Classy Cadillacs

[Steve Loftin]

Here are 1958 52" and 1962 48" jobs. The '62 was built for Shepard Ambulance for use at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.

Superior offered the following headrooms on Cadillacs from 1957-76:

Lowtops:

42" - 1959-76
43" - 1957-58

Hightops:

48" - 1957-62
50" - 1963-64
51" - 1965-76
52" - 1957-58
54" - 1959-62 and 1970-76

(factory photos)

 

[Steve Loftin]

1960 Royale Limousine combination
1963 Crown Royale Landaulet 3-way

(factory photos)

 

[Steve Loftin]

Here are two '62 lowtops. The first one is unusual in that it has sealed beam front tunnels (usually seen on California and other west coast cars) instead of the more common quads. This is the first Superior I've seen with these small flashers on the rear, similar to what Flxible used.

(factory photos)

 

[Steve Loftin]

1963 Royale Rescuer
1965 Rescuer (VERY nice!)

(factory postcards)

 

[Jacob M. Fournier]

The '62 was built for Shepard Ambulance for use at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.

Steve - do you have anymore photos of this car? I met a woman about a year ago who started in the EMS field in Seattle in the '70s, she worked on this car, or one similar, - I recall her saying that it had the World's Fair logo in the floor of the patient compartment.

 

[Steve Loftin]

Steve - do you have anymore photos of this car? I met a woman about a year ago who started in the EMS field in Seattle in the '70s, she worked on this car, or one similar, - I recall her saying that it had the World's Fair logo in the floor of the patient compartment.

No, but I wish I did. There is a different shot of it in the Superior book, but taken at a similar angle.

I would also like to know what colors the car was. I seem to remember seeing a color shot of it - many years ago, perhaps in a Life or Look magazine article about the fair - and it was gold and tan.

 

[Steve Loftin]

Here's another beauty; a '63 lowtop, the last photo in this batch. Her dual "360s" (as they used to be called on the left coast), B&M, and red spotlight tell us that the El Monte nameplates mean the city in California. She also has hanging hardware, a feature commonly found in CA lowtops.

Can any of our California guys tell us what service/agency owned this car?

(factory photo)

 

[Jim Jordan]

Here's another beauty; a '63 lowtop, the last photo in this batch. Her dual "360s" (as they used to be called on the left coast), B&M, and red spotlight tell us that the El Monte nameplates mean the city in California. She also has hanging hardware, a feature commonly found in CA lowtops.

Can any of our California guys tell us what service/agency owned this car?

(factory photo)

I kind of like the way the roof color is carried through to the center section of the hood.

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1956 Superior Beau Monde ads

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1953 Superior

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1960 Superior

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1957 Superior ads

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1959 Superior ads

 

[Martyn Donaldson]

1960 Superior Crown

 

[John Royark JR]

Love the 60 Superior Crown Royale 3 way in the last photo. That is identical to the one I used to own, even down to the midnight blue!

 

[Richard Vyse]

1957 Superior ads

I see this hearse is called a Criterion. Did Miller-Meteor steal the name Criterion for their ambulance from the Superior guys?

 

[Richard Vyse]

I bet the name Criterion was because the coaches had suicide doors. Each model shown features suicide doors even on the ambulance.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

I'll make a $100 public wager with you Richard if you're in fact a betting man.

 

[Paul Steinberg]

I see this hearse is called a Criterion. Did Miller-Meteor steal the name Criterion for their ambulance from the Superior guys?

cri·te·ri·on

   /kraɪˈtɪəriən/ Show Spelled[krahy-teer-ee-uhn] noun, plural cri·te·ri·a  /-ˈtɪəriə/ Show Spelled[-teer-ee-uh], cri·te·ri·ons. a standard of judgment or criticism; a rule or principle for evaluating or testing something.

I believe that Superior was using the name "Criterion" as meaning that all others would be held up to the "standard of judgment" of the Superior styling. Much like the way that Cadillac referred to itself as the "Standard of the World".

 

[Loren Baldwin]

One I found online from the local paper, not sure of the builder...Elmwood Place, Ohio