| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002-09-26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 2002
Popes and politicians, singers and movie stars, kings and queens – luxury American marque Cadillac has always had famous figures among its clientele. People who set themselves high standards also have a discriminating taste in cars. Perfectly executed design, handcrafted perfection and technical superiority have established the image as "Standard of the World" and secured Cadillac an excellent reputation. The brand name's popularity is reflected in its frequent mention in pop song lyrics. And regards film and television, Cadillac models appear far more often on the big or small screen than the exclusive sales figures would in fact suggest. Cadillac is an all-American carmaker, the ultimate expression of self-assurance and pride. A list of famous owners therefore reads like an American "Who's Who." Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra are just three of the showbiz greats to have driven a Cadillac, while numerous US presidents, like George W. Bush today, chose armored limousines from the marque as official cars. Former FBI chief Edgar J. Hoover was chauffeured around in a Cadillac, while the infamous Al Capone owned an entire range of models. Among his favorites was a 1929 sedan that proved a dependable and powerful getaway car – two (repaired) bullet holes in the right-hand rear door still testify to the brutal goings-on in Chicago during the prohibition era. The Paramount Pictures film company later acquired the car and used it in famous films such as "The Godfather" (1972, see page 7). But Hollywood is not the only special place for Cadillac; their American character is exactly what has always made these cars especially popular among European customers. German singer/actor Hans Albers did not just drive a Cadillac on the "Reeperbahn at half past midnight," as the song goes. His 1951 model is now in the automotive museum owned by Fritz B. Busch in Wolfegg, southern Germany. Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí also had close ties to the marque. In 1941 he immortalized two Cadillacs in his "clothed car" studies; and his own bridal car, a convertible from the same year, is still on show in the inner courtyard at the Dalí Museum in Figueras/Spain. Elvis Presley: The King of rock 'n' roll was a big fan of the marque Being a Cadillac enthusiast, Elvis Presley usually owned a number of models at the same time. Between 1955 and 1977 he acquired a total of over 100 Cadillacs, some of them presents to relatives and friends. In March 1955, the King bought his first Cadillac – a pink and white '54 model. Its successor, a yellow Fleetwood limousine from the same year, was used for unusual transportation tasks; Presley once used it to transport live chickens, ducks and a turkey to his Graceland villa in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite professional cleaning at a Cadillac dealership, the poultry smell stubbornly remained – reason enough for Elvis to buy a new Cadillac... His former job as a truck driver gave Presley an insight into automobiles, and he often had his dream cars custom-built. A good example here is the luxurious '65 Eldorado convertible customized by George Barris. After the revamping, the car was distinguished from conventional models by the extraordinary finish (40 coats of gold pearl paint), gold-plated interior decorative elements (likewise the TV and telephone) and guitar-shaped sun visors. The roof had three of Elvis's gold discs built into it. The legendary singer even took his very last car journey in a Cadillac – in a white hearse, a '77 model from bodymaker Miller-Meteor. A silver Cadillac limousine led the funeral procession in August 1977, followed by 16 other white Cadillacs taking the guests in style from Graceland to the cemetery in Memphis. Further musicians who have driven or been driven in a Cadillac: Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Placido Domingo, Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, John Entwhistle (The Who), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Jimmy Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jerry-Lee Lewis, Mireille Matthieu, Roy Orbison, Richard Penniman (Little Richard), Jim Reeves, Frank Sinatra Marlene Dietrich: Touring Europe in elegant V16 models There was hardly a nobler way to get around in the 1930s and 1940s: Marlene Dietrich owned two rare Cadillac models with elegant Fleetwood bodies and the incomparable V16 engine. The second vehicle, a town car from 1935, was used by Dietrich during her European tour prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. Fellow-thespian David Niven recalled in his autobiography, "Bring on the Empty Horses" (1975), how Marlene Dietrich's Cadillac was as long as a train carriage – no major exaggeration with a wheelbase of 3.91 meters. Dietrich's chauffeur Briggs was known to wear a mink-collared uniform in winter, and always packed two Colt '45s on his belt. Other actors who have driven or been driven in a Cadillac: Hans Albers, Pamela Anderson, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Burt Reynolds, Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, John Travolta George W. Bush: The US President rides in a Cadillac A black Cadillac for the White House; the inaugural parade of US President George W. Bush on January 20, 2001 also saw the premiere of his new official car. While the limousine is similar in appearance to the production DeVille, it is longer and wider and, of course, armored. Handcrafted by the experts at the GM Specialty Group, the car has seven-passenger seating with an adjustable recline feature and is fitted with the innovative NightVision object detection system. State-of-the-art communication systems and a foldaway desktop enable President Bush to conduct affairs of state even when outside the Oval Office. The preference of the 43rd President of the USA for a Cadillac continues a long tradition. Woodrow Wilson, who served as 28th chief executive between 1913 and 1921, rode in a Cadillac on presidential parades. In 1938, Cadillac built two limousines that were named after the ocean liners "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" – measuring 6.56 meters long and weighing 3.5 tons, the twin cars really did approach ship-like dimensions. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower also used the two cars. Numerous other heads of state and kings and queens from across the globe have for decades chosen Cadillac models as state limousines and official cars. Further US presidents who were driven in a Cadillac: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson were chauffeured around in the "Queen Mary II" and "Queen Elizabeth II" twin convertibles (the two cars were in use between 1956 and 1968). In 1984, Ronald Reagan chose a DeVille limousine for his second term of office, while Bill Clinton rode in a 1993 Fleetwood Brougham. Musical heritage: The luxury marque immortalized in rock and pop folklore Cadillac has also been prominent in the music industry. Three dozen rock and pop songs alone feature the carmaker's name as their title, among them records by famous bands like Spider Murphy Gang, The Kinks and Van Morrison. And this is just a fraction of the number of hits featuring the American luxury marque in their lyrics. Below is an incomplete listing of these songs and their performers:
Movie heroes: Cadillac has been a frequent movie star A different kind of drive-in; countless movies and TV series have featured Cadillacs in supporting roles. J.R. Ewing in "Dallas," for example, drove an Allanté convertible, and a light blue 1964 DeVille convertible made frequent appearances in "Miami Vice." The list below shows just the highlights of Cadillac appearances in famous movies:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||