1939 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Sedan

With the economy improving in the late 1930s, Cadillac redesigned its automobiles with a more streamlined and stylish look. The late 1930s featured a more rakish front end, and repositioned headlamps.

The 1939 Cadillac 75 Models were completely restyled with a V-shaped grille, more glass area, and a shorter wheelbase. The Imperial sedan rode on a 141-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 346 cubic-inch V8 engine producing 135 horsepower coupled with a three-speed column-mounted manual transmission.

This 'touring' sedan features a divider between the driver and passenger compartments, allowing it to be chauffer driven on formal occasions. The body (style number 7519-F) was made by GM's Fleetwood division, which only produced coachwork for the top-of-the-line Cadillacs. This car was originally sold in Montreal, Canada. It is powered by the noteworthy 'ninety Degree' L-head V8 capable of 145 bhp.

This five-passenger Series 7519F Imperial Sedan version is one of just 53 examples built. Though not confirmed, the DuPont family owned a car just like this and with the extremely limited production, this could be it. It sat five comfortably and weighed in at 4,845 pounds. It was priced at $3,265 base. This model came with a 3-speed column-mounted stick shift manual transmission. There were just 638 seven-passenger models built and only 53 of the 5-passenger models. The wheelbase on all of the 75 Series cars is 141 inches.

This 5-passenger Imperial Sedan came without jump seats and the front seat is cloth. It also has a divider privacy window. A complete restoration returning it to its original glory was completed in 2002. It is driven on a regular basis on Classic Car Club of America and Antique Automobile Club of America tours. The current owner found the car at the annual Hershey show and swap meet in 2011.