Rant: What Is A Cadillac?

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

Coming of age in the 70’s (lucky me), Cadillac represented everything I didn’t like about American cars. Like its lesser-priced sibs, it was an anti-sports car. With the possible exception of Lincoln’s Continental Mark My Words This Car is as Good as a Cadillac, a Caddy was THE anti-sports car. The idea of hustling one of those land yachts around a corner was laughable. And for me, it was all about the handling. (Driving a Dino had changed my life.) I remained contemptuous of America’s love affair for Caddy’s “sofas on wheels” right until the moment I met a girl in Aspen who drove a meticulously maintained 1962 Cadillac convertible like the one shown. Suddenly, all the curves I needed were inside the car. You know that song Slow Hand by the Pointer Sisters? It was on the Caddy’s radio during one especially memorable drive. I got it. And Caddy, I reckon, has lost it.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • SlowrideR SlowrideR on Jan 05, 2009

    Bring back bench seats, baby. She don't have to sit over there.

  • Npbheights Npbheights on Jan 05, 2009

    The fact that TTAC's "Best and Brightest", people that get excited when a new entry in something called "General Motor's Death Watch" pops up on their computer screen (myself included) will write 80 posts on a Sunday about Cadillac is a testament as to the strength of the brand. Even people that seemingly detest it, give it a larger than life image-- Qwerty Said: ...used to think of Cadillac as ridiculously huge monstronsities.. they might lean fifty feet and what looked like ten tons of steel into your lane. ... an overly large chrome grill screaming for attention ... Although they were never that much larger or longer than most other full size American Cars of their time, they are remembered as much larger in people's minds, thats not my point... I think Terry got my point: Terry : …is it possible that Cadillac’s problem is its association with GM? I think that has been Cadillac's problem since the mid Seventies. They should have looked to innovate, not turn a Nova into a Seville for a quick sales pop. It was down hill fast from there.

  • Philipwitak Philipwitak on Jan 05, 2009

    re: "...Branding is much more important in fashion business than in car business or any other complex technical endeavor..." ra_pro / January 5th, 2009 at 11:50 am i really doubt whether product manufacturers and/or service providers like apple or dell; citi or chase; panasonic or sony; saks or bloomingdale's; porsche or pontiac; mcdonalds or burger king and walmart or costco - plus countless others - would agree with that assertion. for savvy consumers, brand names eventually come to serve as some sort of reasonably efficient cultural shorthand for all of the qualities and promises their products and/or services provide.

  • Minion444 Minion444 on Jan 06, 2009

    Cadillac's in the early days stood for Luxury and technology. "The standard of excellence". Bold styling, that you didn't havew to like, but you knew it was a caddy! My choice today. The Rolls Phaeton is the Cadillac that Cadillac should be building. Thanks for the GREAT podcast.

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