On June 22nd, I once more pointed the Cartier towards Chicagoland and yet another Cadillac show. This time, it was Ettleson Cadillac in Hodgkins, within sight of the Holiday Inn in Countryside we stayed at in the ’90s when my parents used to take us to the Chicago Auto Show.
Yes, I’d just been there a month prior, at the Shirey Cadillac show in Oak Lawn (covered here). But there are only two really good ’70s luxocruiser shows in the greater Chicago area, and these two are it. And unlike last month, my cochlear implant behaved itself and made no untoward noises that I mistook for weird car sounds. So much the better.
I arrived around 11:15, and quickly spotted Ron Schweitzer and Mike Risatti. Mike brought his 1960 Sedan de Ville, affectionately named Estelle, to the show. I had heard of the car, and seen pictures online, but this day was the first time I’d seen her in person. And she was sharp!
Mike added the Fleetwood wheel covers, technically incorrect, but they are correct for the model year. And they look great! The Aleutian Gray metallic paint paired with the dove gray interior was especially classy.
As this is a virtual tour, today’s post is going to be heavy on pictures and light on text. Hope you enjoy this viewing of Cadillac Style from decades past!
1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1957 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Biarritz, 1971 Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham and 1959 Sedan de Ville
1959 Sedan de Ville with factory air conditioning
1990-92 Brougham
1973 Eldorado convertible
1972 Eldorado
1993 Allante, one of 17 made in Mary Kay pink
1969 Fleetwood Sixty Special
1972 Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham
1979 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine
1962 Eldorado
Factory bucket seats!
1972 Fleetwood Seventy-Five Sedan (limousine had the divider window)
1958 Coupe de Ville
Fin. Pun intended. There may be a Part II, I took at least a hundred pictures!
I found the 75 sedan from 1972 especially interesting. It looks like they had a dedicated roof design for the inhouse could be limo. Later they went to the coupe rear window behind the rear door to get the extra length. Remember though the Coupe De Villes were still hardtops till 74. I like the interior especially in back. This generation has a reputation of being cheap inside but this one looks stylish, roomy, and appropriately upscale. Bet the 472 did better moving it than the tiny for a 6000 pound car 387 V8 in the 4 times as expensive Grosser Mercedes.
The Fleetwood Seventy Five Formal Sedan and Limo was a completely unique body built in its own dedicated line at Cadillac’s “Plant 21” which was usually used for prototype assembly part of the year and then it made Cadillac limousines the rest of the year, there was a lot of hand finishing in the body. Through 1976 the limousines had a large rear door that cut into the roof compared to the chauffeurs door that was a standard frameless sedan door. The 1977 and up cars are basically a Coupe deVille rear half with a sedan front half.
Is that the same Ettleson as the old Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet on York and Roosevelt in Elmhurst? WHERE YOU ALWAYS SAVE MORE MONEY.
If you grew up in Chicagoland in the ’80s/’90s, those guys’ commercials are permanently ingrained. Same goes for Victory Auto Wreckers, who ran the same commercial for about 30 years where the door falls off a guy’s ’70s Impala (“That old car might be worth money!”), or the Empire Carpet jingle, etc.
? Empire Carpet is in Chi – Town too ? .
-Nate
It was a ’71 Impala, actually! 🙂 I felt so sorry for that car. I grew up in Lombard & West Chicago in the 70s/80s and remember the Celozzi-Ettleson commercials too — both men would flash a “deck” of bills in front of them while they quipped that stuck-in-my-head-forever-too phrase!
588-2300. Empire!
Oh, man ~ SENSORY OVERLOAD ! .
I love this =8-) .
I look back and can’t believe I walked away from a fully loaded 1959 Rag Top………… .
At least my brother still has my 1980 Fleetwood S & S Victoria hearse .
Sadly, even if I was rich I’d prolly not buy a Caddy because in truth I don’t like driving big cars, riding in them is great, just not driving them .
Let’s see some mid 50’s Coupe’s with DAGMARS please ~ preferably in pastel colors ! .
-Nate
Nate, in Chicagoland the number for Empire Carpets was crooned “588-2300….Empire…” by breathy altos. Thanks for the great pix TK.
Cadillac limos – the preferred ride of mobsters since the days of Al Capone.
“Cadillac limos – the preferred ride of mobsters since the days of Al Capone.”
More bodies per trunk than a Pontiac ! .
-Nate