1963 Cadillac Convertible: Hefty and Thirsty
“I’ve been in love with Cadillacs ever since Uncle Joe stopped by my parent’s house with his 1964 Cadillac,” says William F. James, Jr. He was only seven years old at the time, but the big convertible made an indelible impression.
“I’ve been taken by 1963 and 1964 Cadillacs ever since,” he recalls. Both sets of his grandparents drove Cadillacs, but they were sedate models and couldn’t compare to Uncle Joe’s flashy Cadillac.
Through high school and college James made do with lesser cars. As a treat to himself when he received his master’s degree, James bought himself a new Cadillac.
“It wasn’t the same,” he remembers. “It was all plastic.” It left him pacified, but not satisfied. James says, “I’ve wanted a ‘63 or ‘64 Cadillac convertible since I was a kid.”
He began scouting about for an old Cadillac in good condition, and found a restored 1963 Cadillac Eldorado convertible in St. Louis at an auto museum.
“Is this the stupidest thing I’ve done?” wondered James as he boarded an airplane to St. Louis. In bitter-cold Missouri, he inspected and drove the Cadillac and found it satisfactory, except for a persistent shimmy in the front end.
Even so, he signed the papers and flew back home to North Carolina. The Cadillac arrived a week later on an enclosed car transporter. “It was almost like Christmas,” he says.
James has since learned that 1,825 Cadillac Eldorado convertibles were built in the 1963 model year. He discovered that his car was manufactured Sept. 20, 1962, and was 1963 Eldorado number 36. The base price for the 4,640-pound hefty convertible was $6,608.
Philippine “Nara” wood accents highlight the red-and-white-leather-covered interior. Extra-cost accessories on the car now include air conditioning ($474), AM/FM radio ($191), cruise control ($97), controlled differential ($54), remote trunk release ($53), SoftRay glass ($52), adjustable steering wheel ($48), power locks ($46), Guide-Matic lights ($45), and front seat belts ($44). The options boosted the price of the Fire-Frost Red Cadillac to $7,713.
That front-end shimmy problem was corrected. The problem was similar to that on one of his grandparent’s Cadillacs.
James can comfortably fit his family of six in the Cadillac. “I’m trying to get my kids to reflect back to a time when cars were fun,” he says. “Cars today look like eggs.”
“It’s not just a car,” James says. “I don’t drive it in the rain, but I have fun just having it.”
“I’m very persnickety about where I take it.” He notes that, once on the highway, opening up all four barrels on the Rochester carburetor is exhilarating.
He reports around-town mileage for this thirsty guzzler in the neighborhood of 8 miles per gallon. The 390-cubic-inch V-8 engine produces 325 horsepower, which easily propels the 18-foot, 7-inch-long Cadillac on a luxuriously lengthy 129.5-inch wheelbase.
