brochures published in years 1963, 1965 (2 different), 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 (accessories), 1973, 1979, 1995, 2013. I am sure there were others.

I don't know that other luxury makes used this kind of advertising in the 60s and 70s. A few of them did in the 1990s and more recently -- Lincoln, Jaguar, Infinity, Lexus -- but it was nothing like Cadillac's promotions of the 60s and 70s.

I can't speak to the idea that 1964 was the Cadillac "benchmark", but it's an entertaining thought! The 1965-66's were also most impressive. My own vote would be for 1968 models as the benchmark. But I also agree with a case Eric has often made for 1977-79 rear-drive models. And over the past decade, my vote is for the last CT6 models in the U.S. O.K., O.K., just trying to start an argument...  

Cheers!
John

[James Landi]

   (I add this to the discussion NOT WANTING to mix in politics-- just an observation).  One can make the case for the 64 through 66 years as the most value in design and engineering  for the money.  When economist discuss the "value" of the dollar,  most begin the discussion when the dollar  was connected to precious metals up through 1971 ...so the dramatic inflationary period, beginning with the OPEC oil embargo of 1972, effectively began a long period of inflation that ended in the mid 80's... during that same period in the early 1970's, leaded gas was proven to cause serious negative health impacts, and the EPA was established, so automobile manufacturers faced monumental engineering  challenges that, for Americans, began with huge disruptions in the availability of gasoline as well as an extraordinary inflationary period.

[Bryan J Moran]

I think 1964 is a benchmark year.   Still had very subtle fins, the last year for those as we know. As Eric noted, 1964 was the blending of the old with the new.

[Cadillac Jack 82]

I'm biased as a 64 owner but they are fantastic cars.  I'd chose my 59 over the 64 though due to simplicity...but I'd choose my 64 over my 59 due to comfort and options.

[jwwseville60]

They are my favorites.
63 Fleetwood
63 vista wagon
64 Eldo

They drive perfectly with good power, braking and handling. Sublime mid century modern designs.
Smooth and powerful, especially the 429. Quiet, too.
Hey, I need some sleek fins in my life.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I would say yes. After owing my 64 Cadillac for almost 10 years now, I have to say as far as modern comfort features, ease of use, power and performance, reliability, quality, riding smoothness and durability, it's the last Cadillac IMO that was built with the highest quality of materials specifically on the interior side as around 1965-66 models, you can tell that more plastics were making their way into the cars.

It's the last Cadillac built with some old 50's influence, and last of the fins that resembled a hint of the 1959-60 front ends but with much slimmer styling.

I used to own a 68 CDV, and although it was a nice car, I never did warm up to the stacked headlights as it always reminded of a Ford or a Pontiac of the era. Plus the interior quality and styling is nowhere close to the look and feel of the 64.

The 64 is a conservative design compared to the prior more flamboyant Cadillacs of the past, but it still had a lot of character and elegance with a hint of youthfulness to them. If anyone has ever seen a front end of a 63 or 64 in person, like the 59-60 Cads, they're very intricate and detailed. Especially how the bumpers are styled and shaped, and
how angular the tip of the front fenders are designed with the fender peak moulding dipping down on top of it, again very similar to the 59-60's.