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The third was "El Rancho," a convertible painted "in the singing thunder of a Mexican Dawn" (brown), and soon to be driven by Cadillac Boss John F. Gordon on his Arizona ranch. It has kip-side suede trim, antiqued silver hardware, steer-head escutcheons on the doorsills, and saddle-stitched pistol holsters on the doors. The fourth "sybaritic specimen" was a sedan in "Caribbean Day Break" (green), which would go to some other G.M. executive.
Two for the Show. The crowds at the Waldorf would eye the Cadillacs, perhaps with envy, but what they really went to see were the cars they could buy. Here there were some touches of splendor, too.
CHEVROLET had been radically changed in a big bid to stay out front in the lowest-price field. Lower and bigger, the Chevvy has larger windows, curving windshield, and new front-axle springing to make riding and steering easier. Also, for better riding, the rear seat has been moved ahead of the axle; for better visibility, the defroster keeps the entire windshield clear. Seats are wider, 60 inches in front and 58⅜ inches in the rear. Both the Fleetline (with the torpedo back) and the Styleline (with the square "bustle back") have Chevvy's 90 h.p. valve-in-head engine. The inevitable question: Is Chevrolet as handsome as the Ford? Some shoppers would think that Ford's front end is more clean-cut. Whether or not Chevrolet's rounded overall design is more graceful than the boxier Ford is a point that will be argued for months.
PONTIAC has lowered its hood and roof, widened the seats and gained a suave look reminiscent of that car of distinction, Ford's old Lincoln Continental. A styling touch: the instrument-panel clock is in the center of a concentric-ringed radio speaker. Pontiac has dropped its Torpedo line in favor of the Chieftain. Both it and the Streamliner come as 90-h.p. sixes or 103-h.p. eights. Optional Hydra-Matic transmission ($185 extra) has proved so popular it will be built into 75% of all Pontiacs.
BUICK is banking heavily on its "revolutionary" Dynaflow automatic transmission, which has eliminated the manual shift for normal driving. This year Dynaflow is standard on Buick's big 155-h.p. Roadmaster, extra ($200) on the 120-h.p. Super. Buick's circular "venti-ports" on its front fenders, partly a styling fillip and partly for engine cooling, have already earned the Super the nickname the "three-holer" and the Roadmaster the "four-holer."
OLDSMOBILE'S big talking point is under the hood of the "Futuramic 98" Series: the V-8 "Rocket" engine, with a 7.25-to-1 compression ratio.* This gives it 135 h.p. while using less gas than the old 115-h.p. motor. It can be stepped up to a 12-to-1 ratio—with increased horsepower and lower gas consumption—whenever the higher octane fuel it requires is available at gas stations.
CADILLAC has ventured even farther along the high-compression road. Its 160-h.p. V-8 engine, most powerful in any G.M. car, has a 7.5-to-1 ratio, yet is 5 inches shorter and 215 pounds lighter than last year's. The mileage, 14 to a gallon, is 15% better. Last year, by introducing rear fenders with raised fins, Cadillac raised customers' brows. Now it has the satisfaction of seeing the style widely copied in G.M. cars.