1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Following the 1973 Yom Kippur war and resulting oil price increases, American carmakers began serious planning to reduce the sizes and weights of their offerings in the name of increasing fuel economy.  By the early 1980s, in response to governmental actions, automobiles began to appear whose shapes were wind tunnel tested to increase aerodynamic efficiency and help improve fuel economy.

General Motors' large, luxury-oriented models were beginning to be resized towards the end of the 1970s.  For example, the 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham wheelbase was 133 inches (3378 mm) and the 1977 wheelbase was 121.5 inches (3086 mm).  The 1978 Eldorado wheelbase was 126.3 inches (3208 mm), then reduced to 114 inches (2896 mm) for 1979.

Today's post deals with the 1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, the Biarritz being the top-of-the line Eldorado.  Some background on various Biarritz iterations can be found buried in this Wikipedia entry about Cadillac Eldorados.

Although Irv Ribicki took over as GM's Design Vice President in August 1977, the 1979 Eldorado line was largely styled when Bill Mitchell had the job.   Which is a reason why the design was basically pleasing, competently done.

1979 Biarritzes were Eldorados with fancier trim.

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1979 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe - car-for-sale photo
The basic Eldorado design shown here is a "three box" affair.  The wide C-pillar was a fashionable feature dating back to the likes of the 1958 Ford Thunderbird.  Its major shape components are subtly curved, helping reduce visual boxiness.  The only fussy part of the design is the grille-headlights-bumper ensemble at the front.  Rectangular headlights were common in those days, so they were used and supplemented by rectangular auxiliary lights set below them.  The grille shape is rectangular as its grid pattern.  Note the lack of Vinyl on the roof.

1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Coupe - GAA Auctions photo
Now for Biarritz images.  Here is one with a two-tone effect in the form of roof Vinyl of a different color from the main body color.  (What appears to be darker body color below the side character lid is probably the base color at a different angle from sunlight.)

1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Coupe - BaT Auctions photo
Regular Eldorados had chromed swaths along the lower body, but Biarritzes got a thin, horizontal chrome strip along the body's side crease.  For some reason this for-sale car is "riding high."

1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Coupe - car-for-sale photos
This car's top is different.  Vinyl on the cars shown above covered the entire top metal.  The variant shown here featured Vinyl no farther forward than the front edge of the C-pillar.  The front two-thirds of the top were covered by what appears to be an aluminum panel.

Rear design is the same as basic Eldorados aside from the word "Biarritz" on the right side of the trunk lid.

The white pattern seen along the beltline and front edge of the C-pillar is actually shiny chrome reflecting the sky.

1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Coupe - car-for-sale photo
Rectangular instrument panel detailing was also a styling fashion in those days.

1939/1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia ‘Büegelfalte’ Fender Design

One aspect of the rapid evolution in automobile styling of the 1930s was shaping of fenders.  At the start of the decade, fenders typically were thin (in profile) and ogive-shaped, aft ends blending into running boards.  Then fender skirts appeared while fenders became more rounded in cross-section.  Profiles became teardrop-shaped.  Then some General Motors cars began featuring "suitcase" profiles.  Towards the end of the thirties aft ends of front fenders began creeping over front doors, while lurking in the background during the decade were "tank" bodies, where there weren't fenders at all -- wheel openings being cut into the body's sides.  These few cases mostly were racing cars.

By 1939 those creeping fenders finally touched forward edges of rear fenders in a few instances.  But not in "flow through" style as seen on American cars circa 1948-49.

Today's post features an attractive example: the rebodied 1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia rennwagen -- racing roadster.  Some background is here:

"In autumn 1939, the car was dismantled at the BMW factory’s racing division in Milbertshofen before being extensively re-engineered and used as the basis for even more streamlined bodywork in preparation for the 1940 season and the Mille Miglia in particular.  To that end, BMW built both an aerodynamic coupé and this lightweight open roadster.

"Its design is credited to Wilhelm Kaiser, a very experienced member of BMW’s new design department, headed by chief stylist Wilhelm Meyerhuber.  A 1:10 scale model was tested in the wind tunnel of pioneering aerodynamicist Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wunibald Kamm, with a long, tapered tail that took advantage of the lowered engine and profile.

"The stunning bodywork was hand-formed by “Blasi” Huber in Ernst Loof’s racing department and made from a lightweight aluminium-magnesium alloy (Al MG 3-4) frequently used in high performance aircraft construction.  Aside from its low silhouette and flowing fenders, the prototype roadster’s fenders had a pronounced ridge along their tops. It resembled the crease in a pair of ironed trousers and gave the unique car the name it still carries today, Bügelfalte or “ironing crease.

"Its panels were formed over an armature of small diameter tubing, preceding the similar superleggera system patented by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan years later."

Note that Touring's Superleggera (super-light) construction was patented in 1936, according to this entry in Wikipedia.  That is why the BMW rennwagen coupe mentioned above, along with some Alfa Romeo racing coupes had bodywork by Touring.

Images of the 1939-1940 redesign are below, along with some photos providing an interesting twist to the story.

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1937/1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia - RM Sotheby's Auctions photos
Very attractive.  Curvaceous, but not bloated, thanks to comparatively flat lower fender sides.  The two-segment BMW grille blends well.

Especially keep this image in mind because it shows the fender profiles.  Especially note the transition from front fender to rear.  The front fender and body seem to merge immediately in front of the rear fender.  There is a suggestion that the front fender has a small upwards curve at that point, but that might be an artifact of the curved door cutline.

Again, a very fine design with no obvious flaws.  Though the front and rear would be less pure if bumpers were added.

Overhead view highlighting those fender creases.

1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet by Pinin Farina - Gooding Auctions photos
Mario Revelli, Conte di Beaumont has been credited with the design.  As best I can tell from limited Internet information, this design is slightly earlier than the BMW's.

Its fenders are almost identical with those on the BMW, allowance made for differing wheelbases.  There's even a slight flattening at the aft end of the front fender's curve.

The aft end is also similar to that of the BMW.  The main differences in the design are the grilles (less nice on the Alfa) and the cockpit zones.  The BMW was a racing car, the Alfa was a sports car, so seating and passenger requirements differed.

As mentioned, I am inclined to think that the Alfa Romeo was designed first, so its features were likely borrowed by the Germans.  And Revelli's long experience with aerodynamic design features makes the result consistent with his other work in the mid-late '30s.  That said, there remains the possibility of simultaneous invention due to the circumstances of the times, as in the apparent case of the Calculus by Isaac Newton  and Gottfried Leibniz.

1942 Buick 50 Super Convertible - Mecum Auctions photo
That kind of fender shape saw production on some of Buick's 1942 models, as shown here.

1949 Jaguar XK120 Roadster - unknown original photo source
A variation with a less-distinct rear fender is the classic XK120 Jaguar design.  Some other 1950-vintage sports cars had the fender concept discussed here.

Original Fiat 8V Berlinetta: A Photo Set

In 2013, I posted about Fiat's 8V (its Wikipedia entry is here).  A dozen years later, more images are available, so now might be a good time to pass them along.

The 8V's engineering was under the direction of Dante Giacosa, original styling was by Luigi Rapi.  Only 114 8Vs were made over the period 1952-1954.  Wikipedia notes: "34 of the cars had a factory produced bodywork by Fiat's Dipartimento Carrozzerie Derivate e Speciali ('Special Bodies Department')."  Their styling was via Rapi.  Others were by coachbuilding firms.   For example, I posted "Ghia's Fiat 8V Supersonic" here.

The images below of initial 8V styling seem to be originally via Fiat.

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A rare, early color photo.

Side view.

And what's inside.

Seems to be from the same photo shoot as the initial image.

More early color.

Looks like the car is in motion -- until you notice the wheel spokes.

Rear view of the same car.

Overhead view shows some results of wind tunnel body-shape testing. 

Impressive 1937 Packard Super 8 Convertible Coupe

I live next to an arty town located around 60 miles (100 km) north of Seattle.  It attracts many visitors, some arriving in interesting automobiles.  Recently, while on my morning walk, a 1930s convertible passed us, but all I glimpsed was its rear end.  Fortunately, it pulled into a parking lot a few blocks ahead, and I was able to photograph it using my trusty iPhone.

A bit of research revealed that it was a Packard Super Eight convertible coupe from 1937.   In those days,  Super Eights had inline eight cylinder motors, and ranked right below V-12s in the Packard model hierarchy.  Its model designation was 1018, wheelbase 134 inches (3404 mm), and list price $2680.

The price was about four times as much as that of a '37 Ford DeLuxe convertible coupe.  Moreover, there was no 1937 convertible coupe with a comparable price aside from the non-supercharged Cord 812, listed at $2595 (a 1936 version's pictured below).  The Cadillac 70 convertible coupe for 1937 listed for $3005, while the 1936 version was $2695.  So that seems to have been the Packard's nearest competition.

Production of 1937 Super Eights totaled 1,828.  Given that there were 14 Super Eight models, including sedans that probably were the most popular, I doubt that convertible coupe production exceeded 200 cars.  (1937 Buick Century and Roadmaster convertible coupes amounted to less than ten percent of those series' cars, so there might have been only 125-150 Super Eight convertibles made.)

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1937 Packard Super Eight Convertible Coupe - D.B. Pittenger photos

The grille design is classic Packard.  The red hexagons on the bumper guards indicate that it's a 1937 model.

Atop the grille is what seems to be a radiator cap.  Atop it would normally be a "mascot" decorative sculpture.  I suppose the owner wisely keeps his locked up unless the car is on display at a show.

This car has a rumble seat  - "dickey" seat in the UK.  Note the two steps leading to it.

The car is impressively large and solid.  Note the door to a golf club compartment between the side door and rear fender.

The other side.  That's my wife taking in the grand scene.

1936 Cadillac 70 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe - Mecum Auctions photos
I couldn't find a photo of a 1937 Cadillac 70 convertible, so this '36 model with the same basic body will have to do.  Wheelbase is 131 inches (3327 mm).

More rounded than the Packard, so I assume it seemed a little more "modern" to car buyers at the time.

1937 Cadillac 60 Convertible Coupe - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
A lesser, shorter Cadillac, showing '37 styling touches.

1936 Cord 810 Cabriolet - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
Having front-wheel-drive, rare in the USA in those days, the sportier Cord was not really in competition with the aristocratic Packard.  Wheelbase is 125 inches (3175 mm), 9 inches (229 mm) shorter that the Packard.  But, as noted, the price was nearly the same.

1958 Imperial D'Elegance Concept Car: What Were They Thinking?

According to the article "Chrysler Idea Cars" in Special Interest Autos magazine's October-November 1972 issue, "Exner never liked 1958 Imperial D'Elegance pillarless fastback.  It had several different designers who never could agree on the overall look."

The quote was based on an interview, probably by Michael Lamm, of Virgil M. Exner, Chrysler Corporation's former VP of Design.

For some reason, the concept car's name was the same as that of a much more attractive 1953 Chrysler show car.  Unlike most Chrysler concept cars, the '58 D'Elegance was not drivable.

Also unlike some Chrysler show cars, it no longer exists.  And there are few photos of it.  Most of the known ones can be seen below.

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The front fenders terminate in what appears to be non-functional shapes.  Quad headlights (if they were ever installed) would be behind the doors directly below those sculptings.  This was in an era where Chrysler styling incorporated bold, sculpted shapes not strongly related to functional needs.  I wrote about some instances here.

Below the upper bumper segment is the grille.  Presumably a functioning vehicle would have an opening, but what we seem to be seeing here are only thin, horizontal chrome bars.  Perhaps this was harkening back to the 1942 Chrysler grille design.

The side character line might be interpreted as a variation of Buick's trademark Sweepspear.  D'Elegance's passenger compartment greenhouse is light, airy.  Note how low the basic body is.  But the greenhouse, because it's so airy, does not dominate, as might otherwise be the case.

In profile, the design is not attractive.  I think the main defects are: (1) the bumper-grille element does not transition well to the front wheel opening that itself is oddly shaped; (2) the windshield is not well integrated with the rest of the greenhouse; (3) the tail fin is bloated-looking;  and (4) the bulge below the fin also is too bloated.

Slender, smaller tailfins are in order.  And different tail lights, placed elsewhere, would be an improvement.  The fastback profile falls off so sharply that trunk space is drastically curtailed -- a production version would not have it this way.

1939 Hotchkiss Cabourg Berline

Hotchkiss was a weapons-making firm that added automobiles to its product line in the early 1900s, as its Wikipedia entry mentions.  By the mid-1930s, its cars were solid entries in France's upper-middle to entry-luxury price/prestige hierarchy.  Plus, Hotchkiss was quite successful in the famous Monte Carlo Rallies.

Today's post deals with Hotchkiss' 6-cylinder 4-door berline (sedan), the model 686.  It appeared for the 1936 model year and continued in production until the early 1950s, with time out during World War 2.  Those berlines were marketed under the model name "Cabourg," a town on the Normandy coast located between Deauville and Caen.

It was succeeded by a car with a somewhat similar 1930s appearance that I discussed here in the post "Hotchkiss Anjou Walkaround".

Due to availability of Internet images, model year 1939 cars are feaured below.

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1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline
As seen at the 1938 Salon de l'automobile, Paris.   Photo via Toutes les voitures françaises 1939 - p.52.  There is some camera lens distortion in the photo: note the front wheel.

1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - unknown photo source
A slightly better view of the Cabourg's left side.  The passenger compartment greenhouse side windows are not especially tall or rounded around the B-pillar, thereby avoiding the bloated appearance seen on a number of American cars of the mid-thirties.  Whereas the design is not exciting or even memorable, it's well-done and I class its appearance as pleasing.

1936 Hotchkiss 680 Cabourg berline - car-for sale photos
Early Cabourgs had front fenders that flowed over the wheel wells: standard practice for most early 1930s cars.

Rear quarter view.  The trunk hinges suggest that this might be an early production version.

c.1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - via Auto ancienne
Hotchkiss's 1937 facelift focused on fenders, reshaping them into the fashionable teardrop profile.

1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - car-for sale photos
Now for a mini-walkaround.

French car styling could often be quirky, but this design would have been at home in the U.S.A.

Hotchkiss grille design was improved in 1938 with the addition of the central, vertical divider.  The flat, one-piece windshield was out-of-date in 1939, two-segment, V'd windshields being the most common in America.

The dashboard also is old-fashioned by 1939 American standards.

Packard Caribbean Convertible Evolution

For model years 1953-1956 Packard marketed an upscale line of convertible coupes named Caribbean.  I wrote about the 1953 Caribbean here.

Caribbeans did not sell in large numbers because Packard limited production: 750 cars for 1953, 400 for 1954, 500 for 1955, and 276 convertibles for 1956 (that year there was a hardtop coupe version, 263 built).

Surviving Caribbeans can yield decent prices when auctioned.

Examples from each model year are compared below.

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1953 Packard Caribbean - Mecum Auctions photos
Aside from the hood airscoop, frontal styling is the same as upscale Packard Cavaliers and Patricians, as well as Convertibles.

1954 Packard Caribbean - Mecum
The two most important styling changes for 1954 were the reshaping to the rear wheel opening and the addition of the chrome strip above it that serves as a two-tone paint boundary (see examples below).

1955 Packard Caribbean - Mecum
Packards were heavily facelifted for 1955 (note the wraparound windshield) and received mechanical upgrades (the inline 8-cylinder motors were replaced by V8s).  Again, the main frontal difference from standard Packards is the hood air intakes. 

1956 Packard Caribbean - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
Chrome décor added to the hood air intakes and mesh screen added to the grille opening.

1953 Packard Caribbean - Mecum
I agree with many other observers that the '53 Caribbean is the most attractive of the lot.  A nice, useful touch is the chrome strip on the beltline that widens to accent the transition to the rear fender.  Also, it reverse-echoes the traditions pen-nib feature found on hoods and fender sides at various times.  On the other hand, I see no aesthetic gain on the part of the exposed spare tire at the rear  That was a 1950s American styling/marketing fad.

1954 Packard Caribbean - Bat Auctions photo
That two-tone paint scheme was not an improvement over the 1953 design.

1955 Packard Caribbean - Mecum
Front and rear ends lean outwards to enhance visual length.  An impressive design from a marketing point of view.

1956 Packard Caribbean - Bonhams Auctions
The two- or three-tone paint scheme transforms the Caribbean from a sporty look to the appearance of a luxury convertible.  Which it is.

1953 Packard Caribbean - BaT Auctions photo
I suppose the spare tire adds interest to the rear end.  And I wonder what else might have been used to that effect.

1954 Packard Caribbean - BaT Auctions
More of that unfortunate two-tone scheme.  Even on the spare tire cover, in this instance.

1955 Packard Caribbean - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
The spare tire is now located in the trunk.  Rear end styling is the same as on other Packards.

1956 Packard Caribbean - Driehaus Collection photo
That large V on the trunk lid is a visual cliché not needed on a luxury car.