1962 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

The Sedan DeVille was Cadillac's big sedan throughout the sixties and much of the seventies. The generation pictured here was introduced in 1961, and lasted until 1964. Although the fins were still there, the excess of the '59s was long gone, and the result was a much cleaner and smoother design. The beauty is still apparent here, despite some front end damage. Interestingly, the license tabs on this car were last updated in 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

I Think I'm in Love With the New Cadillac CTS

2014 Cadillac CTS. Photo courtesy General Motors

In case you have been locked in a closet or was lost in the woods for the past week, the New York Auto Show has been going on and quite a few great cars have been revealed. I have to say that I was totally shocked when I saw the 2014 Cadillac CTS Revealed.

Before I say anything else, in the interest of full disclosure I will admit I'm not a huge Cadillac fan. It's not that I think the company doesn't produce some nice cars but it's more about aesthetics and my philosophies on conspicuous consumption. The first time I saw an Escalade was in a college marketing course. I was complete repulsed by the pure bling of the thing.  When I saw one in person I quickly realized it was just a slightly modified Suburban, adding to my distaste for it.

I had heard that Cadillac was going in a new design direction that involved "cleaning up" the old design language. Cleaning up is putting it lightly. Cadillac dumped all the bling crap and the sharp corners galore found on the CTS and instead went for cleaner lines and a subdued grace that makes the car look higher class and more dangerous, yet it's still recognizable as a Cadillac.

And now I find myself in the strange situation where I am falling in love with a Cadillac sedan. Am I really that old or is Cadillac striking out in a brave new direction? Technically by some people's definition I could be classified as a member of Gen Y, so I think it's more of the latter. In my opinion Cadillac really is going to pose a threat to the big German three luxury automakers, which I say is a good thing mostly because BMW has gotten sloppy with its designs (other than the 6-Series, which I just love the look of). Maybe Cadillac will shake the Bavarian out of its deep design slumber, but then again if Cadillac keeps improving their cars in this direction I might not care.

Cadillac 3-Window Business Coupe for 2014

The re-emergence of a bygone bodystyle

Happy Holidays from casey/artandcolour!

2014 As more and more "coupes" debut with four doors, I'm reintroducing a bodystyle not seen since the early postwar years, the 3-Window Business Coupe. The space behind the front seats is beautifully finished with built in nacelles for the optional fitted luggage. The huge trunk, which may be opened as a hatchback or smaller, separate trunk lid, is also finished to a high degree with brushed aluminum, leather, wool carpeting and polished wood. And yes, it's a plug-in electric vehicle.

2014 Cadillac ATS coupe—ATC?

Move over upscale German compact luxury coupes, there's a new ride in town.

It's just a matter of time before Cadillac's newest star, the ATS sedan is given a coupe sibling. My version, above, is not the all-out dramatically styled geometric paragon of haute couture as is the larger CTS coupe. This ATS coupe, or ATC most likely, is a bit more "practical" in appearance, more akin to the 3 series, A5 and C Class coupes. Gently rounded lines first seen on the sedan are gently becoming the new Art & Science norm, with proportion and stance as much a part of the brand's DNA as is the overt angularity.

Update:

One of the great commenters over at CarSpyShots.com's Photoshop section, where I have been posting my car chops for years, suggested I increase the glass area of the coupe a bit. Since I had raised the beltline from the donor sedan, I lowered it back to production height to see how it looked. I'm torn. I always like my original intention, but I have no problems at all with the increased glass. I think it looks quite fetching, actually!

2014 Cadillac Seville: The New Standard of the World

This is a rendering for a 2014 Cadillac Seville, a longer-than-XTS, rear-wheel drive, twin-turbo hybrid flagship with all mod-con electronic geegaws and doodads.

Starting with the XTS donor image, I replaced the original fastback 6-window greenhouse for a more tradition 3-box sedan. The new C-pillars are nicely faceted and lead to a roofline nodding back to the '75 X-body Seville. I lengthened the hood and pulled the front wheels forward for the new V8 drivetrain. The wheelbase is 10 inches longer than the front-wheel drive XTS with an extended rear passenger compartment as well. The extended range battery pack is nestled in the platform's raised center spine for handling and packaging needs, making this the first top-of-the-line Cadillac sedan to offer four Nappa leather-covered electronic Recaro bucket seats.

• For my other go-'rounds with the XTS, click here, and here, here, and here .

1952 Cadillac 60 Special Sedan

Blasts from the Past: Early Chops

Chopped in the "early days" when I was posting my work at Autoweek's Combustion Chamber forum, 2005, this large hybrid Buick would have revived their classic "Electra" nameplate. And, really, wouldn't that be an awesome name for a plug-in electric car? Electronic "aero-spats," or fender skirts, could tilt open a few inches in the front to assist in brake cooling, tilt open in the back for braking assistance creating more drag, or remain closed for maximum aerodynamics. They would also be powered "out and up" for tire changing.

My Caducatillac, a high-end Cadillac "pickup truck" with a bespoke custom Ducati motorcycle "holder" in the back. Pushing a button would open the rear tailgate and set in motion a conveyor belt of sorts to "park" or "retrieve" the motorcycle and lock it in place. This is based on the early 2000's Caddy concept car, the Imaj, and was chopped in 2006 or so.

Another Buick, this time a large, rear wheel drive Lucerne 225 luxury sedan. Evoking the vaunted Electra 225 nameplate, this would be a petrol- and diesel-powered formal sedan. A modern take on GM's formal roofed late '70s and early '80s sedans, this sedan would have all the bells and whistles in a more subtle styling package than contemporary Cadillacs.

 

Mercedes is about to introduce a compact-sized 4-door "coupe" to its lineup, based on the corporation's newest A Class. In 2006-07, I created this tiny sport sedan from a C Class. I bet they end up looking fairly similar. I shortened the C Class sedan's hood and wheel-to-dash proportions to simulate a front-wheel drive platform.

 

Chopped back in 2008, with this Scion xB Cabriolet, I just wanted to see if I could inject some fun, and better proportions to the second generation box. Could be a Mini Cab competitor at a lower price point.

1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

1962 Cadillac Sedan De Ville

1969 Cadillac Eldorado

1984 Cadillac Seville

1971 Cadillac Eldorado Design Tweak

This was a fun chop to create! I've been thinking of older Cadillacs a lot lately, and have been finding original publicity photos online and saving them to my hard drive. This was a black-and-white press photo of the new-for-1971 Eldorado convertible, a car that is most definitely a modern classic. In addition to the design changes, detailed below, I added in a subtle 4-color hand-tinted look to the rendering.

For this design "tweak," the biggest change I made was restoring the hidden headlights of the 1967-68 Eldorados. Besides being a very period touch, hidden headlights really clean up a front end. I broadened the grille to full-width, removed the stand-up hood ornament and added the Cadillac wreathe-and-crest to the hood, a '67-'70 styling cue. Then I cleaned up the bodysides, removing the mid-level chrome spear and the front nameplate and engine logo. I moved the front cornering lights down into the rocker panel to blend better with the chromed rocker panels between the wheelwells. I left the nifty decorative rear fender "vent" as it's such a great nod to not only the original Eldorado of '53 but most Cadillac models of the '50s. Then I added back in a teeny tiny letterspaced E-L-D-O-R-A-D-O nameplate on the lower front fender and a wreathe-and-crest logo on the rear fender. Last addition? A Connecticut license plate.

Overall, I tried to "clean up" a classic GM design. Ballsy perhaps, but the late, great Bill Mitchell isn't around to yell at me, lol. But that would be COOL!

T E C H N I C A L   T H O U G H T — At first I completely "shaved" the sides of the car, airbrushing in a perfect white paint job where I had removed the chrome bodyside spear etc. But the sides looked too "flat" without reflections. I looked back at the original image and added back in the very subtle horizontal reflections all along the lower sides of the car. Now I think they look like I didn't quite remove the chrome spear correctly, lol. I went back and forth several times, with them, without them, with them, without them, finally deciding to leave them in the final rendering.

Re-imagining the Past

Early-ish Chops of Early-ish Cars

2006 Chrysler 300 Sport Wagon—This was my creation of a "true" Chrysler 300 station wagon. I modified a Dodge Magnum body, adding more glass to the greenhouse and suicide doors. I gave it a classic 1955 Chrysler front end and slightly later MoPar "flashlight" taillights. I think all of these disparate parts really hung together well! I hope Virgil Exner, Sr, would approve!

1964 Thunderbird Squire—Taking one of my favorite Thunderbirds, the "Squarebird" of 1964-66, and making it into a classic 1960s Country Squire, was one of my more fun chops in the "early days." I first had to make it into a four-door, predating the actual 4-door T-bird by three years, and posted a sedan version online first. Then I went further adding the wagon bodystyle and then the "wood" paneling. I would love to see someone build this today for the car show circuit! The rear trunk on these 'Birds was low enough that the rear bumper/taillight assembly could be kept and a hatch added above it. Cutting the hatch into the roof, a la the Dodge Magnum, would be fine for ease of loading.

1980 Thunderbird—Moving forward a decade and a half, this is my idea of what a 1980-82 Thunderbird could have looked like, the so-called "Fairmont 'Bird." Instead of completely throwing out the mega-successful "Torino 'Bird's" styling, and Ford sold more than half a million of the '77-'79 T-birds, this smaller, lighter 'Bird would have taken that styling and proportioned it to fit the Fox platform. I really like the way this car came out.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Sport Coupe—I created a personal luxury coupe out of a regular Cadillac Series 62 coupe for this chop. I shortened the trunk, lowering the fins and moving them forward at the same time. I actually lengthened the hood a bit, perhaps for a revived V-12? I also opened up the rear wheelwells, giving the car more of a forward thrust. And of course, as with so many vintage cars before restoration, I had to duct tape some of the chrome trim on it. I also added the rust... I know exactly what that looks like from experience, lol.

1962 Plymouth Fury—Reimagining the great Virgil Exner isn't a task to be taken lightly. I like to think that in this chop I just removed the awkward production values forced upon him. Besides the new roofline, and a bit of trim removal, the most important thing I did in this chop was to restore the curved sideglass I know was on the prototypes, but changed at the last minute for cost reasons. By moving the bottom of the glass out flush to the bodysides like Mr. Exner originally wanted, the styling makes so much more sense. His early "fuselage" styling is revealed to be the genius it really was. My sloping roofline makes his emphasis on the individual fender shapes and long hood, classic-era touches, really stand out, too.

B O N U S   C H O P :

2008 Toyota Cressida—Not a vintage car, but one that stood out in my Photobucket account while I found the above chops, this is my take on an updated Toyota Cressida. The Cressida was a rear wheel drive "luxury" Toyota back in the 1980s. I began with the current front wheel drive Avalon, but gave it more classic rwd proportions and smoothed it out, removing much of Toyota's current lumpy-and-bumpy styling ethos. I say this a lot, lol, but I really like the way this large Toyota came out. I wish it was available at a dealer, today!

Future Coupes? Take Woody's Poll!

Parade of Early Chops Continues

Chrysler 300 Nassau, a V10 powered domestic luxury coupe. Woody Thompson, owner/writer of Woody's Car Site, has offered a poll this week: Which 4-door would you like to see as a coupe? When I read through his list, I realized I had created most of them already, lol. One I haven't rendered yet is a new Fusion coupe. I've started one, and I can tell you this, it's not what you're expecting! And I have yet to do a Subaru Impreza coupe. But the rest, I have rendered and will post here.

Please take a moment and click over to Woody's site and take his poll!

Infiniti M45 Hybrid coupe. Svelte, green, and powerful. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe a Jag . . .

Jaguar XJC, 2012 style. The newest large Jaguar luxury sedan is so coupe-like, it practically rendered itself. I smoothed out the trunk cutlines, simplified the taillights, added a unifying piece of chrome to the trunklid and a full glass roof, and that was about it!

But perhaps a more sublte, and smaller and economical coupe is for you. Perhaps a VW . . .

Volkswagen Jetta coupe. Again, the new Jetta sedan is almost coupe-like as is, so half of my work was cut out for me.I shortened the trunk a bit, lost the two rear dooors, and did the full "artandcolour" treatment on the rest of the car. I'll take two, please!

Except there is a Kia dealer next to the VW dealer near me, and I'm so in love with their styling. If they'd only do an Optima coupe . . .

Kia Optima Coupe—Ask and you shall receive! The newest Optima, designed by former Audi designer, Peter Schreyer is a tour de force. It makes an elegant, and natural two-door.

However, if you're craving a tall car, an AWD crossover, 2-doors are extinct these days. Call Cadillac and tell them you'd like the SRX Grosse Point produced . . .

 

Cadillac SRX Grosse Point—Some people just don't need "easy access" to the rear seat. They'd prefer the larger front door openings that 2 door cars afford them. This cream and gold metallic SRX would be perfect for them. 

Not on Woody's list, probably because Mercury is kaput, but still high on my "what if" list, a modern-day Mercury coupe . . .

 

Mercury Capri—Well, it could still be a Ford Taurus Capri coupe, lol. I really would like to see large 2-doors make a comeback. If they are pillarless like my version, well, that would be icing on the cake. Large luxury coupes, while undeniabley "sporty" do not have to be raw performance cars. The days of large luxury coupes, elegant and sophisticated, do not have to be over. 

And speaking of a Ford coupe . . .

Taurus SHO Coupe—I've also created this sleeker Taurus coupe, a modern-day Fairlane 500 XL. The roof is mostly glass and the C pillars quite thin and elegantly arched, much like the classic Ford coupes of the 1960s.

Or if you'd prefer a more elegant and formal Taurus coupe, how about a new Thunderbird . . .

Thunderbird—Instead of reprising the classic 2-seater Thunderbird, as Ford did in the early 2000s, I have brought back the also-classic 1960s personal luxury coupe Tbird. This iteration would be created from the Taurus's Volvo-derived platform with an extended wheelbase for more period proportions, moving the front wheels forward and cutting the front overhang. The C pillar is widened in this pillarless coupe, and the Thunderbird logo proudly centered on it. The interior would be suitably luxurious, with the rear seat designed with the same wraparound "cove seating" as the '64-'71 Tbird coupes.