The Cadillac automotive company was formed in 1902. The first Cadillacs were two-seat horseless carriages, but eventually Cadillac’s most distinctive feature – their tail fins – stand as flamboyant icons of American automotive design, inspired by the twin rudders of the Lockheed P-38 ‘Lightning’ fighter plane. The fins soared to dramatic heights, culminating in the extravagant 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, whose sweeping, rocket-like fins remain the most recognizable in automotive history.
Those tail fins symbolized postwar optimism and the spaceage dreams of mid-century America. They were bold, unapologetic and futuristic – reflecting a time when bigger meant better and chrome was king. The tail fin was a status symbol, a sculpted declaration of progress and prosperity.
I was casually acquainted with the guy who is responsible for Cadillac Ranch. He was Stanley Marsh 3, who purposely chose not to adopt the Roman numeral III in his name, as he thought that suffix was pretentious. Stanley was a wellknown businessman, entrepreneur and prankster in Amarillo, Texas where I grew up. Rumor was that he had inherited millions in his early 20’s and devoted the remainder of his life to eccentricity.
