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I know that "personal luxury" moniker kind of sounds weird to some of our younger posters, so I will define the term a bit. I consider a personal luxury car something that is bigger than a sports car, yet it can be the size of an aircraft carrier, but it has to have a decent sized back seat and trunk. I consider the era started around when Ford introduced the 1956 Continental Mark II, and later the 1958 Thunderbird . . . .
Anyways, personal luxury coupes have always been about style IMO, some of my favorites include:
1965 Riveria
1971 Buick Riveria, perhaps my favorite "personal luxury car", as it is just so vulgar, yet awesome, yet has a decent engine underhood, it was before the era GM went to total *****
I'm also fond of the "knife blade" school of thought . . .
1967 Cadillac Eldorado, other than the tacky optional vinyl roof, this has to be the best "mid-century" Cadillac design. Its so damn clean, a bit severe in its angles, not a ton of chrome, man what a clean design IMO. From a pure design standpoint, this is my favorite Cadillac, its one of those cars that can be displayed in a museum, admired for being different, a bit art deco in terms of the severe and clean lines it has . . .
EDIT, it is a close tie, but I will for style points give the 1967 Eldorado the nod, but I do love the 1971 Riveria, especially the GS with no vinyl top, bucket seats and that big 455 motor under hood.
The '71 Riv certainly opened some eyes with its boat-tail styling, but IMO it was not as well-built as big Buicks of the 1960s. Quality dropped noticeably from the '69/70 generation to the '71-74.
The '64-66 Ford Thunderbird certainly had one of the most stunning interiors for its day......and its baked-enamel paint job was far more durable and better-done than the acrylic-lacquer that GM was using (remember, this was in the days before clearcoat). Its steering column swung away, to the right, for easy entry/exit....then locked into place for driving. It also had large, effective front power disc brakes in a era when most cars had drums.
The personal luxury coupe is a uniquely American model. The Europeans did not have anything of the sort (unless you include the ultra-rare Rolls-Royce coupes); and the Japanese certainly did not.
When I first became truly interested in cars was when the personal luxury coupe was in its heyday, in the mid-1970s, before the GM A-body coupes (Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme) were downsized into irrelevance in the late 1970s, and then faded away when the Monte Carlo found its way onto a FWD platform, and eventually died an unnoticed death, even though it lingered on to 2007.
We must not forget the Lincoln Continental Mark III, IV, V, VII and VIII (I purposely did not include the downsized-special Panther platform Mark VI). I just realized that the Mark VIII lived on until 1998, definitely the last of the breed.
The personal luxury coupe is a uniquely American model. The Europeans did not have anything of the sort (unless you include the ultra-rare Rolls-Royce coupes); and the Japanese certainly did not.
How about the BMW 850i?..............arguably, IMO, the most beautifully-shaped car BMW has ever done.
There's a rundown Riviera at a condo community that I frequently inspect and every time I see it amazes me how beautifully striking it is. I'm generally not a fan of older cars, but this thing is nice. I'm constantly tempted to track down the owner and attempt strike a deal with them.
The personal luxury coupe is a uniquely American model. The Europeans did not have anything of the sort (unless you include the ultra-rare Rolls-Royce coupes); and the Japanese certainly did not.
It depends what criteria needs to be filled to meet the mark of "personal luxury coupe". Plenty of luxurious performance coupes with better fit and finish and much more performance than most of the big "yank tanks", available from Japan and Europe. They are often smaller as it wasn't necessary of in their automotive culture to make boats on wheels like the Americans. I love a lot of the big old U.S cars in this segment, but I would prefer a lot of other performance/luxury coupes from that era from other areas.
How about the BMW 850i?..............arguably, IMO, the most beautifully-shaped car BMW has ever done.
I have always had a thing for these, I have come close to buying one more than once but common sense prevails. I believe it is the best looking BMW as well.
I know that "personal luxury" moniker kind of sounds weird to some of our younger posters, so I will define the term a bit. I consider a personal luxury car something that is bigger than a sports car, yet it can be the size of an aircraft carrier, but it has to have a decent sized back seat and trunk. I consider the era started around when Ford introduced the 1956 Continental Mark II, and later the 1958 Thunderbird . . . .
Anyways, personal luxury coupes have always been about style IMO
I agree with this definition, with some additions / clarifications... Larger than a sports car or European Grand Touring (GT) coupe (of which there are many examples above), with old, traditional coupe styling of loooong hood and short rear deck exaggerated to the extreme, and drives like old American Iron (meaning floating down the Interstate). I once saw a reviewer's write-up that said that the hood had to be long enough to land a fighter-plane on.
The American personal luxury coupe cannot be compared to a European GT coupe. The GT is (much) smaller, and too firm and buttoned down to be comparable with the American personal luxury coupe.
I guess you had to live during the time that these real, true American boats were in fashion or be a real, dedicated fan of old American Iron to appreciate them. For a kid growing up in that era, these big boats were really imposing, especially if you were riding in a tiny 1st-generation Honda Civic and a Lincoln Mark IV drove up alongside. The oil crises of the mid- to late-1970s really killed them off.
I consider the era started around when Ford introduced the 1956 Continental Mark II, and later the 1958 Thunderbird . . . .
The Mark II started as a hand-built, super-luxury coupe for Henry Ford II (who had an ego longer than its hood LOL), and was put into production as a $10,000 special-order car for the public. At the time, it was the most expensive American car in production......exceeded only by some Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and top-level Mercedes limos. (and Ford still reportedly lost $1000 on each one LOL).
I own a 1992 SC300/5 speed, love that car. Its one of those few "modern" cars(aka cars that had to comply safety/government standards) that I consider truly beautiful. Granted the stock 15" wheels on the SC300 sucked(I think the 15" wheel/small brakes thing on the base cars was an accounting decision), but other than that, it is one of those cars I can stare at for hours, you can tell the designers really fussed over every single little detail on this car.
Another one of my favorites is the Lincoln Mark V, just love the severe angles and wild colors they came in. That oval "opera window" was just too pimp. The two tone color combos were where it was at though, like this 1979 Bill Blass edition.
Note the white leather with blue accent piping/blue dashboard/blue carpet
1984 Mazda 929/Cosmo styled by Bertone of Italy outside & inside with brushed aluminium dash, 2.0 squared bore x stroke and electronic fuel injection, 4 speed auto with lock up torque converter, and automatic electronic variable valve shock absorbers...
1978-85 Mazda RX-7
In those days, S Class Coupe was great too:
Loved the Porsche 928S; the styling was well ahead of its time, with a sweeping central console, and air vents integrated into the side arm rests...
06-08-17, 02:21 AM
Looking back, your favorite "personal luxury" coupes . . . . .
, and was put into production as a $10,000 special-order car for the public. At the time, it was the most expensive American car in production......exceeded only by some Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and top-level Mercedes limos. (and Ford still reportedly lost $1000 on each one LOL).
