The carbureted engine made 190 hp, and an impressive 360 ft-lbs of torque at a very low 2,000 rpm. Fuel injected cars made 215 hp, and an even more impressive 400 ft-lbs of torque at the same very low 2,000 rpm. This means maximum pulling power was available just off idle.

Class 27M: Production Vehicles, 1978 - 1979.

Class 27M cars (L - R): 1979 Toyota Celica GT, 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, 1978 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

1979 Toyota Celica GT.

1979 Toyota Celica GT.

This car was displayed with a host of original documentation.

I never saw many of these cars growing up in Pennsylvania. And what may have been present in PA didn't last very long thanks to the chemicals we use on the roadways in the winter. The documentation presented with this car indicates it's a North Carolina car, which was definitely a good thing.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.

It's not just the Eldorado convertibles that "speak to me." The Eldorado Biarritz hardtop from 1977 - 78 is also one of my all-time favorites.

These cars have the best seats ! They're exceptionally comfortable in a La-Z-Boy way.

1978 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

The car owner's parents purchased this car new in 1977.

From 1973 - 1979, Cadillac sold more Coupe de Villes than its sedan counterpart, (typically, the figures would be reversed). The car seen in the photos above is one of 117,750 coupes sold that year, compared to 88,951 Sedan de Villes.

1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D.

By this time, I had arrived at the 1980s in the Production Vehicles class. And try as I might, my mind has a hard time viewing these cars as "antique" even though basic math says they are. This is where the "antique car show" turned into more of a review of my youth than anything else.

This is also where the number of entrants for each sub-class began to dwindle. The Mercedes-Benz seen above is from Class 27N: Production Vehicles, 1980 - 1981. And this was the only entrant in this sub-class.

1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D.

The 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass (L) from Class 27Q and 1989 Pontiac Firebird (R) from Class 27R seen in the photo above are a good example of what I mean. I owned a 1985 Olds 442 and a 1988 Firebird Formula, and have a hard time seeing either as an antique.

This 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass is a Brougham 4-door sedan. I had a 1985 Cutlass Salon 442 coupe.

This 1989 Pontiac Firebird is a base V8 coupe, meaning it has a 305 CID "throttle body" V8 that makes 170 hp. My 1988 Firebird Formula was essentially the same car with flashier decals and bigger wheels.

Class 27S: Production vehicles, 1990 - 1994.

1993 Chevrolet Impala SS (L) and 1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati (R).

1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati.

I've always been a fan of the TC by Maserati, and would own one in a heartbeat. The upscale limited edition convertible was produced from 1989 - 1991. What it lacked in sales, (3,764 in 1989, 1,600 in 1990, and 1,636 in 1991), it tried to make up for with its good looks and luxurious appointments.

Unfortunately, the TC by Maserati was doomed from day one. Chrysler introduced this new "Turbo Convertible," (hence the name TC), during the 1986 Los Angeles Auto Show as a potential 1987 model. The TC was to be the company's flagship, an upscale image leader. Execs wanted this beautiful and exclusive car to draw people into the showroom.

The customer who liked the image presented by the TC but couldn't afford it's $30k+ sticker price could then check out the newly redesigned LeBaron convertible, which would be presented as a "mini-me" version of the flagship. The LeBaron was styled not exactly like, but similar to the TC. The LeBaron's interior wasn't as plush as that in the TC, but it was similar overall. In other words, you could have something that resembled the flagship at a price you could afford.

The fatal blow to the car can be traced to production delays relating to the car's overseas connection with Maserati, (including final assembly in Milan). This caused the TC to be introduced in 1989, a full TWO YEARS after the LeBaron's debut. Now, the psychology was reversed. After seeing the new LeBaron Convertible for two years, customers viewed the 1989 TC as nothing more than a LeBaron with a couple of minor visual differences at almost double the price.

Things only got worse for 1990 and 1991. The 2.2L turbo 4-cylinder engine that powered the 1989 version, (160 hp with an automatic transmission and 200 hp with a 5-speed manual transmission) was eventually dropped. Taking its place was the common 141 hp 3.0L Mitsubishi V-6 paired with an automatic transmission that was available in a host of other Chrysler products. Sales that never got off the ground in 1989 tanked even further in 1990 and 1991.

Personally, I really like these cars. When I worked at Courtesy Motors in Altoona, Pennsylvania in the late 1990s, I test drove a rare 1989 5-speed TC, (one of 500 made), that was traded in, and promptly fell in love with it, but couldn't afford it. The good news is that mint condition low miles examples are surprisingly affordable today.

Class 29: Specified prestige vehicles.

Class 29 is reserved for specifically named vehicles from the post-WWII era that, "appeal to the upscale buyer in style, material and quality." The list of vehicles accepted for this class is predetermined and updated as necessary.

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.

Ford and GM spent several decades dueling to see who built the best luxury car. The term "best" is extremely vague, not only being hard to define, but equally hard to measure. Historically, Cadillac is always been viewed as having the edge.

Looking specifically at sales, Cadillac has always had a clear lead. Lincoln struggled to get off the ground in its early days. Production throughout the 1920s seemed to hover in the range of 5,000 - 8,000 cars annually. Cadillac production was almost always 2 - 3 times greater each year.

Things suddenly changed in 1936 when Lincoln introduced its entry-level Zephyr. The next 5 years saw Lincoln surge past Cadillac thanks to the Zephyr's $370 price advantage. The euphoria was short-lived, however. From 1941 all the way to 1996, my "Encyclopedia of American Cars" says that Cadillac outsold Lincoln for all but one year (1988). And some of those years were by a 5 to 1 margin !

"Best" is easier to understand when viewed in the context of image. And in that area as well, Lincoln always seemed to be playing catch-up. Beginning in 1930, Cadillac upped the engine cylinder count to sixteen. These stratospherically-priced hand-built customs were never designed to be sales leaders, (or make a profit for that matter). But they succeeded in giving Cadillac the "Standard of the World" image it was looking for. Even though Lincoln's K-Series flagship was recognized as an outstanding car, Cadillac still had the image advantage.

The V-12 powered Zephyr may have sold quite well. But its less than stellar mechanical reliability didn't do the company any favors.

In 1953, GM introduced its four "Dream Cars," limited and expensive halo models designed to be the best of the best GM had to offer. Cadillac's contribution, the 1953 Eldorado, only found 532 buyers. But like the V16 cars from two decades prior, the Eldorado succeeded in giving Cadillac its "best" image.

Ford finally got serious in 1956 and brought the stunning Continental Mark II to the table. These hand-built machines cost nearly $10,000. But in a world of giant fins and acres of chrome, the elegant simplicity of the Mark II's design caught Cadillac by surprise and stole the "best" image away while they weren't looking.

Not to be outdone, Cadillac responded in 1957 with the Eldorado Brougham, a hand-built halo car packed with every available luxury car feature of the day. Priced at $13,074, sales were understandably few. A total of 400 were produced in 1957 and 304 in 1958. And no surprise here, the word "profit" has never been mentioned when talking about this car.

Even so, the Eldorado Brougham returned for 1959 and 1960. The one dollar increase in MSRP, now $13,075, included an exotic Italian connection. Final assembly was performed by Pininfarina in Turin, the same company responsible for just about every road-going Ferrari. In the world of image enhancement, it doesn't get much better than this.

The car seen in the photos above and below is a 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, one of 101 produced in the model's final year.

The Pininfarina badge can be seen on the rear quarter panel in the photo above.

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible.

Like the previous 1960 Eldorado Brougham, the 1960 Eldorado Biarritz convertible was produced in limited numbers. This car is one of 1,285 produced that year.

Compared to the $13,075 1960 Eldorado Brougham seen earlier, the Eldorado Biarritz convertible in the photos above and below seems like a bargain at "only" $7,401.

Mechanically, the Brougham and Biarritz are identical. Both are powered by Cadillac's 390 CID V8 that featured three 2-bbl carburetors and makes 345 hp.

Tri-Power 390 CID V8 makes 345 hp.

Another 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible.

A third Cadillac from 1960, (another Eldorado Biarritz convertible), sat across from the other two.

Seeing two 1960 Eldorado Biarritz convertibles at the same show doesn't happen that often. But it did today.

This car has the same beautifully detailed 390 CID "Tri-Power" V8 that makes 345 hp.

The upscale Eldorado Biarritz can be distinguished from its Series 62 or Deville siblings by looking at the side of the car. The Eldorado features a smooth side with brightwork around the perimeter, whereas the Series 62 and Deville have a straight chrome molding from the back of the front wheel to the rear bumper.

One of two stunning 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertibles in Class 29.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible.

As as long as we're talking about Eldorado Biarritz convertibles, this show also featured a beautiful example from 1959.

The 1959 Cadillac is one of the cars most closely associated with the automobile "tailfin." The giant pointed fins and dual bullet taillights have become not only a Cadillac trademark, but something that represents the excess of the "fins and chrome" era of the 1950s. This is one of those cars that non-car people are likely to be familiar with because of its giant rear tailfins.

A tailfin is more than just a rear taillight or piece of trim not being flush with the surrounding body work. In this context, the term "tailfin" is best described as an intentional styling deviation from a smooth body line across the top of the rear fenders. Legendary GM styling chief Bill Mitchell described the tailfin as something that, "gave definition to the rear of the car for the first time. They made the back end as interesting as the front, and established a longstanding Cadillac-styling hallmark." Cadillac is credited with creating this in 1948 by intentionally shaping the top of the rear fender upward at the rear of the car to house the taillight.

Other manufacturers around the world also picked up on the idea. The tailfin would remain a styling feature through the mid-1960s.

From its humble beginnings in 1948, the tailfin eventually grew into what is seen in the photos above and below.

The 1959 model year represents the peak of Cadillac's tailfin styling theme. A gradual decrease in size began in 1960.

By 1965, the smooth body line across the top of the rear fender had returned. But designers made the top of the trunk lid lower than that of the rear fender. The resulting downward slope created the illusion of a tailfin. Cadillac would use that styling theme into the 1990s.