This vast, unmistakeable turquoise beauty makes quite an impact driving around the small Lancashire town of Bacup. Jon Cass uncovers how it ended up there and who’s the lucky owner!
Words and photography: Jon Cass
Despite growing up in a small northern town, Chris Rushton has always had a fascination for old American cars and he’s gone on to own quite a few since his youth. His latest acquisition to create havoc in his local neighbourhood is this very imposing 1960 Cadillac Series 62. It’s fair to say, any old American car will stand out from the crowd in the UK, but there are always certain scenarios when such a sight seems so positively bizarre, you can’t help but smile. Witnessing the vast proportions of Chris Rushton’s unmissable Arroyo Turquoise metallic 1960 navigate its way through the tight and narrow streets of its current hometown of Bacup in Lancashire was certainly one such occasion. Surprisingly, Chris’s Series 62 isn’t the only American classic in this small town, although we’re pretty sure it must take up more road space than any other car that’s yet ventured there. Regular readers will probably recall the exploits of Bacup-based Doomsday Garage, specialists in repairing and restoring old American cars. The man behind this venture is Dave Evans who has quite rightly built up an unenviable reputation in his trade and we’ve seen more than a few examples of his impressive rebuilds grace our pages over the years. Dave’s enthusiasm for pre-75 cars from over the pond is certainly infectious and perhaps, predictably, many of his friends couldn’t resist joining the V8 party too.
Born in the Fifties, Chris doesn’t quite remember when he first became attracted to or fascinated by American cars: “I was surrounded by smoky cotton mills, drab colours and dreary looking British cars…” he laughs, “yet, in the fog of a young mind, the zing of vast swathes of chrome, futuristic styling and vibrant colours somehow stayed with me.” Chris’s interest was piqued further in 1971 when he happened to purchase a specialist car publication; although it wasn’t the striking hot rods or familiar classic cars that struck a chord within its content, it was the full-sized American cars. “Around this time, a chap in my town cruised around in a ’59 Buick Electra flat top,” he smiles. “It was the wildest thing on four wheels I’d ever seen.”
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Fuelled by the increasing inspiration which appeared to be falling at his feet, Chris bought himself a 1964 Pontiac Parisienne at the tender age of 18, but this was only the start of things to come. “I replaced that first Pontiac with another Parisienne, a ’67 Buick Electra and a ’66Chevy Stepside truck soon followed,” he recalls. “Later on I went for a much earlier ’37 Chevy Master Taxi.” Incidentally, the Master Taxi was one of four similar cars used in the film Captain America – The First Avenger, though only two of the quartet survive. A return to the Sixties them e would follow in the shape of a ’63 Oldsmobile Cutlass and more recently, holidays were taken in a comparatively sensible 1996 Chevy G30 Motorhome.
“One of my more unusual projects was based on a BMW E34 into which I slotted a 355cu in small block V8 with nitrous,” Chris explains. “After watching The Fast and The Furious, my son Elliott was talking about 10-second cars, so I showed him how to build one.” Chris succeeded too, as the E34 ran a 10.68 at York, with Elliott behind the wheel and a year later his sister Hol managed a 10.91 at Santa Pod. It would seem Engine Chris is happily content purchasing any car from the States that grabs his attention, and he was hardly likely to miss this stunning 1960 Cadillac Series 62 flat top. “It appeared for sale almost on my doorstep,” he explains. “I’d always been a fan of Cadillacs, but for me, this model has to be one of the most elegant, yet outrageously overstyled designs they ever produced.” Chris’s opinion must be shared by many other American car fans in the UK, as Cadillacs of this era are regularly to be seen at shows and always attract a crowd.
Undoubtedly, that attractive Arroyo Turquoise metallic paintwork helps ensure Chris cannot drive anywhere unnoticed and this is the car’s original colour. “It’s pretty much the same as it left the Riata dealership in San Antonio, Texas,” Chris tells us. “The only slight changes have been the fitment of an alternator and swapping to Kelsey Hayes-style wire wheels, though I do still have the original steel wheels and hub caps.” Those with keen eyes among you may notice the rocker trim isn’t original either and Chris has modified this to run wheel to wheel. Also, he adds, “it’s likely the dash top had cracked due to heat damage and this has been replaced at some stage.”
After living the early part of its life in Texas, the Cadillac moved to a new owner in Oklahoma before arriving in the UK in 1994. “The car has spent much of its time since in the Norfolk area, where its first UK owner had the exterior resprayed in the correct factory colour.” Chris surmises: “This wasn’t due to rust; but most probably because the original paintwork had faded.” The usual suspect areas for repairs such as the door bottoms, B-pillars and underside all remain rust- and weld-free, confirming this 65-year-old car has lived a relatively sheltered life.
Although Chris’s example is a base model Series 62, it’s still packed with many creature comforts you wouldn’t expect for a car of this age. “It seems the original owner specified a few optional extras,” Chris smiles, “these include electric windows, cloth seats, six-way electric front seats and a heater.” We should also mention the auto-dip headlamps and floor mounted push-button radio station selector; an idea which never really caught on. “The radio still works, and the headlining, carpets and rear bench are all untouched from when it left the factory,” Chris continues. “Unfortunately, air conditioning was never specified.”
As you’d expect, the Rochester four-jet carb fed 390cu in V8 with just 120k on the clock burbles along without fuss and automatic transmission makes for effortless cruising. “Since its arrival into the UK, the car has covered another 24,000 miles and I believe the engine has never required any major work,” Chris says. “It’s a dream to drive.”
Having two young children to ferry around, the Cadillac’s purchase proved to be a practical move too. “It’s not quite the most sensible four-door car I could have bought, but it does offer acres of space,” Chris laughs, “and the kids quite like it too.” You may also be surprised to hear this 1960 model is a rarer sight in the UK than its ’59 predecessor: “There are around 160 1959 models in the UK, but only around 50 from the following year,” he says. “Personally, I prefer the sleeker look of the later design, although all of the Cadillacs of this era are far from subtle!”
Many of the previous cars from the States acquired by Chris evolved into major projects, but reassuringly this hasn’t been the case as far as the Series 62 is concerned. “I’ve only needed to replace the sump gasket so far, other than carry out general servicing,” he says. “Most of the parts were easy to source, which has proved to be straightforward enough.” Thanks to being part of the Doomsday Garage group of like-minded friends, Chris is often to be found cruising in his Cadillac around the Lancashire hills in convoy with other not too dissimilar classic machines. “We own seven old American cars between us now,” he smiles, “it creates a real buzz when we all get together.” It sure does sound like the sleepy Lancashire town of Bacup has no option other than to wake up when Chris and the Doomsday Garage clan spring into action!
