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Cadillac Didn’t Make A Pink 1959 Cadillac, But The Masses Believe So

When the general public thinks of a pink Cadillac, minds instantly flock to a 1959 model with gorgeous tailfins and sweeping lines. But, the fact of the matter is Cadillac never made a pink 1959 Cadillac.

The myth-debunking comes from DriveTribe, via Diego Rosenberg. The author articulately combed through years of Cadillac factory colors to show 1956 was, indeed, the only year General Motors’ luxury division offered a rose-colored exterior hue. The pink Cadillac myth often stems from Elvis Presley, who owned such a car.

But, Elvis’ car is actually a 1955 model that was repainted from blue to pink. Our collective minds have simply associated the nostalgia with the 1959 model year. Arguably, 1959 was a pinnacle year for Cadillac and “rocket age” design trends. Posters and associated media still exist today depicting a 1959 Cadillac finished in pink.

The fact hasn’t stopped some from depicting the exact car, but know Cadillac never actually offered such a color for one of its staple 1959 models.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. From the Dept of Arcane Knowledge:

    I think they did offer a ‘Shell Pink’ version a few years later – Ali (then Cassius Clay) had one.

    Level 2 trivia –
    GM might not have called it ‘shell pink’.

    But in the late 50s/early 60s, Fender guitars (wanting to be the guitar Standard of the World) sourced most of their custom colors from DuPont’s Cadillac color catalogue.

    So, Olympic White (Jimi Hendrix), (Sea) Foam Green (Jeff Beck), Jack White (Detroit boy) plays a ‘Daphne Blue’ Fender, Kurt Cobain had two Jag-Stangs (Sonic Blue and Fiesta Red, both in the early 60s Cadillac color catalogue). Many more …

    Hope this isn’t TMI, but cars & guitars –
    Fender sourced Cadillac’s best colors for their ‘custom’ line – Lake Placid Blue, etc. A good, custom color 50s/60s Stratocaster is $45-50k.
    Way more, if owned by a luminary.

    Ok – sorry for boring you, but back in the day Cadillac colors only made great guitars even more special.

    Reply
    1. “But in the late 50s/early 60s, Fender guitars (wanting to be the guitar Standard of the World) sourced most of their custom colors from DuPont’s Cadillac color catalogue.”

      This is the kind of rich history I wish Cadillac would capitalize on. In some way or another… Cadillac used to mean world’s best. It still does, but few would say modern Cadillac is “the Cadillac of automakers”.

      Reply
      1. Funny you say that –

        I actually emailed Johan (who actually emailed me back!?!) –

        … the idea was: for SXSW in Austin, do an exhibit linking Cadillac’s effect on 60 years of music and culture – then offer maybe 10 Escalades of Hendrix Olympic White, Jack White’s Daphne Blue, Cobain’s Fiesta Red, etc … strictly limited edition, 10 (or less of each).

        It’s a better connection with Cadillac’s effect on music & culture than, say, the other SXSW co-opters (Doritos?); so have Austin homie Gary Clark Jr (yes, he’s young) play his Olympic White.

        Austin’s a huge music town, lots of social media influencers, a cool exhibit, and, eventually, have 6-7 Escalades in the coolest Cad/Fender famous colors – only 10 of each, maybe less. Sell them, sell them for charitable endeavors, or just gift them.

        Johan thought it was a cool idea. But he emailed me back and his ‘team’ (hi, Melody and Uwe) didn’t aspire to it.

        Coffee, copters to the Hamptons, Cadillac House – not sure if they didn’t get it, or it fell victim to the not-invented-here syndrome.

        But Johan got it – timeless, not dated.
        I’m not an old guy hanging onto the 60’s – I just see a cool connection that an audience of influencers @ SXSW would think was cool and spread the word.

        Ok – I’m done. Sorry again … TMI.

        Reply
  2. If you Google Fender guitar custom colors, they have the DuPont color chart from 1960/1/2 intended for Cadillac – Shoreline Gold, Dakota Red, Sonic Blue …

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  3. Reply
    1. An advertisement addressed to women with those words:

      “We invite you to visit your dealer — with the man of the house — and spend an hour in the passenger seat of a 1959 Cadillac”.

      And not the driver’s seat but the passenger seat should be “the world’s nicest place to sit” for a woman.

      Rosie the riveter must have been court-martialled, for such garbage to appear.

      Reply
  4. Woodrose Poly looks pretty pink to me… a standard 1959 Caddy color.

    Reply
    1. Read the original article and you’ll understand my point – the hallowed 1959 “Pink Cadillac” is pretty much a creation of popular culture.

      Thanks to Sean for writing about it!

      Reply
  5. Cadillac would paint cars any color you wanted from any available color for the three previous model years. Cadillac used “Mountain Laurel” as their pink color and therefore you could get a 1959 Cadillac in a color used in 1956 and 1957.

    Reply
    1. “Woulda, coulda” doesn’t count, sorry to day.

      Reply
      1. Meant “sorry to say.”

        Reply
  6. I owned a “Coral” 59 Cadillac Sedan Deville and it damn sure looked “pink”…….

    Reply
    1. Ok, I’m done after this – but (they say) coral was originally red-er, but they hadn’t figured out the right undercoat/overcoat combination to deal w/ UV exposure. Same for the guitars. It’s a cool color, though, that coral…

      Reply
  7. Gas guzzling ugly cars like this with wobbly suspension created the bad image which hampers Cadillac all over the world.

    Difficult to overcome.

    That’s why the South African had to go.

    Reply
  8. Reply
  9. Sean, Cadillac most certainly DID make a pink 1959 Cadillac…I owned one! I bought this beauty from the original owner; an older gentleman. That when I was in my late teens (and yes I loved “Caddys” even back then). It was not a particularly pretty pink; I would describe it as a dusty rose color but, what a beauty…I wish a thousand times over that I had never sold it.

    Reply
  10. my granddad has a pink 59 cadillac so they did make pink cadillac.

    Reply
    1. Read the original article and you’ll understand my point – the hallowed 1959 “Pink Cadillac” is pretty much a creation of popular culture.

      Reply
  11. While I won’t argue with the facts as they are stated, I almost beg to differ. Have seen many Rose-colored 59 Caddies…all very close in hue, etc. I do know this: In So. CA in/near Whittier there’s a huge, sprawling, well-known/renowned Cemetery/Mortuary by the name of Rose Hills…many of my family are buried there…and for years back in the 50s through at least the 90s and maybe still to the present, many of their professional cars…Cadillac hearses and limos nearly all…were of the soft Rose color to Match and market/identify their name…obviously custom painted likely at either the factory or other custom conversion works at the outset.

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  12. What’s being said is that Cadillac never marketed a 1959 model whose color name contained the word “pink”. Nor did they offer as standard fare a sort of “Pepto-Bismol” like color consistency. I mention this after many conversations with a gentleman and friend who was a salesman, beginning in 1950 and proceeding through four decades, for the now-defunct Tinney (later, Braun) Cadillac dealership in Buffalo New York.

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  13. This is completely wrong. In 1959 Cadillac offered “Wood Rose Metallic” And “Persian Sand Metallic” they may not have the name ‘pink’ in them but both are pink colors. I own one in Wood Rose, and no one would call it any other color besides pink, unless they are colorblind.

    Reply
    1. Please read my other comment from 2018.`

      Reply
  14. In June 1977 I bought a 1959 Cadillac from the original owners that bought it new in 1959. I received all their purchase paper work as well. The color of that Cadillac was a dusty desert rose color ~ very much a shade of pink ~ the interior was 2 tone , dusty rose & deep burgundy . I remember many comments on that car because of the color. It was original exterior color & original interior. It was not a baby pink, but very much in the pink color wheel. It was a beautiful Cadillac.

    Reply

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