Autoweek recalls the 1954 Cadillac Eldorado

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Brooks Bierly at Autoweek has a nice perspective piece on the 1954 Cadillac Eldorado.  The Eldorado was introduced in 1953 as a premium, top-of-the-line convertible coupe, similar to the Cadillac XLR-V today.  In 1954 it had a new longer wheel-base, wrap-around windshield and custom wire wheels.

The Standard Catalog of Cadillac notes that the Eldorado featured golden identifying crests centered directly behind the air-slot fenderbreaks, and wide fluted beauty panels to decorate the lower rear body sides.  These panels were made of extruded aluminum.  There were monogram plates on the doors, and custom interior trimmings with the Cadillac crest embossed on the seat bolsters, similar to the touches added to the redesigned Cadillac CTS in 2008.

Automatic windshield washers, power steering, a 12-volt electrical system, and aluminum alloy pistons made the long standard equipment list in 1954.

Another one-off creation also appeared in 1954 — an exclusive, one-off Sedan DeVille!

Thanks to Autoweek and owner Bill Parfet for this beautiful living history!

1954 Cadillac Eldorado

1954 Cadillac Eldorado

Bob Lutz: Colbert Report an experience like no other in my career

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Bob Lutz went on the Colbert Report last night to discuss the new Chevrolet Volt. The Colbert Report is a ‘comedy news’ satire done by Stephen Colbert as a parody of a right-wing news / opinion program.   Mr. Lutz blogged his impressions of the show on the GMBlog.

You can see the entire Sept 17 Episode of the Colbert Report at the Comedy Central site here after a brief commercial.

Some basic information and facts about the Chevrolet Volt came out during the improvisational interview / discussion.  Nothing new to report, but it is important to inform new audiences about the basics about this new model and new drivetrain technology.

Overall in my opinion it went well, and I am glad to see General Motors executives participate in this type of opportunity.

Jalopnik’s coverage of the show.

GM brackets the Quan — Quantech™ new technology material to replace some parts

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Automotive News as blogged by Autoblog reports that GM is sourcing a new material from Quantum Leap Packaging, Inc. called Quantech™ .  The material is a liquid crystal polymer that can be used in the place of metal parts.  The resulting parts have heat expansion characteristics similar to steel, and stiffness and density comparable to magnesium.  So in other words the parts are very light, very strong, and work well to replace steel parts.

Technical claims for quantech:

Quantech™ high performance polymers enable QLP to produce air cavity packages that address critical thermal, stress and reliability issues.

Quantech™ Features:

  • High temperature stability (500°C)
  • Tailorable CTE (3-21 ppm/°C)
  • Excellent adhesion to metal
  • Tailorable electrical properties
  • Isotropic Properties
  • Ultra-low moisture permeability

Quantech™ Benefits:

  • Supports high-temperature eutectic die-attach processes for improved thermal performance
  • Matches CTE to Cu and Alloy 42 lead frames
  • Enables copper and copper alloy heat sink assembly for thermal performance
  • Provides low dielectric constant and low electrical loss for excellent performance at high frequencies
  • Delivers high reliability MSL 1 condition

    • GM says the new Quantech™ parts could be in new cars within 6 months, although it is application dependent. The good news is that with sky-rocketing costs for steel and magnesium GM and Quantum Leap Packaging are developing new alternatives.