[ last update: 12.19.2014 ]

The (new) Cadillac Database^©

Photo Pages
Cadillac

1953

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Unless otherwise specified all photos and illustrations are from Yann Saunders'
collection of Cadillac photos, advertisements and product catalogs,
reproduced courtesy of the Cadillac Motor Car Division and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club

The 1953 Cadillac models were face-lifted versions of those of the previous three years.  The bulbous look of the early fifties continued to pervade.   This year the "Dagmars" (bullet-shaped bumper impact guards) took on a whole new meaning;  they were ginormous!¹

The big news this year was the bespoke "Eldorado" model of which a prototype had been exhibited at last year's "Golden Anniversary" show, marking fifty years of Cadillac production. It stood out from the other models in the range on account of its panoramic, or wrap around windshield, the stylish dip in the belt molding just behind the doors and the hard boot, flush with the body, that covered the convertible top in the lowered position. Only 532 units were built; they are prized collector items today.

The 1953 models, according to the copy writers, was "...the perfect automobile to introduce Cadillac's second half century of achievement and leadership."  They featured some beautiful, new interiors, an equally new 210 HP engine, advanced power steering, improved Hydra-Matic (automatic) transmission and [at long last] a decent, new air-conditioning system.

The product line was described and illustrated principally in two merchandising folders and one "mailer" catalog, the first in a long line of such "mailers" published in the fifties and sixties.  These differed from regular published material in that the cars were photographed rather than drawn.

The four basic series were presented in the regular sales folder in this order:  Sixty Special, Sixty-Two and Seventy-Five. That is also the sequence in which I have presented the illustrations below. There was a separate, single-sided folder on the beautiful Eldorado model.  As for the exceptionally beautiful mailer item, it was entitled "Start of a Wonderful Journey"; a few photos from that catalog are also included below.

No publication dates are shown on either of the folders or the catalog.

Once again, the distinguishing mark of the 1953 Cadillacs is the front clip with its huge, "bullet" impact guards surmounted by a stylish fin.   Similar if slightly less provocative "Dagmars" were mounted also in the rear.

 

 

Additional information on the 1953 models and the related sales literature may be found  in The (New) Cadillac Database© sections entitled "Descriptions and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1951 - 1955",  "Cadillac and La Salle Sales Literature 1950 - 1954" and "Dream cars of 1952-1953".  Further recommended reading includes:

(a)   "Automobile Heritage's Illustrated Guide to 1950 Through 1959 Cadillac" by Roy Schneider, © 1978,  published by Automobile Heritage Publishing Co., Post Office Box 7, Temple City, CA 91780 [ISBN #0-917104-02-1] and

(b)  The "Standard Catalog of Cadillac, 1903-2000" edited by James T. Lenzke, © 2000, published by Krause Publications, Inc., 700 E. State Street, Iola, WI 54990 [ISBN #0-87341-925-1, Library of Congress #91-61301].
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¹   Dagmar was the nickname given to one Virginia Ruth Egnor, a "blonde bombshell" who achieved some notoriety in 1950-51 when she appeared on NBC's "Open House" in slinky, body-hugging gowns that underscored - for no other purpose but to provoke - the lady's very ample bust.  When you look at this lady in profile, you will have little doubt why the bumper guards on fifties Cadillacs often are referred to as "Dagmars"!

 

The Series Sixty Special

The Sixty-Two Series

The Seventy-Five Series
sedan and limousine

The Eldorado

Styling Details and Misc.

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© 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.
[ Background image:  1953 Dagmar bumper impact guard ]