Cadillac Cyclone

Information

The Cadillac Cyclone XP-74 Concept was first unveiled at the Daytona 500 on February 1, 1959. It was designed by Harley J. Earl, which was the last 'dream car' he designed before he retired at General Motors at the end of 1958.

While the base car is the 1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, the finished prototype featured a much smaller dimensions with a shorter wheelbase of 104 inches.

Under the bonnet is a 390 cubic-inch (6388cc) V8 engine that produces at 325 hp, which was all-new at that time. The engine is mated to a 3-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission paired with a 2-speed differential, which gives a total of six forward gears and sends the power to the rear wheels.

Sadly, the Cyclone never made it to production. However, it influenced every Cadillac model made, by equipping a Saginaw rotary-valve variable-ratio power steering as standard.