1949 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60--SOLD (France) - $0
For Sale or Trade
Meet Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1949. This all original survivor, this top of the line Cadillac for '49 is eligible for preservation class status. Finished in black with tan interior and period seat covers. Currently has period black wall tires; the car will be delivered with correct wide-white walls radial tires on order now. Powered by Cadillac's wonderful GM Cadillac V-8 331 engine, this Touring Sedan provides pleasurable power and cruising.
Cadillac introduced the first Sixty Special in 1938 as a halo model and a paragon of the luxury car segment. The Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell designed model received a redesign in 1948 with all new sheet metal and fitted with amenities such as electric windows and power bench seat. By 1949, Cadillac sold 11,399 examples of these sedans, nearly double that of the previous years. The Sixty Special rested on an exclusive 133-inch wheelbase and came with special trim to distinguish it from the lesser priced Cadillac models. In the front was a new and wider grille and the Sixty Special was now being advertised as a six-passenger car. Priced at $3,820, it was on par with the Series 62 which ranged from $2960 to $3,500 depending on body style. The series 61 sold for approximately $2,800 while the Series 75 was in the $4,750 to $5,200 range.
Styling for the 1949 Series Sixty remained essentially unchanged. Cadillac introduced the world to tailfins in 1948 inspired by Lockheed's P-38 fighter plane, followed by an all-new modern overhead-valve V8 engine in 1949. The work of Charles F. Kettering, GM's Director of Research, the 331 cubic-inch engine developed 160 horsepower and quickly became the engine-of-choice for hot-rodders and customizers through the early 1950s. The overhead valve V8 had a short-stroke high compression design that provided economical and quiet operation.
Kettering's many accomplishments during his career included the invention of the electric automobile starter, founding Delco Corporation, and earning 186 patents. The updates to the late-1940s Cadillac Series 60 Special Fleetwood was the work of GM designer Bill Michell, who helped design the first 60 Special in 1938, and became Harley Earl's successor in 1958 as head of GM Styling.
