Photos of a Day in the Life of Capitol Cadillac, Washington, D.C. in 1963

[Vince Taliano #13852]

Enjoy some photos from a day in the life of Capitol Cadillac in Washington, D.C. in 1963.  They were taken just a few months before the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

View at https://www.clcpotomacregion.org/capitolcadillac1963.htm

[harry s]

Looks like a '41 61 Series in the service bay next to the '59.

[TJ Hopland]

What do you suppose the most expensive car on that lot that day was?  Not what it cost new, what you could have bought it for if you had cash in your pocket that day?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Probably the Commercial Ambulance in the far back of the parking lot.

Bruce.

[jwwseville60]

My hometown!
What Id give to time travel back.

[TJ Hopland]

I am actually curious what the prices would have likely been for those cars at that time.  Anyone know?

[bctexas]

I am actually curious what the prices would have likely been for those cars at that time.  Anyone know?

I can tell you that in Milwaukee, WI in 1962 my dad paid $2500 for a really nice used '59 SDV.  Sadly, by 1969 it was rusted beyond all hope and was scrapped.  I have lots of fond memories of that car, along with a '68 60S he owned some years later.

[David Greenburg]

I grew up in the area, and remember riding by there as a small kid; I was already enamored with the fins and chrome. There were also a couple of used car lots nearby that specialized in late model Cadillacs.  As for prices, I'm not sure if online newspaper files include the classified ads, but I do remember by the late 60's, when I would look at car classifieds and dream, those lots would advertise in the Wash. Post classifieds. I think one of them might have been called "Mr. Lloyd's." 

[Lexi]

I am actually curious what the prices would have likely been for those cars at that time.  Anyone know?

TJ here is an ad from 1964 that shows dealer re-sale values for some Cadillacs. Clay/Lexi

[TJ Hopland]

So it looks like if I had around $2200 in my pocket at the time I could have got a brand new Chev Nova or chose from 5 4 year old 60 SDV's.   

[TJ Hopland]

Or I could get me one of those 59 Coupes and had $355 left for repairs.  What did a set of tires cost in 64?

[Carfreak]

J. Edgar & Me  Posted Posted December 11, 2011

Donna and I attended the J. Edgar movie on opening day.  We both thought the movie was very well done.

I was born in Washington in 1932 and lived here all my life except for four years in college at the University of Utah and two years in the U.S. Navy.  I grew up hearing about J. Edgar Hoover and the G. Men.

In 1939, my dad bought his first Cadillac and as a little boy I would travel with him to the Cadillac dealer to have his car serviced.  I remember seeing Hoover's limousine in the garage.  While I looked inside, I saw machine guns fastened to the back of the front seat – very cool view for a six-year-old.

Dad knew Hoover somewhat, but was a good friend of Sam Cowley with whom we attended church.  Sam was the FBI agent who was killed in a shoot-out with Baby Face Nelsen, a notorious gangster in the 30's.  Cowley was able to kill Baby Face in the shoot out.  When my dad passed away, there was a letter in his old file from Hoover, who wrote my dad that Sam Cowley was the bravest man he ever met.

Hoover and our family shared the same doctor and I was able to meet him one day in the doctor's office.  I was in my 30's and J. Edgar was very friendly and warm to this young man. When we assumed the management of the Mayflower hotel in Washington, the staff was anxious to show me the booth where J. Edgar Hoover had lunch every day when he was in town

Throughout my young life in Washington, J. Edgar Hoover was a powerful force.  Many Presidents came and went, but Hoover stayed on and seemed to be invincible and able to survive each and every new President.  He was quite a man.

I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.

[Vince Taliano #13852]

Great story, Sue.  Thanks for sharing.  Here's one that was published in the April issue of the Caddie Chronicle.

Between 1960 and 1979, I worked at the original Capitol Cadillac on 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC, as everything from a car jockey, lot boy, apprentice mechanic, mechanic (everything but front end), shop foreman, shop superintendent and assistant service manager. At times, the 1953 Cadillac LeMans was stored there. I believe that I drove it around once or twice on the lot while relocating it. The car was yellow back then. Below is what I was told by the elders who worked there. The car was originally a concept car that was never intended to be driven. Capitol Cadillac owner Floyd Akers took a liking to it, and having much sway in Detroit, was able to obtain it. The engine, transmission and running gear were installed along with other equipment to make it drivable. The one thing I was told in person was that it also had no gauges. They had to be fabricated from scratch. The man who told me this was one of the fabricators, Howard Zinn (my ex-father-in-law). He said he and Johnny Coffin, another longtime employee of the shop, did the delicate work.

As an employee there, I also had the occasion to drive other exotic cars around (usually short moves) like the two 1956 Cadillac Secret Service convertibles everyone knows from the Kennedy assassination footage, as well as the infamous 1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine after it was armored following the tragic event (Charter Member Ellwood Brown recalls seeing the car there as well).

I also did much work on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Cadillac limousines that were only armored from the glass down. I still have the wiring diagram from the 1968 model that was provided to me in case there were problems in the rear part of the car. After 1979, I worked at Moore Cadillac in Virginia, then back to Capitol and now Sport Cadillac in Silver Spring, MD. Hope to see everyone at the Spring Car Show at Sport Cadillac on Sunday, May 5.

Jim Churchill

[Carfreak]

I also did much work on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Cadillac limousines that were only armored from the glass down.

Yep, we laugh about the roof not being protected; similar as mentioned above, our car is armored from the door glass down.

We acquired the car from the private owner who bought it as Government Surplus from a well known New Jersey dealer in 1954.  Someone attempted to shoot through one of the windows; the damage only goes through the first 2-layers of the 1" thick glass. Doors are so heavy, there are three hinges on each and no vent windows.

It appears there were two S.O.'s assigned to the car.  Frame was strengthened, AC oil filter added at the factory, six US Rayon Cord 6-ply tires with Goodyear Lifeguard tubes, two-wave radio and an aerial antenna supplied by the US Government (Customer) was installed in the rear compartment. Also noted since the invoice was dated August 1939 but not shipped until October 1939, 'special handling' noted a 1940 generator and regulator.

Built in Detroit, interior was not fully installed when it was sent by boat to Cleveland on its way to Federal Laboratories in Pittsburgh for install of the armor plating and bulletproof glass. 

Then back to Detroit for final assembly before a trip in a locked railroad car to the buyer, "US Government, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation" in Washington DC via Michigan Central, Baltimore & Ohio then Washington & Old Dominion railroads. 

Total invoice cost over $6300 but there are stories Hoover only paid $1 for many of his cars.  Handwritten notes on the invoice indicate a rear compartment heater was sent in late December 1939.