Cadillac Tailfins: American Apotheosis

CADILLAC TAILFINS: AMERICAN APOTHEOSIS

“Eureka!” exclaimed Archimedes. 

The ancient greek scholar stepped into the bathtub, saw the water level rise, and thus understood the principle of displacement. Folks say the old boy went streaking through Syracuse in a burst of enthusiasm. 

History doesn’t tell us where GM designer Harley Earl was at the moment he realized that the tailfin from a P38 Lightning might look cool on a Cadillac.

 

From 1948 to 1964, Cadillacs had tailfins.

(If that video doesn't work, click here)

The marketing guys at Plymouth informed 1950s yokels, er, customers that fins like this... 

        ...were no mere folderol, but, rather “Stabilizers”, reducing the need for steering correction during crosswinds by exactly 20%. Exactly. So there. 

The most casual car buff knows that the ’59 Caddy Tailfin is regarded as the high watermark.

I boldly disagree. In ‘61/’62, Caddies sported the “Twin Fin” look. Two fins up top, two on the bottom. 

Four fins; talk about stable

1965: ANNUS HORRIBILIS (WARNING: GUITAR CONTENT) 

The two things in life which matter most, Caddy Tailfins and Cool Guitars, sure took it in the pants in 1965.

Leo Fender sold his company to a bunch of bean counters. 

Gibson decided that the wave of guitar-buying kids would prefer skinny guitar necks. 

Cadillac pulled the plug on the tailfin. 

The crap-slingers from Plymouth division had warned us about destabilization.

These things don’t happen in a vacuum; nor is Rome unbuilt in a day. And I know of no antonym for “Eureka".

What can an average citizen do in such an emergency?

The second or third time I spent $200 replacing the little plastic coolant tank on my new Chrysler, I resolved to buy me some old Detroit iron.

Happily, the WWII vets who went into postwar auto manufacturing only knew one way to build a thing: With LOTS of steel.

In the Southwest, where I live, there is a supply of healthy old Land Yachts, and enough hard-headed enthusiasts to “Keep the old ones running”. 

       See my Facebook group “Cadzilla Lives!!!” for the saga as it unfolds. 

I think Archimedes would appreciate 472 cubic inches of displacement