Do you see XLRs??

[05 GRAND DADDY]

As our trip to Ocean City last week turned out most rainy, windy & cloudy, last Sunday it did get nice in morning so I did get some pictures from down at the inlet.
One special car was there was a 57 hard top convertible that was along the side line where I could get a few shots!
They was charging $10 per person to get into the inlet and it was half empty so we opted to snap some pictures from side lines.
Also last year there was another silver XLR there, but we did not see any this year !

Hope you enjoy!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Dan & Wendy
" 05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[ECurtis]

Thanks for posting these great pictures! I will say that that Thunderbird is hot! The manufacturer of that car (cannot use the F-Bomb here ) did a great job in recreating that iconic vehicle, and staying true to it.
I wonder if it did well in sales. Anyway, I was so impressed with it that I almost bought one. However, I came to my senses and bought an SSR instead! I just loved the fact that it was a truck and a hardtop convertible as well .

Speaking of hardtop convertibles, was the top on that vehicle in the picture automatic or did one have to lower the top manually?

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

Thanks for posting these great pictures! I will say that that Thunderbird is hot! The manufacturer of that car (cannot use the F-Bomb here ) did a great job in recreating that iconic vehicle, and staying true to it.
I wonder if it did well in sales. Anyway, I was so impressed with it that I almost bought one. However, I came to my senses and bought an SSR instead! I just loved the fact that it was a truck and a hardtop convertible as well .

Speaking of hardtop convertibles, was the top on that vehicle in the picture automatic or did one have to lower the top manually?

Your Welcome
To answer you question on the hard top check it out here fully automatic like ours! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfg9c0lag1A

 

[ECurtis]

Your Welcome
To answer you question on the hard top check it out here fully automatic like ours! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfg9c0lag1A

Thanks for finding this! This is great! It seems like it took another 50 years for someone to dust off the old concept of a hardtop convertible and apply it to our vehicles. It is amazing that it is fully automatic just like ours. Also they had the same drawback as we do today. When the top is down there is just no space left in the trunk. So I can see how this would be a hinderance back then with that large sedan. One could not go grocery shopping or on a picnic with their family and put the top down unless they put the bags in the back. On the other hand, perhaps where was some space underneath the top, but one would have to make sure that nothing moved during transport.

Once again this is great! Thanks!

 

[06infraredxlr]

"On the other hand, perhaps where was some space underneath the top, but one would have to make sure that nothing moved during transport."

There was space under the top, albeit limited, though not quite as limited as the XLR. I have seen these retractables with a container underneath the retracted top with items in them, such as polishes, rags, small coolers, etc. The tops on these F--ds were deeper than those on the XLR so that, positioned correctly, the top can be lowered over the container, assuming it's shallow enough.

 

[Eslic1]

There are 1 near me...

There is one nearby... Unsure where they live but it appears to be a Neiman Marcus version. Hopefully one day we'll get a chance to stop and chat....

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

"On the other hand, perhaps where was some space underneath the top, but one would have to make sure that nothing moved during transport."

There was space under the top, albeit limited, though not quite as limited as the XLR. I have seen these retractables with a container underneath the retracted top with items in them, such as polishes, rags, small coolers, etc. The tops on these F--ds were deeper than those on the XLR so that, positioned correctly, the top can be lowered over the container, assuming it's shallow enough.

Found this rare commercial on Google! Also another video shows they had some room in the trunk with top down you can also see it's not a 2 Seater Roadster there is a back seat! Very interesting for 1957. By the way that's the year I was born!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw0teZEWOKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb5xXcPjWSI

 

[ECurtis]

Found this rare commercial on Google! Also another video shows they had some room in the trunk with top down you can also see it's not a 2 Seater Roadster there is a back seat! Very interesting for 1957. By the way that's the year I was born!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw0teZEWOKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb5xXcPjWSI

Wow, those commercials were cool! I still think that it is so amazing that the concept of the hard top convertible took more than (50) years before it was fully realized. As I said before it must have been because of the restrictions in trunk space. Also it probably did not do well in ice and snow as I suspect our XLR's would not. Although it would be an interesting experiment to see just how well the top retracted and came up during extreme cold and how much snow weight it could lift. One would definitely need to remove the snow from it for storage. Nevertheless, it was cool to see the precurser to the modern hard top. The concept and operation is the same, even though the electronics have improved. However, I bet the mechanical portions are very much the same. Also I find it very interesting that the manufacture's crest eventually evolved to an oval, just as chevy's eventually evolved to the bowtie. Cadillac has kept their crest although it has been changed to remove some or all of the ducks that were on it.

A little off track, so back on track. Thanks for this get piece of history regarding the retractable hard top!

Also, along with 05 Grand Daddy, it shows that 57 produced some good things!

 

[sbrooks01]

Finally Saw One

Driving to work last week, I finally saw another XLR, and he gave me a honk on the 101 Freeway. Silver (like mine), but with light interior. It was newer because it had the little GM badge on the side. Still haven't seen another one in any other color.

No shortage of Teslas, though! The Tesla is the the new Prius here in L.A.!

 

[2barhaven2]

Re the 'not GM' Retractables, by coincidence I was posting to another thread yesterday and including a link to a show-car collection of a friend here. He has one of each of the three years these were manufactured, '57, '58 and '59; you can see some photos of two of them at www.vernonsantiquetoyshop.ca

 

[MarkSki]

While fueling my "Other" fiberglass car I saw an Xenon Blue XLR with driving sitting in the parking lot waiting for unknown.

I rolled up to him and found he lived only 10 miles from me. This is the first XLR that I've ever seen in my area. We talked a little and his Xenon Blue XLR is a 2005. He has had his XLR for the past 7 years.

I showed him and wrote down the two tricks that I now about the GPS where you can have your passenger change things on the move or play a DVD while moving.

I told him about this site if he was interested in meeting a great bunch of people and being able to pick up a few tips/tricks along the way.

 

[ECurtis]

While fueling my "Other" fiberglass car I saw an Xenon Blue XLR with driving sitting in the parking lot waiting for unknown.

I rolled up to him and found he lived only 10 miles from me. This is the first XLR that I've ever seen in my area. We talked a little and his Xenon Blue XLR is a 2005. He has had his XLR for the past 7 years.

I showed him and wrote down the two tricks that I now about the GPS where you can have your passenger change things on the move or play a DVD while moving.

I told him about this site if he was interested in meeting a great bunch of people and being able to pick up a few tips/tricks along the way.

That's great! It looks like these XLR's are finally coming out of hiding!

 

[ECurtis]

Re the 'not GM' Retractables, by coincidence I was posting to another thread yesterday and including a link to a show-car collection of a friend here. He has one of each of the three years these were manufactured, '57, '58 and '59; you can see some photos of two of them at www.vernonsantiquetoyshop.ca

Thanks 2barhaven2! What is interesting is that the XLR retraction time seems to be about the same as the "not GM retractables". Even if I am wrong I think that the only thing I would change about the XLR is that I would like the hard top retraction time to be about (15) seconds. Then a person could shift into park, retract the top and then shift back into drive before the stop light changed. I would just love to be able to lower my top at a stop light without fear of the light changing before the top is fully stowed.

 

[madcurl]

I was looking for some old pictures and came across pictures of a black XLR at SEMA ( I believe it was several years ago?). Anyway, I knew some day I would get me one.

 

[SanDiegoXLR]

I totally agree....always too nervous to lower my top at a red light....would hate to have everyone wait behind me. Wish the cycle was just slightly faster.

Is the XLR the only retractable hardtop that lifts up the tonneau panel instead of tilting back (like Mercedes, BMW, etc)?

 

[Stella]

I totally agree....always too nervous to lower my top at a red light....would hate to have everyone wait behind me. Wish the cycle was just slightly faster.

Is the XLR the only retractable hardtop that lifts up the tonneau panel instead of tilting back (like Mercedes, BMW, etc)?

Just curious, why would you decide to lower your top at a intersection. Don't you already have the top down when you started the commute. The only time I can see that you would put up the top in a hurry is if you drove into rain. Unless you don't get enough attention from driving these beauties.

 

[SanDiegoXLR]

Sometimes if I'm running late to an appointment and the top is already up, I'll just head to where I'm going. Some of the traffic lights in San Diego are 3+ minutes long, so those are good places to lower it (if you drive up at the beginning of the red light cycle).

Just curious, why would you decide to lower your top at a intersection. Don't you already have the top down when you started the commute. The only time I can see that you would put up the top in a hurry is if you drove into rain. Unless you don't get enough attention from driving these beauties.

 

[XLRATING]

Saw a black base with a mesh grill & red calipers today. Long gone by the time I got on the same road. I've only seen black XLR's near my house - seen a bigger variety near my work.

 

[ECurtis]

Sometimes if I'm running late to an appointment and the top is already up, I'll just head to where I'm going. Some of the traffic lights in San Diego are 3+ minutes long, so those are good places to lower it (if you drive up at the beginning of the red light cycle).

Also sometimes it's much too cold or dark when you first start out in the morning. Latter when it warms up it is time for top down driving! yeah!

 

[CadillacCustomerService]

Driving to work last week, I finally saw another XLR, and he gave me a honk on the 101 Freeway. Silver (like mine), but with light interior. It was newer because it had the little GM badge on the side. Still haven't seen another one in any other color.

No shortage of Teslas, though! The Tesla is the the new Prius here in L.A.!

Awesome,

Now that's what we call Cadillac camaraderie!

,

William R.
Cadillac Customer Care