1960 Cadillac Convertible

The build in detail.

Some cars whisper. A 1960 Cadillac convertible does not know how. It is nineteen feet of chrome and tailfin and unapologetic American swagger, and when Guy Teel handed his silver Coupe deVille to Crown, the brief was simple in spirit and enormous in execution: keep every ounce of that 1960 presence, and give it a heart worthy of the swagger.

So Crown reached for a big block. Out came the old drivetrain; in went a Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet 502, five hundred and two cubic inches of fuel-injected torque, backed by a four-speed automatic, a 12-bolt Positraction rear on 3.73 gears, and a fresh steel driveshaft to put it all to the ground. Stainless exhaust. Aluminum radiator. An in-tank pump to feed the injection. This Cadillac would idle like a limousine and pull like a freight train.

The chassis got the same respect. Wilwood discs at all four corners, tucked cleverly behind the original spoked Cadillac wheels so the period look survives the modern stopping power. Air ride at the rear, self-leveling so the big Caddy sits right whether it is running solo or towing, with the compressor and tank hidden in the trunk. Cold air conditioning. A digital-analog dash that reads like 1960 but thinks like today. Even a hidden tow hitch, because Guy meant to use this thing.

They called it the Big Daddy Caddy, and the name fits. This is no static show car. It is a 1960 Cadillac convertible you can drive across a state, in comfort, at speed, with the top down and a big block singing behind that acre of hood. Which is exactly the point.

Under the hood, power comes from a fully rebuilt 289 cubic-inch Small Block Ford V8, appropriately detailed in Ford BlueIn-tank fuel pump feeding electronic fuel injection. The engine is paired with a completely rebuilt C4 automatic transmission, breathing through a custom-fabricated exhaust systemAluminum radiator with integrated transmission cooler.

Self-leveling rear air ride with trunk-mounted compressor and tank. Stopping power is drastically improved thanks to a front power disc brake conversion with black calipers and drilled/slotted rotors, paired with freshly resurfaced rear drums.

Custom hidden tow hitch, lap belts, and refreshed paint and interiorDigital-analog dash: speedo, tach, fuel, oil, temperature, volts, gear and odometerAftermarket air conditioning with heat and defrost.