----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 8:40
AM
Subject: IML: 61 Imp beats 59 Caddy at
Detroit Design Show!
Well, it was supposed to be a Father's Day event for me,
too. It sure was for a lot of other Dads and sons who came out to see
all the incredible vehicles on a perfect day in June, but my son having just
turned 16, I (and cars) lost out to newer, stronger interests. Oh well -
it was a perfect weekend for a car show, anyway.
It all began several months ago when i got an email from an organizer of
the Eyes on Design show in Detroit. This invitational show is a major
benefit for the Detroit Institute of Opthamology, in support of research
towards restoring sight in the blind. Being in Detroit, it is
unique. The judges are all current or retired professional car designers
and the criteria for judging do NOT include restoration perfection (as usual
in Concours competitions), but rather the aesthetics of the cars' designs
themselves. As such, the organizers invite only one example of each
model they wish to compete. Classes are by style theme, not by year or
make. This year's overall theme was Aerodynamics and Streamlining; so of
course there was a division solely for cars with FINS. I drive a
1961 Imperial Crown convertible.
Well, it has long been assumed by the general public that the '59 Caddy
was the biggest fin of all. Personally, I always found that model to be
a crude pastiche of ideas based on a very old theme: a bit like a teenager all
over-done and posturing, just to call attention to him/herself; rather than
really trying to look good - but hey, that's just me. Anyway, I
have long suspected that the fins on the 1961 Imperial were at least as high,
if not higher, than the Cady's - while being an integral part of a maturely
sensual form, instead of tacked-on rocket imitators. SO, The organizers
(having read some of my other musings on this topic) invited me to bring my
convertible 'NO XQS,' to Detroit to joint his magnificent show in the meadow
at the Edsel Ford Estate on Lake Michigan. And, they arranged that it
should de displayed with a prime '59 Caddy Eldo convertible right beside
it.
(Side note: I'll post some pix of the event, the cars, and some further
visuals on design at the SubtleXS site as soon as I can - watch for an
separate email on that.)
Anyway.... So I live in the almost-Vermont part of upstate New
York. To get to Detroit by the most direct route is via Ontario, Canada
and about 10 hours at legal speeds, not counting for the massive waste of time
imposed by the lunacy at our border crossings now (thanks, W - I feel SOOOO
much safer now). But it was predicted to be sunny and warm all weekend,
and what's a convertible for, anyway? Son or not, lunacy or not, off I
went.
Friday morning I checked the fluids, dropped the top, and headed
west. The biggest danger with driving such a car on the freeway is that
as folks pass (remember, legal speeds will ONLY get you passed), they turn and
gawk, inadvertently inducing the old
'look-at-the-curb-and-you'll-drift-right-toward-it' effect as they go
by. It seemed like every tenth guy drifted in too close to the front
corner as they went by with twisted neck. Other than a little uphill
ping (Canadian gas?) on a hot day; the drive passed with no worse event.
There is no smoother or quieter top-down cruiser on Earth! I arrived
still fresh and with no back soreness (!) after the long unbroken trip (one
gas-and-go stop, only). I arrived late and after an hour of removing
compacted and mummified bug carcasses, and throwing off the 47 extra pillows
from the hotel bed (why are they there?!?!?!), enjoyed a good night's
sleep.
The next day was Motor Muster at Greenfield
Village/Henry Ford Museum. About 500 collector cars on display that day,
plus the always-there fantastic museum and living history of America's
industrialization. Worth the trip all by itself. I returned to the
hotel to find the lot filling with other participants from around the
country. We swapped admiration of the incredible array of cars
(examples: 1929 Duesenberg, Alpine racer (the Renault kind, not the Sunbeam),
a Karmann T34; Lambo Espada; Mosler; Avanti R3; Saab 92). We were
invited to the GM Heritage Center for a private showing that evening. I
was the only one who drive his show car
there!
What a collection GM has (only GM carts of course - skip this paragraph
if your Chrysler sensibilities prohibit continuing). The display space
contains a rotating sample of about 10% of the cars they have collected - only
a hundred or so there. They include all the obvious popular items:57
Chevys, early Corvettes, early Riviera, 442's etc; but also (and the more
interesting - many of the GM experimentals and show cars that never made
production - the mid-engine and Wankel Vettes, the electric cars from the
first Electrovair to the EV-1; styling exercises that prove GM engineers and
stylists have more far skill and sense than their managers - many I had seen
only as pictures in the magazines I read as a boy. These are exciting
cars that never came to production (hence GM has a 19% and falling market
share now, from over 50% of US sales in the 60's).
Sunday morning all show cars had to be on the meadow at the Ford Estate
by 8:30, so it was an early morning (I never knew it, but there's a 6AM on
Sundays!). I rolled in behind the Duesenberg and was directed to a
section called 'Fins Gone Wild.' Other divisions included 'Fabulous
Fastbacks,' 'Aero Muscle,' European Aero Sport,' 'Return of the
Fastbacks,' 'Exotics,' and 'Experimentals.' As planned, I was slotted
right next to a 59 Caddy Eldo convertible, also white. On my other side
was a beautifully restored 1960 300F in Torreador Red - a real eye
catcher. Other fin entries included a 1960 Dodge Polara convertible, a
59 Fury, some Studebakers with the Fiberglass 'enhancement' fins, a Mercury
Turnpike Cruiser, and the requisite 57 and 59 Chevies. Tough competition
and what a row of edges. We were parked nose-in, unusual for a show, to
highlight the fins themselves!
Midfield, in the Experimentals were the ULTIMATE fin cars, the GM
FIrebird turbine cars I, II, and III. Wheeled rockets! I'm glad
they weren't in the competition! Other notable rarities on the field
included a Stout Scarab (look it up!), a Jensen FF, several Chapparal racer
varieties, an Alfo Romeo Giulia coupe, and a lovely DeTomaso Mangusta.
Anyway, I enjoyed a wonderful day of showing and seeing, with about 200
wonderful cars of all types - and only ONE of each (none of your usual
multiplicity of tri-5 Bowties, Vettes, and Two-birds). Every one was
chosen to represent its particular contribution or implementation of a style
element in the aero/streamline theme. Judging was informal as we each
spoke with the judges about the various aspects of design in the cars.
Indeed, how could there be strict rules for an aesthetic
judgement? Unusually, there was only one ribbon 'Best' in each class, so
we are left to guess at other rankings, based on, perhaps, the amount of time
the judges spent with each entry.
I'd like to tell you that my Imperial (the ONLY Imperial on the field,
BTW) won the blue, but in fact, the judges preferred the 300F (maybe that
beautiful color?) - but at least they (GM designers both) had the good taste
to pick a Chrysler product! So what did I mean when I titled this
writing 'Imp beats Caddy'? Well, the judges barely noticed the Caddy -
just a quick walkaround (surely, they had seen to many of these already);
whereas we spoke at length about the curved side-glass, the full-length trim
detailing, the consistency of curvature in surface development and the unity
of theme in the Imperial. I noted that the Caddy, despite its popular
reputation, retained the wide floor, narrow greenhouse with old-style dogleg
vents and a loaded, downcast barge-like overall appearance; where the Imperial
had the first true fuselage profile and an upswept, inflight modern look
afforded by the modern tuck-under and tumblehome of its curved forms. No
ribbon; but then the fellow who invited me came over (himself a Chrysler
designer) and we measured the fin heights of the two cars side-by-side - to
settle a long-standing curiosity of his, he said. The 1961 Imperial
Crown fins beat the 59 Caddy by half an inch in height! Imp beats
Caddy!
Home again the next day. Sunny, top-down flying again. A
trouble-free 1200 mile round trip (well, OK a little brake dragging on the
left front, but nothing to delay the run). Most of the others at the
show were trailer queens, but I LOVE driving this car and can't imagine
wasting a trip like that in an SUV hauler! Lucky me! Wish you were
there.
jc
On Jun 16, 2007, at 12:48 AM, bcparent wrote:
Hi
Is this the coupe hat was mentioned in an earlier
thread.
Bernie.
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11:31 AM
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John Corey
CFIC-Qdrive, 302 Tenth St., Troy, NY 12180 USA
518-272-3565
fax: -272-3582
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