Living the Retro Life: Driving Around in a ’56 Caddy

For many of the kookie kats and kittens that dig deep into retro culture, sportin’ around in a classic car is a must. Some kids are hardcore, and travel in their vintage rods exclusively. That was me, up until a few years ago when distance forced me to trade-up my ’74 Eldorado Convertible for a retro-rod PT Cruiser. (I still have my ’53 Chevy custom, of course). Anyways, For the kats that have the means and the beans to travel in style, a true classic really puts the fedora on the retro-tastic outfit.

For your consideration, a true-blue 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 Special, in near-mint original condition with only 75,000 miles showing on the O-doe. Here’s a few pix to get your juices flowin’.

These cars were known as “hardtops” or “hardtop convertibles”. That meant that when you put all the windows down, there was no center post (or “pillar”) visible above the doors. The whole car looked “open” like a convertible. The top, however, did not go down. Note the massive, bullet-shaped bumpers and gold-tone grille.

The tail-end of this car was as impressive as the front. The factory dual exhaust exits through the rear bumper ends. The gas tank filler is located under the driver’s side fin. The trunk can comfortably fit a family of four.

A nice shot of the rear wrap-around window and vent system. The vent inside the back window is a rear defogger.

The driver’s control center is patterned after an airplane’s cockpit. Luxury features like automatic transmission, remote mirror, electric door locks and windows and air condition set the Cadillac apart from ordinary cars.

The factory-installed air conditioning was a must-have for cruisers who lived in subtropical climates such as Miami.

And just in case you weren’t sure, the fine folks at Cadillac proudly display the year of the car on the passenger side of the chrome-laden dash. Notice the brocade material on the door and kick panel…the seats match.

This rod rides like a dream on a cloud. It just floats along as only a 20-ft long Cadillac with a V8 can do. This Detroit beauty was built mainly by hand by big, strong, American car builders who took a lot of pride in what they were doing. 56 years later, this classic cruiser still wears that dignity with the same pride it did when it was new. This is not my ride, but with the cars I’ve owned I’d feel right at home cruising this bad girl down I95 every day.

Want one? They ain’t easy to find in this condition, but when you do…believe it or not you can pick them up in the $20,000 range. Just don’t try to find a convertible that cheap.

-Tiki Chris P reporting from the garage next to the Tiki Bar. Tiki Lounge Talk…the B’lounge for retro kats and swingin’ kittens. Dig it, daddy-O!