A few months ago I posted a couple of old photos featuring some ’63 Caddys being delivered. Their location? Barrett Cadillac, in Youngstown, OH. Turned out in later browsing that it wasn’t just a couple of images, but a whole sequence showing the new models arriving at the dealer. With many of the moments of their delivery nicely captured in full color.
So, this time we’ll go through the full collection. A chance to see the action, and well, the Cadillacs.
The load arrives, nicely covered for transport and guarding those ’63 styling updates. Some of the dealer’s facilities appear to be at the right, with a few older -yet shiny- Cadillacs parked.
Here’s a different view, with a ’59 on the left and a ’57 on the right.
One more photo in the exterior before entering the dealer’s grounds.
The COE semi tractor enters and gets ready to unload some new Caddys.
Top one comes down first. However, my eyes are oddly attracted to the three-tone ’56 Dodge in the parking area.
Cadillac men. One smiling, the other less so. (Worried about their cars getting a scratch?)
More unloading action, with a light yellow ’56 Poncho making an appearance in the back.
No scratches so far!
Last of the bunch to come out. Though my eyes are now fixated on that Jeep FC on the right.
Delivery day done! So, can I interest you in a new Caddy?
I remember them being delivered with the chrome parts covered. But wonder why only some of them were?
The center stands on the loading ramp look awfully rickety for 4000+ lb cars. But I guess they worked.
Yeah those look a little scary for the weight of a 60’s Cadillac.
At least the driver seems to be taking it slow. There is a wholesaler/importer/exporter (Canada) on a main road on one of my regular routes. The way their lot is set up a transporter can’t make it in and out, so they unload in the 2-way turn lane. It really shocks me how fast some of the drivers go when unloading. I guess like anything if you do it enough it becomes second nature.
I am thinking the same. Looks all the strength of a bed frame.
Not always
Wow! Glad it wasn’t the “Cougar” parked in the lot.
I wish that I could have that blue ’63 convertible delivered to my house!
Remember that the gear selection on this vintage car had reverse at the bottom. So the driver got into the Corvette and pulled the handle back to back up but had selected drive instead.
Right! Could also have mistaken 1st for Reverse in a 4-speed! Who hasn’t done that once or twice?
Somebody did that with a restored 57 Chevv recently here how, I dont know but over the front is where it went and basically totaled on landing
That makes no sense; Corvettes had a normal PRNDL shift pattern, except it was backwards, with P at the bottom (rear). But in any case, Reverse was not at either the top or bottom.
Nice luxury autos. Thanks for the pictures to enjoy. I like the two “sidewalk superintendents” on the balcony. Thanks to them, the cars came off the carrier safely.
Good chance that those are the owner(s) or manager(s) who are rightly looking after all their money coming off those trailers and want to make sure that if damage occurs they can charge it back to the transporter.
I bet the rear bumper in the first picture came mighty close to the pavement,
Back in the Day, our local Chevrolet Cadillac dealer actually had service bay above the showroom. Accessed by a freight elevator. Imagine those monsters straining the elevator cables to the MAX! For several years we haven’t had a Cadillac dealer for miles. But I really don’t care since current Cadillacs are IMO completely CADILLACKING.
They could have continued as KINGCADILLAC but since the mid-Eighties their leaders haven chosen to scrabble the letters differently.
Like the “mid 50’s”, mopar in pic#1/6.
Growing up in Greenville, PA, we used to get the Sunday Youngstown Vindicator and I remember seeing Barrett Cadillac ads.
Fast forward to 1979, I was attending Clarion State College about 65 miles east and slightly south of Greenville. I admired a new ’79 Eldorado with no vinyl top parked on Main St. in Clarion. When the owner came out I commented how much I liked the car. He introduced himself and he was Mr. Barrett of Barrett Cadillac! I told him how I remembered his ads and he gave me a card and said to stop in anytime. I never did but it was a cool memory for me.
If it was before October of that year, I delivered around 60 of those Vindicators everyday. And Barrett was across the street from my high school. Car-watching from our porch was fun when I was a kid; we used to see who could pick out the next car coming down the street. Most cars had personality, even if it wasn’t always pleasant. And the late 70s Cadillacs, though downsized, still looked like Cadillacs.
How did they get the last car off, the one behind the cab?
I guess the first convertible top was covered and taped like the other one, but it blew off in transit.
There are some moving components on the trailers. Look at picture #6 and you can see that the blue one on the rear is on a platform above the trunk of the Gold one down in the belly. Once the rear one is off that platform some how slides back and then down and back forward to allow the one in the belly to drive up and over the rear axles.
If you look at pic #5 you can see that the front car is on another platform above the hood of the middle car.
So once the middle car is out my guess is the rear platform goes back up and the short ramps span the gap between the two platforms. Once it is on the back platform the ramps are put back on the end and the car finally unloaded.
There should be a set of short jump skids underneath the car on the headrack. At least that’s where we put them when I started in 1978. I started at Automobile Transport out of Wayne, Michigan.
I too would worry about those flimsy looking ramps .
Driving in Los Angeles today I spotted a ’63 Caddy with the top lopped off to make a Ghetto fabulous convertible .
-Nate
I just noticed that the rack above the cab in pic #4 has had some modifications done and they didn’t bother to paint the raw steel used. Was that done to accommodate the increasing length and weight of the newer cars?