There were very few cosmetic changes made to the 1964 Cadillac,
other than one less fender skirt here or there. There was the introduction
of several new engineering feats, for example, the Turbo-Hydramatic
transmission was developed. As well, there were new innovations being added
to the Cadillac’s of the day, for instance, a new automatic climate
controlled heat and air system was added.
This was also the year that Cadillac employed the “Twilight Sentinel” in
their vehicles, which was basically the automatic system that turned the
lights on when the vehicle sensed dusk and turned the lights off when the
vehicle sensed dawn.
The De Ville script was also used on the Sixty-Special sedans for the first
time, setting them apart from other Cadillac models. The Fleetwood El Dorado
Convertible looked dramatically the same as the Eldorado Biarritz from the
previous year, as well. There were other styling changes like a new V-shaped
grille was also used, as well as the continuation of the grill onto the sides of
the car.
For the most part, tail fins were a thing of the past, but moderate versions
of the late fifties craze were still seen. However, the Cadillac of 1964 was
still overall a lower and sleeker vehicle with very few outstanding features.
But by all other means the 1964 Cadillac resembled those from the past year,
except maybe in the field of power. A 390 bored and stroked to 429 cid, good for
340 horsepower was performance made and the biggest change to Cadillac’s this
year.
Cadillac was making working on its sixty first years of production and the
number of sales and total production was growing rapidly each and every year it
seemed. A total number of 166,000 1964 Cadillac models were produced that year,
a new record high for the luxury car manufacturer. Regardless of the look it
seemed Cadillac was destined to be an American icon for generations to come.
From the dependable and sleek cars of the forties to the outlandish cars of
the late fifties, there was a look and a feeling of prestige that the Cadillac
owner had that no other car manufacturer could compete with. In fact, in the
later sixties, car experts commented that the Cadillac was the best luxury
vehicle, even taking into account the costly Rolls Royce. The great thing about
Cadillac though was the fact that prices for these models had not increased
dramatically in years, the average increase for the Cadillac was well under
$100.
This is a picture of a 1964 Cadillac Hearse that was seen on this site
after it was pictured in Henderson Nevada at a car show. It was purchased by
a member of our sister site
www.Caddychat.com and he had it shipped to Australia.
As you can see it is white and very clean. Her name is Ms Lily and I am
sure she is going to enjoy her new home. I love the tailfins and how they
are separate from the rear body and the door.
Continue on with Cadillac and see what was up in
1965.
