The Car's the Star1994

[Quentin gets out of a white 1959 Cadillac]

Quentin Willson:
One thing "the 59" is not, is lean. At 2 tons, 20 foot long, 6 foot wide with 42-inch high fins, it perfectly sums up the philosophy of late-50s America: big is best. What you're looking at is a very large, long chunk of America's heritage. We have Shakespeare; they have the 59 Cad. Under a bonnet almost as big as Texas nestled an engine almost the size of California, a 390 cubic inch, 6.3 litre consumptive V8. Welcome to the world of 8 miles to the gallon. But back then, no-one cared because gas was almost as plentiful as rainwater. And America was busy getting drunk on its natural resources. You could fill the tank of your Cadillac and still have change from three bucks.