From My Collection... How about a little fun? -Part 2

With the arrival of the '62 Imperial models, an idea came to me about the range of these fine models I now had in my collection. So, I went about assembling them for the comparison photos. As I did that, another thought came to mind, about some comparison photos with the #1 competitor to the Imperial, Cadillac. 

So, if you're interested in a little bit of fun. Please continue, and as always, Thank-you for looking and indulging my crazy ideas.

Here's the 2nd match-up.

Now 1958, and a new car is on your horizon. You always wanted a convertible, and this is the year to make that happen. There is nothing better than the feel of an open-air vehicle. The wind in your hair, but what car does one choose?

The best choice is a car with some luxury and class. You do want to be noticed, right? In 1958, Cadillac is still the luxury leader in this field. Cadillac offers two convertible choices, the Eldorado Biarritz & the Series 62. The Eldorado has a distinctive style with a smoother appearance and less chrome than the Series 62. For 1958, Cadillac had more chrome trim than in any previous year. The Eldorado is unique, but at more than $7000, that is a big price to be that distinctive. Is it worth it? I thought not.

For my comparison, I chose the Series 62. It has all the glamour and class required but at nearly $5500, it is more of a reasonable choice for the money and besides, don’t you want the most chrome-laden example you can get?

We are again faced with the Imperial Crown Convertible as an option, and what an option it is. In the 2^nd year of its dramatic new design. When compared with the Cadillac, it is still lower & wider looking with a more streamlined presence that the Cadillac just doesn’t have. At just over $5700, the price is a good comparison to the Cadillac.

The Cadillac Series 62 Convertible far outsold the Imperial by huge numbers even in a recession year, despite the Imperial’s more distinctive styling. There were plenty of reasons for the low sales of the Imperial (I won’t go into those here), but for me, I’d once again choose it over the Cadillac.

What choice would you take?

As before, there are other options from Lincoln, Buick & Oldsmobile, however, I must limit my choices to the models that I have in my collection. I also put together a set of photos that include a NEO ’58 Lincoln Convertible. Since the Cadillac-Imperial match-up is what I am going for, this is a one-time grouping.

Now to the models I’ve chosen. Stamp has offered several ’58 Cadillac models, both in Series 62 Convertible and the Coupe de Ville Hardtop. I’ve featured one of each in these comparisons. Great Lighting Models and Tom Dirnberger Exclusives have given us some fine examples of the Imperial. All the models are great representations of the 1:1 they are modeled after (well two of them are).

The Series 62 & Coupe de Ville models were issued in 2021 & 2022. Both were offered in a couple of colors each. The Imperial was issued in 2021, and was available in four colors, two in the GLM Classic Series & two from TD Exclusives.

The Cadillac & Imperial

The Cadillac - Imperial & Lincoln