Cadillac Original Ads - 1964 Standard Ads

[Jason Edge]

Just as I had done last December with the standard 1963 Cadillacs magazine ads, I have started scanning my 1964 Cadillac Ads, and will post here one by one, then combine into a single photo album and point to from our Ads link in the header. When I am done perhaps there will be some I am missing... maybe not. 

FIRST UP for 1964 is one you were more likely to find in the ladies magazines like this one titled "Ladies Twist Cadillacs Around Their Little Fingers" from an issues of House & Garden.  In this ad we see a 1964 Coupe de Ville, with the tip of a 1963 Cadillac at the rear.

[Dennis P. DiBari]

Jason,

     This first ad is great.  Can't wait to see the rest of them when you finish.

Dennis DiBari

[Jason Edge]

Up Next, we have "When You First Take The Wheel Of A 1964 Cadillac". This ad features a 1964 Series 62 Coupe.  Note that the ad is still emphasizing the "advanced Hydra-Matic" for some models (including this one).  This would be the last year of the venerable Hydra-Matic and was only used on the Series 62, 75 Series and Commercial Chassis body styles for 1964, then completely phased out for the 1965 model year.

 

[Dennis P. DiBari]

Jason,

     Great ad.  I can relate to this - I have the exact model.  It looks great!

Dennis DiBari

[Jason Edge]

Up tonight in our look at the original  1964 Cadillac Print Ads, is  "Life is just one Cadillac After Another!" which features a Fleetwood 60 Special in foreground and a deVille Convertible in background over on left. 

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's new original print ad scan turns its focus to the new for 1964 engine and transmission. It is not chock full of numbers, and stats, and specs... which is sort of the point of the ad. This one is titled "Cadillac Owners Seldom Give The Engine A Thought" and features a Four Window Sedan de Ville.

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's featured original 1964 Cadillac print ad is
First One Up Get's The Cadillac.
which features another Four Window Sedan de Ville. Check it out:

 

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's featured original 1964 Cadillac print ad is
Try Looking At Your World Through A Cadillac Windshield,
which features a Fleetwood 60 Special.

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's featured original 1964 Cadillac print ad is
If You Have Never Driven A Cadillac,
which features a Coupe de Ville.

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's featured original 1964 Cadillac print ad is
It's Easy To Be A Weatherman In A New Cadillac!,
which features lady in a Fleetwood Eldorado in foreground watching a couple in a Fleetwood 60 Special in front of her. 

[Jason Edge]

There are several oddities about this pictures, some discussed on our Facebook Page:

- has AC sensor grill in dash (look to right of white glove), but no center AC outlet below radio. 
  
- Left and right ends of dash where other AC outlets would be located not in picture.  Also Dash Master Control not in picture. 
    
-  the inset picture bottom also has the wreath along with crest on center cap which points to Fleetwood Eldorado or Fleetwood Special at least for the inset picture.
     
- hood would probably appear at this angle through windshield.

- has bucket seats & has wood grain on dash which eliminates all but the Eldorado. 

- Perhaps a mockup or manipulated picture?

- It was noted by member Logan that the Fleetwood out front has bi-line whitewalls. Definitely not standard for 1964.

Also to note, while it might seem strange for an  Eldo to not have AC, or am/fm, AC was still no where near as standard as it is today with 75.4% of 1964's having AC, and convertibles were often seen without AC; and fm was still a relatively new thing.  If you want an example o fa 64 Eldorado with Heat Only and am only check out our last newsletter feature C. Van Tunes 1964 Eldorado. 

[C. Van Tune]

Jason, excellent comparison with the photos and the possibilities of why the "Eldo" with the lady wearing gloves is real or photo-manipulated. 

In those days, as we know, airbrushing was prevalent, and you can see that, for instance, the speedometer numbers appear bolder and brighter than if left untouched in the original photo. That was probably the work of a detail-artist with a fine-tipped brush going over the photo so the numerals were visible.  

Every square fraction of an inch of a photo was scrutinized, but even then mistakes could get by.  

For instance: Great catch on the dash top A/C temp sensor but no A/C vent in the center dash!  Wonder how many people ever noticed that?!

My guess would be that the two "Eldos" were interior buck cars with various states of equipment on them. The photo may have been taken very early in the interior styling for '64 timeframe, when they had no fully operational Climate Control cars that looked presentable enough for advertising pix. So, they purposely didn't show the ends of the dashboard (with probably no A/C vents) and simply used the inset photo of presumably the same gloved lady's hand operating the Climate Control dial...whether functional or not. 

It should be noted that this, and every other single advertising photo of two cars from the pre-digital era, (where the perspective of close up and far away in one photo has everything in crisp focus...perfect depth-of-field) means it was actually a composite of two photos cut and put together. 

Jason: I love stuff like this...and the minutae of the smallest details being uncovered and discussed.  Please keep it coming!  

Yep, my Eldo was a low option car (no Climate Control or AM/FM, or tilt wheel or Twilight Sentinel or Autronic Eye)  but it has buckets.  I'd guess it came from the West Coast or North East, where A/C wasn't needed. 

I find it kind of surprising that Cadillac's ad writers would use up valuable copy space to talk about the old HydraMatic transmission. Why not just promote the Turbo HM? 

[Jason Edge]

Tonight's featured original 1964 Cadillac print ad is
Your Cadillac Dealer Invites You to Be His Guest,
which features a Coupe de Ville.