Classic cars are like rolling time capsules—giving us a glimpse back in time. The mid-century American classics on eBay Motors reveal an era when Detroit designers were unhampered by efficiency and safety standards. In the 1950s and 1960s, gas was cheap, engines were giant, and trunks were huge. Slabs of sheet metal connected two chrome bumpers to create ultra-long vehicles often adorned with fanciful fins.
Land yachts, as these behemoths were called, were the top-of-the-line models available in the dealership’s showroom. The cars had long lists of options—all with pillowy rides and plush interiors.
1974 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Cadillac was the most prominent purveyor of land yachts. The length of today’s 2018 Cadillac XTS sedan is a modest 201 inches, compared to the 1974 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that measured to nearly 231 inches. The ’74 Caddy was powered by a whopping 500 cubic-inch (8.2-liter) engine.
1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five
Not long enough? Then check out the eBay Motors listings for this pair of 244.5-inch-long 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five personal limos—a model that stretched to 252 inches by 1975.
1959 Cadillac Roadster
The Bruce Springsteen 1981 tune, Pink Cadillac, pays homage to land yachts like this glorious reworked and befinned 1959 Elvis-inspired convertible, which is modest at a mere 225 inches in length. (Elvis made pink Cadillacs famous when he bought one in 1955, although boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson drove his earlier pink/fuchsia Caddy around Harlem—and on a European tour—in 1951.)
1958 Chrysler Imperial
Chrysler also made cruise-worthy sedans in the 1950s. Its 1956 Imperial extended the measuring tape to 229.6 inches. This 1958 Imperial comes close at 225.7 inches, as does this 1962 Chrysler 300 now available on eBay Motors with an overall length of 215.3 inches.
1976 Buick Electra
The Buick Electra 225—sometimes referred to as the “deuce and a quarter”—was named for its length. The name was retained into the mid-1970s even though the model grew to 233.7 inches—as seen in this one-owner surviving 1976 Buick Electra Landau Coupe. The 1975 Elektra was the longest Buick ever built, at nearly 19-and-a-half feet.
Of course, you could cheat by stretching any number of cars, SUVs, and trucks into a limousine—but those don’t count.
If you get serious about buying any of these land yachts, you’ll want to double-check the length of your garage. Or consider one of these portable, flexible carports.
