1963 Cadillac: The car that mainstreamed the brougham look

(UPDATED 12/16/2022)

Pointing to the exact moment that the brougham look gained traction in the U.S. is an inexact science. For one thing, this design approach, which mimicked the classic look of luxury cars of the 1920s and 1930s, never quite disappeared from American roads.

Even during the height of sci-fi styling in the 1950s, you could find formal rooflines used in low-volume luxury cars such as the 1953 Packard Durham, the 1956-57 Continental Mark II and the 1960-63 Imperial LeBaron. A number of brands offered radiator-style grilles. In addition, the “continental” spare tire was fairly common during the 1950s.

Even so, one can point to when the brougham look emerged on higher-volume cars. Enter, the 1963 Cadillac. Although the Coupe de Ville two-door hardtop pictured here is not a very original design, it did mainstream the brougham look in a way that its competitors could not do during the first half of the 1960s.

Cadillac’s shift was no small thing. General Motors’ luxury-car brand had pioneered sci-fi styling in the 1950s. Although the 1961 Imperial was arguably the most outrageous example of the genre, the 1959 Cadillac was the most iconic.

1961 Lincoln nudges Cadillac away from sci-fi styling

The 1961-63 Lincoln Continental pioneered the brougham look more than any other car of the early-60s. However, this instant classic made a much bigger splash among the automotive intelligentsia than with the buying public.

Also see ‘The ‘compact’ 1961-63 Cadillac that went nowhere’

In 1963 Cadillac output hit an all-time record of roughly 163,000 units, which represented a whopping 78 percent of the U.S. luxury car market. That same year around 31,000 Continentals left the factory — which was only slightly better than its ungainly 1958 predecessor.

The 1962 Cadillac was a transition design. The rooflines were more formal and the overall vibe was less avant-garde. However, the front still had a rounded and horizontal look. Perhaps most importantly, the rear retained rocket-style fins.

1963 Cadillac was more angular — and understated

The 1963 Cadillac represented GM’s first big chance to respond to the 1961 Continental. Designers were clearly paying attention, because the Cadillac’s all-new sheetmetal had a much more squared-off and vertical appearance. This was particularly apparent in front. The 1962 models’ relatively flat and horizontal grille was ditched in favor of fenders that thrust ahead of a taller, bi-level grille.

Also see ‘What’s America’s most excessive car design?’

Meanwhile, the hood was given heavy creases that began at the base of the windshield and tapered into a more sharply V-shaped grille. Cadillac stuck with variations on this theme for years. The second photo below is a 1967 Cadillac.

The 1963 two-door hardtop’s roofline was given a more rounded shape similar to that of a convertible. In the photo below, note how far forward the base of the greenhouse begins relative to the trunk’s edge.

This particular car has a vinyl roof, which in 1963 was still relatively rare. Within five years a textured roof with an offsetting color would be all but required on any car emulating the brougham look.

Also see ‘1961-63 Lincoln Continental was not as iconic as often described’

The next photo shows how Cadillac began to adapt its traditional tail fins to the brougham era. The vertical fins were shrunk and the lower-side fins removed. In addition, the rear is much boxier than the previous year and the trunk lid has a small bustle-back.

The side styling received some of the biggest changes for 1963. The heavy creases of the 1961-62 models were replaced by fairly plain surfaces. The Lincoln’s influence is obvious but Cadillac’s approach not as austere — and bulky.

Cadillac coopts Lincoln without ditching its own look

The Cadillac’s styling during the post-war period is interesting because it offered the most gradual changes of any Big Three brand. This reinforced Cadillac’s design DNA to the point where it would never be confused with anyone else.

Also see ‘1964 Imperial could have been a better Lincoln Continental’

Given Cadillac’s success, I am surprised that more brands did not follow this strategy. Lincoln and Imperial tended to do the opposite, with mostly unimpressive results.

In short, the 1963 Cadillac shows how good General Motors once was at coopting the best styling cues of its competitors. Here GM took a big step toward mainstreaming the brougham look, which went on to dominate U.S. styling well into the early-80s.

NOTES:

This story was originally posted May 29, 2018, expanded on Dec. 11, 2020 and updated on Dec. 16, 2022. Production figures are from the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975 (Gunnell, 2002).

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RE:SOURCES

• Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.

ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:

• oldcaradvertising.com: Cadillac (1962, 1963); Imperial (1960)
• oldcarbrochures.org: Lincoln (1958, 1963)