The impressively elegant Cadillac ELR and Cadillac Ciel, showcased at the 2011 LA Auto Show, are both reminiscent of the great Cadillacs of the ’50s,’60s, and ’70s. In those days, the luxury cars were as “big as a whale,” as the B-52s so famously sang, and served as status symbols of the pinnacle of the American dream.

Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Sugar Ray Robinson drove big Cadillacs (among many other famous folk). Presidents, Popes, Olympians, Astronauts, and Kings and Queens have paraded in big Cadillacs. Dizzy Gillespie, Dwight Yoakum and Bruce Springsteen sang about big Cadillacs.

The difference between the humungous gas-guzzling Caddys of yore and the more efficient Caddys of now can probably best be defined by the seemingly lightspeed advancements in automobile technology over the past three decades that have infected every new vehicle in the auto marketplace.

(click the photos to enlarge)

The Cadillac ELR is a classically large coupe designed to look like a space-jet and drive like a sports car, and will operate on an electric plug-in battery that reverts to gas-re-charge mode (like the Chevrolet Volt) if the battery depletes on the road: www.cadillac.com/elr-electric-car.html.

The Cadillac Ciel (French for “sky”), is a gorgeously designed convertible adorned with stuff like real wood (from fallen trees, not chopped trees), includes built in bluetooth and personal computers for every passenger, and will employ a twin-turbo hybrid (gas-electric) engine: www.cadillac.com/vehicles/concept-nav/ciel_concept.html.

- from Laura Mauney @ www.PriceQuotes.com