1965 Cadillac: Elegant Luxury
Conservative Styling, Top Quality in "The Standard of the World"
Jul 9, 2009
Cadillac established itself early on as a maker of well-designed and well-built vehicles. Its first car – the 1903 Cadillac powered by a single-cylinder engine – sold about 2500 examples for the model year and its fame spread.
“The Standard of the World” Pushes the Limits with the Cadillac V-12 and the Cadillac V-16
After its success in the 1908 Standardization Test by England’s Royal Automobile Club, Cadillac was awarded the Dewar Trophy, recognizing its parts-interchangeability as the year’s most important automotive development. For decades, Cadillac would call itself “The Standard of the World” and by the 1920s, it was evolving into one of the most outstanding – and coveted – cars of the pre-World War II years.
The "Cadillac V-8" name had gained a certain magic shortly after that engine's 1915 introduction, so it followed that the V-12 and V-16 would be the "Cadillac V-12" and the "Cadillac V-16." Those who recognized the 1931-40 Cadillac V-16 typically wanted one for the artful blend of extravagance, style and quality. The 1931-37 Cadillac V-12 was similarly esteemed and like the V-16 and V-8, symbolized having arrived.
Its Main Challenger Defeated, the 1956 Cadillac Now Leads
With its overhead-valve V-8 unveiled in 1949, Cadillac watched as long-time rival Packard slipped from the luxury market. Lincoln and Imperial remained as competitors, but not threats. The final year for the four was 1956 and all – even the dying Packard – were excellent cars.
Cadillac had the mystique, though, and while it would occasionally stray, it remained for many a dream and a goal. Its postwar cars to that point had been generally understated and the quiet dignity radiated by a 1956 Cadillac is easily felt today, but then the direction changed.
Tailfins Start to Grow with the 1957 Cadillac, But Restraint Ultimately Triumphs
The 1957 Cadillac began a transition from subtlety to flash in which fins grew to outlandish proportions and brightwork multiplied. After peaking in 1959, the trend wound down and by 1965, the fins were back to minimalist height. In terms of design, the car had a new look and it was a good one, the most striking difference from the 1964 Cadillac being the switch from horizontally grouped dual headlights to vertically aligned pairs. It helped to give the 1965 Cadillac a quality much more angular than that of its predecessors, particularly since its flat beltline extended straight from the top of the headlight to the top of the taillight.
Cadillac had wisely maintained several visual themes fairly consistently since before World War II and was again able to integrate the eggcrate grille and the veed hood’s point into a fresh look. The instantly recognizable result ensured visual continuity with previous models and not incidentally, that helped to keep up earlier cars' resale value, something Cadillac had never hesitated to encourage.
Not all of the differences for 1965 were as easily noticed as the headlights. The frame was redesigned to increase passenger room and for the first time in a decade, a four-door sedan was available. Side windows now curved slightly outward and even gave up the metal frames that had long protected their edges.
The Cadillac V-8 Remains Competitive
Left unchanged was the 429-cubic-inch, 340-horsepower V-8 that had arrived in 1964. There was no need to boost output when Lincoln’s 430 V-8 produced 320 horsepower and Imperial’s 413 was rated at 340 horsepower.
There was probably no need to shuffle names, either, but what had been the basic 1964 Cadillac Series 62 became the basic 1965 Cadillac Calais. Considered in light of Cadillac's philosophy, "basic" doesn’t mean a fleet car and it isn't a polite synonym for stripped.
Calais Costs Less, But LIke Fleetwood, de Ville and Eldorado, It's Still a 1965 Cadillac
A Calais’ standard-equipment list included an automatic transmission, power steering and brakes, a remote mirror and seat belts all around. Seen on the street, it would be taken by most to be simply a 1965 Cadillac unless studied carefully.
At $5029 for a two-door hardtop, the Calais was a good value. It cost $1220 less than a Fleetwood Sixty Special four-door sedan, $1695 less than an Eldorado convertible and $360 less than a Coupe de Ville. It was also priced $4687 less than a Fleetwood 75 limousine, admittedly an unfair comparison because the 75 was a very different kind of Cadillac.
The 1966 Cadillac displayed only minor differences and the next major change would come in 1967, when the line was extensively restyled and the front-wheel-drive Eldorado made its appearance.
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