The 411 on Hardtops...

[Sixty8panther]

I'm pretty sure you don't have to register to check this out. It's from Buick-59.com





http://www.buick-59.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=2142#2142

[Sixty8panther]

WMJ: Sorry bud, here you go. :)



Originally posted on www.buick-59.com by "Centurion" (Brian Laurance)



Here's one of the cool historical photos from 1959, showing Buick's General Manager, Edward Ragsdale, and his wife, Sarah, with Buick's 2-millionth pillarless hardtop, a 1959 Electra 225 flattop.

As the accompanying story indicates, the Ragsdales are given credit for the development of the industry's first production pillarless hardtop, the 1949 Buick Roadmaster Riviera. Buick was a major purveyor of the pillarless body style, and, along with Olds, was the first to introduce a pillarless 4-door hardtop in 1955. At the time of this '59 photo, Buick had produced more hardtops than any other manufacturer.





While lacking the appeal of a '59 225 convertible or Invicta Estate Wagon having the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car graphics, it's fun to consider the idea of painting a white '59 225 flattop with the 2,000,000th hardtop graphics. Such a car would certainly be an attention-getter and great conversation piece.

[Sixty8panther]

That's a new way to look at it. My buddy Ross hates them... I love them on ceratin cars/years. Like for instance a '59 Cadillac has fins that are much too vertical to work stylistically wiht the flat top, but a 95 Buick or 59 Chevy look alright. And BTW: the flat top cars have a lower roofline than the Bubbletops. It was a part of that whole lower, longer, wider thing. The awsome thing about flat tops is there are virtually no blindspots. What car can you say that about?

[Sixty8panther]

I like the 60, like the bullets on the 59's tailfins even more but love the double knife edge fins on the '61 & '62 the best. :)

[mightymouse]

I like the 60, like the bullets on the 59's tailfins even more but love the double knife edge fins on the '61 & '62 the best. :)

[post="46372"][/post]

NO doubt. I have been very busy...love that road trip.
The Avatar proves you're back to normal...
That other one kept staring at me....
I want to subscribe to your road trip newsletter!

[balthazar]

I do not like the '61-62 Cadillacs. They lost their way and many stylistic details look borderline cheap to my eye, esp compared to '60. Can't say there's anything about them I care for, but of course: to each his own!

[Sixty8panther]

Wow... just out of curiosity since I always repect your oppinion and you always have deep insight, do you dislike the lower fins? My biggest gripe w/ the '59/'60 is that from 3/4 angles they look like Submarines. There's almost an Ameba shape to the rear qurters and the fins are too organic. That having been said I'd take a '59 Cadillac over 99.9% of the worlds cars including exotics. The '61 esp. has really grown on me over the past few years. It's a close second to the '59 Buicks in terms of coolest fined cars ever IMHO.

[Sixty8panther]

NO doubt.    I have been very busy...love that road trip.
The Avatar proves you're back to normal...
That other one kept staring at me....
I want to subscribe to your road trip newsletter!

[post="46377"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yup... nothing wrong with Rob Zombie but I was feeling like a Kitty cat referance again. G/Fs Tatoo got old but Hobbes was TOO perky.

[balthazar]

It's not so much the lower ("skeg") fins, it's the detailing. The taillight bezels are just pasted onto the rear fascia, not melded to the sheetmetal at all. There is no trim along the decklid and the unqiue rear grillwork is gone. I don't like the manner that the fins terminate at the deck either. Up front: in-line headlights & grille nearly always is the hallmark of a cheaper-priced make, ala Chevy or Plymouth. '62 fixed a lot of these gripes, but IMO the '61-62 aren't 'really' Cadillacs.

There's a world of difference between '60 and '61. I would love to own a '60 (almost did once) but would never consider a '61-62. Skip forward to '64 and I'm back as a fan again.

Just my opinion.

[Sixty8panther]

Hmmmm interesting... now see I'd never buy a '63 or '64. I can appreciate them at car shows but the fins are too darn small for me. It's actually depressing for me to see a '63/'64 next to a '59-'62. I'd rather see the fins eliminited completely rather than castrated. Again to each his own, although I can say you might have changed my mind about the Barrel Grille vs. Coffin Grille dilema when it comes to your COE. :D