I was spared the time and trouble of preparing and posting digital images of the 1958 models and those of 1960 through 1975, thanks to the excellent work done in this field by a Cadillac admirer in the Netherlands (Holland). Regrettably, those pages appear to be "lost".
At last I found time to scan my own sales catalogs for the year and so I am including (below) for your immediate enjoyment, some small, low resolution images. The bulk of them are artist's renderings, therefore longer and lower than in reality. To gauge true proportions I have included also some reductions of some factory photos graciously provided to me through the years by the Cadillac Division's Public Relations Department. Photos of some survivors are here too.
A number of Cadillac commercials [both public and private] have been posted on You Tube, on the Internet. Unfortunately, I have no control over these postings and cannot, therefore, guarantee that they will be always available there for viewing. Here's another.
Total production of 1958 models was 121,778 cars, a drop of some 25,000 units over the previous year ..and a far cry from the record sales year 1956 !
Two different sets of ID features were apparent this year: (1) in the regular model range (being the Series 62, Series 60 Special and Series 75,) and (2) the Eldorado models, including the Seville coupe, Biarritz convertible and Brougham sedan.
The easiest way to distinguish a regular 1958 Cadillac (not being an Eldorado) is to look at the front clip and leading edge of the front fenders, with their distinctive, chrome trim piece (below):
1958 Cadillac - Easy ID (front)
1958 front clips
Left: Detail of front bumper guard
Right: "C" trim piece on leading edge of front fenders (reversed on LH side!)
Look also for identifying script or lettering on some models (Coupe de Ville, Sedan de Ville, FLEETWOOD, ELDORADO, etc.) Sometimes (after a new paint job, for example), the script or lettering may be missing; in that case look to the car's interior as each model had its own trim options.
The traditional Cadillac tail-fins reached new heights and new lengths this year. The regular line had squarish, rear leaning fins mounted flush with the body sides. The fins on the Eldorado coupe and convertible were rounded at the leading edge and were mounted inboard, which gave them bulbous rear fenders which the public were quick to dub "chipmunk cheeks". The Brougham had body lines all on its own. An entire section of The (new) Cadillac Database© is devoted to them; you may reach the index page of that section by clicking here.
1958 Cadillac - Easy ID (rear)
Left and right: all-model tail fins (exc. Eldorados)
Right: Eldorado tail fin (exc. Brougham)
Left: Eldorado Brougham tail fin (1957 and 1958)
[ you can see the influence of the 1955-56 Eldorado design ]
Additional information and photos of the 1958 models and the related sales literature may be found in The (New) Cadillac Database© sections entitled "Descriptions and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1956-1965", "Cadillac and La Salle Sales Literature 1955-1959" as well as in the appropriate "Dream cars" section. Further recommended reading includes:
(a) "Cadillacs of the Fifties" by Roy Schneider, published by Automobile Heritage Publishing Co, Box 7, Temple City, CA 91780, ISBN #0-917104-01-1, © 1978.
(b) 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]. An updated version covering Cadillacs through 2005 was edited by John Gunnell that year.
The Series 62
