I love car shows. My favorite are the smaller, local ones hosted by a club in a park or park-like setting. These usually last all day which gives you plenty of time to relax and enjoy the cars.
This past weekend I attended such a show in Escondido California at Deer Park, a winery and classic car museum. The friendly San Diego Cadillac & LaSalle Club hosted the event and it was open to all makes.
There were plenty of Corvettes and 50-60s Chevrolets on this beautiful Spring day, no surprise.
Oldsmobile was well represented too. Here are three 1950 models. One of the two red cars won its class at the show.
Not sure if it was this striking 88 convertible…
Or this handsome 88 Coupe. The engine compartment was a work of art.
When was the last time you saw a 1967 Grand Prix convertible? There were other noteworthy Pontiacs but oddly no Buicks.
This knockout 1953 Cadillac Eldorado was my favorite car at the show. ‘53 was the first year for the Eldorado and this one had been expertly restored. Note the unique windshield compared with a regular Series 62 and how the beltline dips down. The Eldo has more stainless on the body, different upholstery and a unique metal finisher on the dash.
I have always loved the style, size and quality of the early 50s Cadillacs but it was the color of this car that drew me in.
More specifically the color combination — yellow body, red interior and a black charcoal top. The tall seating and narrow passenger compartment would soon give way to an era of lower, wider cars. I wondered what this ’53 was like to drive.
This car won its class at the show.
Another class winner was this 1967 Eldorado. It was a beautiful, mostly original, 8,000 mile car. (Those poor hood hinges!)
The color itself looked to be correct but there was something a bit off about the repaint, like maybe a clearcoat finish had been used instead of a process more true to the original single-stage lacquer.
No nits to pick under the hood. Everything has aged beautifully and at the same rate.
The front end of this 1957 Convertible was one of the prettiest at the show. The slim mid section is so sexy!
While the 1958 Chevys have grown on me I can’t say the same about the Cadillacs. The Eldorado Biarritz (pictured) carried over the rear end styling from the ’57 — arguably the best ever for a Cadillac — but to me it never looked right with the quad headlamps. The blue plates and Vogue tires detract from this particular car.
If the ’58 jumped the shark the 1959 kept right on going until it sailed over the moon. I love this shot of the Fleetwood nestled in the leaves. Rocket ship meets earth.
See Paul’s excellent piece on the 1959 Cadillac here.
This 1960 Fleetwood was newly restored, stunning and toned down a bit from the previous model year. ‘60 was the first year for the factory vinyl top and this car had one.
Vinyl top or no the rose Fleetwood couldn’t touch this magnificent 1962 Coupe de Ville showing just 8,000 miles. Yes the paint is original and that’s what a factory lacquer finish looks like.
See Laurence’s fantastic tribute to the ’62 here.
Talk about a classic color combination, here is the interior of the ‘62 CDV. The smell inside was heavenly, not of leather but of fine old car.
You can see the fins of a 1961 Fleetwood rising between the Allante and yellow Fleetwood Brougham. Note the more modern roofline compared with the ’60.
From around back you can see the second set of lower fins or “skegs”, which were unique to the ’61 and ’62 models.
This 1969 convertible was not being judged and I don’t know why. I would have given it extra points for not being overly restored and having the most attractive front end since ’57.
The ’69 fins were nice too. A nod to the early 50s and I like how Cadillac did it again with the ’77.
Here is that 1959 Fleetwood again doing what it does best, making people smile.
Thank you, Calibrick. This provided a happy finish to an unrewarding day. My choice would be the white ’62 Coupe de Ville, but the green ’69 convertible is mighty tempting as well. Heck, there’s not a loser in the bunch.
Great writeup. Looks like it was a good show alright, and with a much more pleasant backdrop than a hot asphalt parking lot.
I’ve only ever heard of Vogue tires a couple times in my life, then last weekend I saw two cars wearing them at the collector car auction I attended on Sunday (on a Cadillac Allante and a Stutz Blackhawk). And now here are pics of two beautiful Caddies wearing them, the ’58 Eldorado Biarritz and the ’62 Coupe de Ville.
My mom’s last car, a ’76 Sedan De Ville, always rode on Vogues. They made the ride ultra-smooth!
Vogue tires were a premium priced dealer option in many Cadillac stores. One result was that the dealers successful in selling them wound up being a source for those in the know, of bargain-priced near-zero-mile used tires, if you used anything close to Cadillac sizes.
Vogue Tires is stll in business. They claim to have invented the whitewall tire. There is nothing really special about them, however, other than the gold stripe. They are actually specially made for Vogue by one of the major tire companies
Thank you Calibrick…. spring is here. I’ll take the 67 Grand Prix, thank you. My favorite year full sized Pontiac. I’d be content with a Catalina.
Nice Calibrick. I’ll take the 67 GP, thanks.
That GP convertible is rare with less than 6K produced during one year only. The 63 and 67 are my favorites.
I haven’t been to Deer Park in years – is the museum still open for regular admission? Their collection of 50’s-60’s convertibles is amazing. The last time I stopped in they were closed to the public but allowed me and my friend to go through anyway. Nice people.
You are welcome guys. I went to the show on a whim and took pics on my phone. Those usually never turn out but these were OK and I thought I’d share.
Yes CA Guy the 50s-60s convertibles are still there but they were pretty dusty and tightly packed. It was kinda sad those couldn’t be outside in the sun with the rest of the cars.
I do a lot of photography with a Nikon SLR, which I figured you were using or something similar…. you did extremely well with the phone. Are you using an IPhone? A friend of mine went to Paris on a whim and took all the photos with an iPhone. I was really impressed with the results. If you understand the limitations of the camera you can do very well. Keep up the good images…
Very nice photos Calibrick, thank you! And thanks for the extra resolution in your pics.
A beautiful shaded setting as well. It gives your photos added color saturation with more shadows and contrasts.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a rad hose as big as the one on the ’67 Eldo.
Nice presentation, Calibrick. I wish I had been there, so many beautiful Cads and a few others like that ’62 Impala.
That maroon Olds 88 coupe would go nicely in my garage….
Thanks for sharing! I really enjoy looking at these car shows online since we won’t have any in my area for a little while yet.
I’m new to the classic Cadillac world and completely clueless on anything before 1948. When they announced the winners they said a V16 won Best of Show and my reaction was “there was a V16 here today?”.
It would have been embarrassing to ask which one it was so I just nodded, smiled and gave a knowing “of course it did” look.
I found one shot that seemed like it could be a V16, this one. There was a sporty looking late 30s or so black coupe that pulled in at the beginning but I’m not sure it was even a Cadillac!
That picture is a V16 I think. The V badge with the red has a 16 on it I think. The rest of the front end seems consistent with V16’s.
I think you are right. It was the only pic that looked V16ish but I couldn’t make out the 16 in the emblem to tell for sure.
A very different look than this car, which I believe is also a Cadillac, from a few years before. It’s like Cadillacs didn’t start looking like Cadillacs until 1948.
The coupe is about a 1940 I think as is the V16. My guess is based on pictures that I got googling this era of cadillacs. The front end changes during the 1930’s so they are not early 30’s or even mid 30’s. I don’t know what series it is though. It is not a V16, but could be a Fleetwood but there were series 62’s that also look very similar.
That was an enjoyable show for me based on your photos – it must have been great to be there. Am I the only one to notice the Avanti lined up between the Corvettes and the 60 Chevy?
The more 1950 Oldsmobiles I see the more I like them. There was one at a show here a couple of years ago – a black coupe that had been driven up from California, done in the 1950’s style, completely stock on the outside, stock Rocket V8, 1939 LaSalle transmission.
I also saw the Avanti, but was in a hurry and did not have the chance to comment. Was it “All of the Fiberglass cars park over there”?
I thought that too about the location. For sure it was the nicest Avanti I have ever seen.
Avanti engine