Luxury cars are among the most desired on the market, with most people preferring to drive and ride in comfort – unlike us motoring enthusiasts who prefer speed and power. While many luxury cars are available on the used car market, the classic American models just have a cool edge about them.
The luxury car debuted in Europe in the early 1900s with the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley but gained momentum in the US when companies like Cadillac and Duesenberg made them more accessible. Granted, these cars still cost a huge amount of money, but they were on par in terms of luxury with the European offerings. The luxury car in the US continued at a steady pace, until the 1950s and 1960s when the idea of the ‘personal luxury vehicle’ grabbed the attention of the public. Soon, everyone from Cadillac and Lincoln to Buick and Oldsmobile was building competing models. Some were very luxurious, although lacking performance thanks to the energy crisis – but still had many great features.
Classic American luxury cars are great beasts of the past which are still extremely luxurious and are available for a fraction of the price of a new car. Here are ten of the coolest classic American luxury cars that are worth every penny.
10 1975 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - $12,600
The fourth-generation Cadillac Coupe DeVille is one of the most iconic for one reason only – it has the biggest production V8 engine ever put in a car. The monster under the hood is an 8.2-liter unit, producing just 210 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque.
The interior was available with suede and in a bunch of 1970s-style colors, but quite comfortable and opulent. The Coupe DeVille is a great car and bragging about the engine is probably the coolest feature of the car – even if it’s much slower than a Toyota Camry.
9 1973 Buick Riviera - $18,200
The 1973 Buick Riviera is quite famous as it was the generation the American company introduced the boattail rear end – which didn’t sell very well. The Riviera featured a massive 7.5-liter V8 producing 315 hp – or 330 hp with the Grand Sport package.
The Riviera is a special car today as the boattail rear end is unique within the motoring world, only really being used by luxury carmakers such as Rolls-Royce and coachbuilders in Italy. The Riviera also has a great name for a luxury car, invoking visions of the French or Italian Riviera whenever the name is uttered.
8 1963 Lincoln Continental - $52,500
The 1963 Lincoln Continental is probably the most famous for being the car of choice for American presidents of the time, with a special Continental Landaulet being the car used by John F. Kennedy on that fateful day in 1963.
The Continental is unique as it was available as a convertible 4-door sedan that had ‘suicide-style’ rear doors – way before Rolls-Royce adopted the idea. Powering the Continental was a choice of 7.0, 7.5, and 7.6-liter V8s mated to 3-speed automatics. Performance wasn’t particularly important as the car was great on its own.
7 1957 Ford Thunderbird - $29,200
The original Ford Thunderbird was pretty much the start of the personal luxury car era, showcasing great styling and adequate performance within a luxury two-door. The Thunderbird initially became a competitor to Chevrolet’s Corvette but turned out to be a different car altogether.
The Thunderbird used the 4.8-liter V8 from Mercury, which was upped to 5.1 liters in 1957 and further upgraded with a Holley carburetor and an optional Paxton supercharger as an option. This resulted in either 245 hp or 300 hp – the latter with the forced induction.
6 1960 Buick Electra - $46,800
The first-generation Buick Electra is a gorgeous example of classic Americana. The Electra was designed in direct competition with the Cadillac Series 62 and so followed the Caddy’s winged styling – but with a more elegant and angled approach.
The only engine option was a 6.6-liter V8 producing 325 hp, mated to a 2-speed automatic. The Electra also got power steering and power brakes, making it quite luxurious to drive. The Electra was available as a 4-door sedan, 2-door sedan, or 2-door convertible.
5 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible - $179,000
The Cadillac Eldorado – also known as the Series 62 – is the absolute peak of the wing-era vehicles, featuring the largest rear wings of any production car. The Eldorado is an absolutely beautiful vehicle that is primarily built for cruising, rather than spirited driving.
The Eldorado is the 2-door convertible variant and featured a 6.4-liter V8 producing 325 hp going to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Eldorado has some pretty great features, but the best of the lot is the way it looks – by far.
4 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V - $11,900
The Lincoln Continental Mark V is another famous generation of the American luxury car. The Mark V is known for its styling – which looks a bit like a gothic cathedral – and the fact that the standard car is 15 inches longer than a Mercedes-Maybach S680 Long-Wheelbase.
The Continental Mark V features either a 6.6-liter or a 7.5-liter V8, producing either 179 or 208 hp. Both engines send power to the rear wheels via a 3-speed automatic. The Continental Mark V is one of the coolest classic American luxury cars simply because it is so ridiculously long.
3 1932 Duesenberg SJ Torpedo Phaeton - $1,100,000
Heading to before the Second World War, the Duesenberg Model SJ was the fastest production car on the planet – an accolade it added to the fact that many called it the American Rolls-Royce. The Model SJ Torpedo Phaeton added some extra bits to make it one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
The SJ featured a 6.9-liter supercharged straight-8 engine producing an incredible 320 hp for the time. This large amount of power allowed the SJ to go 104 mph and complete the 0-60 mph sprint in just 8 seconds – still impressive by today’s standards.
2 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado - $20,200
The Oldsmobile Toronado is a weird but cool classic personal luxury car. The stand-out feature was that it was a larger coupe with a hood longer than some driveways. The reason for this is that Oldsmobile made the Toronado front-wheel-drive.
To keep up with the growing performance war, they then gave the front-drive Toronado a 7.5-liter V8 producing 385 hp – or 400 hp with the W-34 option. Still, the Toronado was a comfortable cruiser that could keep up with any of the rear-drive competitors but had better handling.
1 1956 Chrysler Imperial Crown Series 1 - $50,500
In the mid to late 1950s, Chrysler created the Imperial brand from its Imperial model as a rival not only to Cadillac and Lincoln but also to Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The Imperial nameplate lasted until 1983, with the Chrysler Imperial going until the early 1990s.
The Imperial Series 1 is a gorgeous luxury sedan designed by Virgil Exner and featured the excellent Firepower HEMI V8s, mated to either a 2-speed auto in 1955 or a 3-speed auto in 1956. Interestingly, the Imperial Series 1 was so good, that French automaker Facel Vega and Chinese automaker Hongqi used it as the basis for their own cars – using the same engines and transmissions. The Series 1 Imperial is definitely a classic American luxury car worth every single penny.
Sources: Hagerty, RM Sotheby's, Ford Motor Company, Buick Riviera Owners Club of America