1964 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (RHD)

Cadillac has represented the pinnacle of American luxury motoring for the past century and their products have always reflected the mood of the nation - witness, for example, the rise of the fins and other styling excesses in the booming 1950s and the more sober, subdued elegance of the early 1960s as the Cold War began to really kick in. For 1964, Cadillac carried out a minor restyle of all models, with the radiator grille now divided by a horizontal bar that carried on around the beltline. The tailfins were now a more refined, blade-type. Mechanically, the 1964 range enjoyed more power from a larger 429-cid V8 that was rated at 340bhp at 4600rpm. The Cadillac range started with the Series 62 but for those seeking a little more exclusivity, the DeVille offered greater luxury and a new transmission - the Turbo-Hydramatic. Another innovation adopted by Cadillac in 1964 was the new Comfort Control combined heating and air conditioning system, operated via a thermostat dial on the dashboard and the envy of every other car manufacturer. Cadillac must have been doing something right for 1964, as production levels reached a new record of 165,959 cars in total - of which 38,195 were DeVille Hardtop Coupes like the vehicle offered here. As the maker's own advertising cried, the Cadillac for 1964 was "More Tempting than Ever!"