1936 Cadillac Series 60

Introduced in 1903 from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company, under the direction of Henry Leland, the Cadillac marque would become synonymous with reliability and excellent engineering. It was named after the late 16th-century explorer, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, and would grow to become one of America's most enduring luxury cars, representing style, elegance, and class.

The Series 60 was an all-new model for Cadillac in 1936, aimed at Packard's successful One Twenty, positioned slightly above the LaSalle. Compared to other 1936 Cadillac models, it was less expensive, offered as a coupe priced at $1,645, a $1,725 convertible coupe, and a $1,700 touring sedan. The other Cadillac models had prices that ranged from the mid-$2000s to nearly $9,000.

The Fisher-built bodies had long pontoon fenders that gracefully arched on modern bodies vee'd windshields. The closed coupe had a small folding seat inside for an additional passenger, and the convertible coupe had a rumble seat.

Cadillac's eight-cylinder lineup for 1936 included the 322 CID in the Series 60 and a 346 CID in the Series 70 and Series 75. Both had an L-head design, cast-iron block with the blocks cast en-bloc with the crankcase, 6.25:1 compression, three main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and Stromberg EE-25 carburetors. The smaller engine produced 125 horsepower at 3,400 RPM and the larger had 10 additional hp. Both were backed by a three-speed selective, synchromesh transmission with a single disc clutch, and hydraulic brakes on four 16-inch disc wheels. The Series 70 had a 121-inch wheelbase while the other eight-cylinder models rested on a 131- or 138-inch platform. The suspension consisted of an independent front coil spring setup with semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Interestingly, 1936 Cadillacs featured hydraulic brakes for the first time - two years later than its companion LaSalle.

5,248 combined examples of the Cadillac Series 70 and 75 were built, and 6,712 of the low-priced Series 60 in 1936. Packard had over 55,000 sales of its 1936 Packard One Twenty, priced from $990 to $1,400, Lincoln had nearly 15,000 sales of its approximately $1,300 Zephyr, and LaSalle sold 13,004 examples of its 36-50 Eight. In further comparison, the LaSalle had a 120-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 248 cubic-inch inline 8 with 105 horsepower. The Zephyr rested on a 122-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 267.3 CID V12 with 110 horsepower. The 1936 Packard 120 had a 120-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 282 CID straight-8 with 120 horsepower.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020