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Originally Posted by orconn  Chad, I remember them driving like my 1967 Ford Thunderbird Coupe, which was the worst driving car I ever owned. Driving a brick supended on four squishy coil springs with dead steering. A car disinclined to go in any direction but straight. Despite the Continentals big displacement engines the car were sluggish. |
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Originally Posted by orconn While Imperials had torsion bar front suspension which gave them an edge in the handling category ( this was also helped by a lower center of gravity and harder spring settings) they didn't deliver the smooth refined feel that a Cadillac gave. And the fit and finish wasn't up to Lincoln or Cadillac standards in my opinion. The Imperial just gave a coarser less refined overall experience of the same period. I lover the look of the '55 and '56 Imperials both in sedan and coupe configeration, but the quality seem to go to hell in 1957 and remained sub par to their demise. |
I have a book of Sixties Cadillac road tests, and it includes one from 1965 comparing a Sedan de Ville, Continental and Imperial Crown.
Truth be told, they didn't much care for any of them, saying size was about all they had over the mid-price brands like Buick, Mercury and Chrysler. They reported the handling of the Continental was atrocious, it was better in the Imperial, but its ride was the worst. I believe the Cadillac came out on top in the balance of ride and drive, though they didn't think the new perimeter frame was all that sturdy (too many squeaks and rattles over a rutted dirt road). About the only thing they liked about the Connie was its styling.
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Originally Posted by hueterm I forget which Continental was the twin to it, but my Dad's old '62 T-Bird was a beautiful car, but it really wasn't a fun car to drive. Lifeless steering, barely adequate power.... He said the '56 Bel-Air, '64 and '66 Impalas, and the '70 GP were all much better driving. (The only one I can attest to is the GP, and he is right on that one.) |
As I've said many times before (and I hope it's not annoying anybody), the '64 Impala is a fine driving car and a lot of fun, whether the road is straight or curvy. It's much lighter than the luxury brands at only ~3,700 lbs., so the 250-hp 327 moves it along easily at any speed. The ride is very smooth without being floaty, braking is good for 4-wheel drums, the steering takes a lot of twirling, but you can feel the road, and it will take corners with aplomb. A friend (who owned a '94 BMW 3-Series at the time) drove Betty over my favorite roller coaster road, and after taking her through the turns said, "I can't believe how well this car handles!"
Granted, I've upgraded Betty with wider tires, premium shocks and a rear stabilizer bar, but the basic design is solid. The '64 Impala I learned to drive in had skinny bias plies, and she'd heel over in a turn like the
Andrea Doria, but once there, she remained planted and steady. No plowing or washing out the front end. I was following a friend one time, and I think he was trying to lose me, because he was flying down this side street. I forgot about this huge dip, and hit the brakes too late. I wouldn't be surprised if the front wheels left the ground at least and inch or two, but the car stabilized immediately after the dip, and except for that initial rise, I never felt out of control.
Contemporary road tests give Sixties Impalas similar praise (I have a book of those, too), although there's one owner's report of a '66 Impala SS that's rather amusing for his tongue-in-cheek complaints about just about everything). Other Cadillac road tests in my book, particularly of a '61 Coupe de Ville and a '63 Sedan de Ville Park Avenue are highly complimentary, both of engine performance as well as ride and handling. So I would expect the Cadillac would beat the Continental in terms of driving.
I love the looks of Sixties Cadillacs as well, so despite the timeless elegance of the Connie, I'd probably still pick the Cadillac, preferably a '64 Eldorado convertible or Fleetwood, probably the most tasteful iteration of the famous tailfins.