Big Change While Preserving Brand Identity: 1953-54 Cadillac

I wrote here and here about how brand identity was preserved when General Motors made an especially drastic redesign for its B- and C-body lines for the 1954 model year on Oldsmobiles and Buicks.  Today's post deals with brand identity practiced by Cadillac on C-bodies.

As I noted in the linked posts, "General Motors' 1954 redesigned B- and C-body Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs were sensationally futuristic when they were announced in the Fall of 1953...  Those cars were lower, more squared off than previous models and, especially, they featured panoramic or wraparound windshields -- a feature mostly seen on Dream Cars and special, low-production luxury convertibles."

Oldsmobile (first link above) carried brand symbolism from 1953 to 1954 with the least distortion.  Cadillac had a well-established set of symbolic features.  So variations on these -- so long as they were present -- was good enough to preserve Cadillac's strong image in those days.

Unless noted, images below are of for-sale cars.

Gallery

1953 Cadillac 62 - Mecum auction photo
1950-53 C-body Cadillacs had GM styling director Harley Earl's favored large-radius curves that were somewhat offset by linear features.  The hood is high, the fenderline dropped well below the passenger compartment beltline.  Grille chrome work is heavy, a continuation of 1950-vintage American car styling fashion.

1954 Cadillac 62
The new C-body was lower and more block-like, though the roof is more curved than before..  The hood remains higher then the fender, but not as high as it was.

1953 Cadillac 62
The fenderline undulates.  Note the front fender-door chrome strip and the vertical faux-air intake where the rear fender begins.

Those two features were carried over to 1954.  So was the chrome strip along the lower edge of the body.  In other words, nothing new on the side except the sheetmetal shaping that included a straighter fenderline.

At the rear are Cadillac's famed tail fins.  Another identifier is the crest nested in a golden V on the trunk lid.

The fins were more squared off for '54, yet still saying "Cadillac!"  The crest-and-V was retained as were the exhaust ports on the bumper.

1953 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - Mecum
Cadillacs had egg-crate grilles every model year starting in 1941.  Here the cells are few, the bars large.

1954 Cadillac 62 Coupe DeVille
The grille design was much improved for 1954 -- the best since the classic 1941 design in my opinion.  Many small bars that create a more elegant (rather than garish) appearance.  The bumper is less massive and the guards are angled, a carryover from 1951.  The crest-V motif is retained.