Spotted by a Jalopnik reader in the parking lot of a Florida Home Depot, this ’61 Cadillac turned into mobile home amazes us, while simultaneously creeping the hell out of us.

Intimidating Design

The only thing scarier than a Plymouth Fury is a Cadillac Coupe de Ville barreling down at you in a dark alley – especially when the guy you owe five-large to is behind its wheel. Cadillac classics have always been built to intimidate the competition as well as other driver’s on the road. The new Escalade and CTS sedan Cadillac produces are one-ton automotive monstrosities combining old school elegance with sharp 21st century design and technology. And it’s been proven that Cadillac owns Lincoln in Sopranos lore:

Trunk Cargo Space

With a big car comes a load of cargo space – where else will you keep your golf clubs, heroine, guns, dead bodies, trays of antipasto, San Genaro busts and Gucci luggage? Speaking of antipasto – we’re starving, is there any rolled cold cuts and fresh mozzarella around here?

Size Matters

In the world of La Cosa Nostra size matters. It symbolizes power, authority, and impresses the ladies. In a time prior to SUV’s you couldn’t get much larger than a mafia Don and his Caddy. Both the Capos and cars have to live up to Cadillac’s slogan – “The Penalty of Leadership.” Those old GM vehicles sure could take a beating too:

Classic American Automobile

As much as Italian mobsters want to separate themselves from “Americanos” Cadillac is a classic American automobile. It portrays a sense of royalty over those who drive everyday sedans. Or maybe these mobsters just like the comfort and luxury of a large leather interior. Regardless, until General Motors goes under (knock on wood) The underbelly organized crime will always favor a fine car like a fine cigar and bottle of chianti.

Introduced to the public in 1949 as a two-door hard top, the Coupe de Ville quickly became a flagship vehicle for the Cadillac lineup. First-generation Coupe de Ville models in ’49 started at a whopping $3,500, with sales doubling in 1950 and again in ’51. Many referred to the original Caddy’s as “boats” or “torpedoes” thanks to their bottle nose front end and finned rear. By 1957 Cadillac introduced their historic dual head lamp design, which would remain with the company until the late 1980′s.

When you see most Caddy’s on the big screen, or picture what a classic Coupe de Ville looks like, most people will reference the fourth generation vehicles beginning in 1959. It is a definitive De Ville style – four head lights and rear fins that could pierce the side of a ship.With design and popularity came size – not just in the amount of buyers, we mean literal size! The Coupe de Ville grew roughly 17 inches overall by 1973.

The 1960′s came and went, with a front and rear end overhaul for Cadillac vehicles in 1965. Headlights were turned on their sides, as were tail lights, which were transformed from matching cones to long rectangles. Curved angles (including windows, dash and fenders) were turned to right angles for a more conservative and new-age look to match the boxiness of other American and foreign cars.

As the 1970′s passed, you were more likely to find hardtop De Villes on your dealer’s lot than convertibles. It was the age of low key design and even lower gas consumption. By the 1980′s Cadillac’s Coupe de Ville shrunk in size but retained its tough looks and powerful engine. The 80′s also brought front-wheel drive conversion on a C-Body. This led the way to a four door and extended cab touring version, or “DeVille Touring Sedan” – known today as the Cadillac DTS.

Photos from Wikipedia