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1956 Cadillac Series 62

General Motors' top-of-the-line Cadillac Division was rightly advertised as the 'Standard of the World,' having reached the summit of America's fine car market during 1947 when it outsold its archrival Packard by nearly 11,000 units. A year later, Cadillac sales reached nearly 96,000 units with orders awaiting fulfillment. This success and enthusiasm for the Cadillac models were fueled by the stylistic talents of GM Design Chief Harley Earl and his team, and the new-for-1948 body designs inspired by Earl's fascination with the futuristic shape of Lockheed's P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft of World War II fame. The 1948 models hold the distinction of being Cadillac's first application of tailfins, which remained a hallmark of GM's luxury division for over a dozen years.

The captivating designs were equally matched by its engineering prowess, led by a powerful new overhead-valve V-8 engine introduced in 1949. Initially displacing 331 cubic inches and offering 160 horsepower, the new Cadillac V-8 was highly efficient, quiet in operation, and compact. By the mid-1950s, the engine had grown to a 365 cubic-inch displacement and offered between 285 and 305 horsepower depending on the setup.

During the early 1950s, the General Motors division promoted its vehicles and futuristic endeavors with the lavish Motorama traveling shows. In 1952, Cadillac introduced its daring El Dorado Golden Anniversary concept convertible, and little changed by the time it was put into production for 1953 as the Series 62 model. Early that year, the fame of the Eldorado nameplate was taken to new heights with its high-profile use in transporting U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to his inaugural ceremonies.

The Eldorado model of the 1950s includes the Eldorado Seville, a two-door hardtop, and the Biarritz, a convertible named after the French seaside town on the Bay of Biscay. The Biarritz was a paragon of style and a halo car for the marque, while the more practical closed vehicles ensured Cadillac's sales success within the automobile marketplace.

On October 24th of 1955, Cadillac introduced its new Series 62 Sedan DeVille four-door hardtop and the top-line Eldorado Seville two-door hardtop, nearly a month before the rest of its models debuted for 1956.

For 1956 the Cadillac Series 62 was restyled, with changes appearing throughout the vehicle. A new grille could now be found in the front and repositioned bumper lights now resting within the bumper. The Eldorado series of the Model 62 line-up consisted of a two-door Hardtop Coupe Seville and the convertible Biarritz. Both had two doors and seating for six. The base price was well above the regular Series 62, costing a hefty $6,500. The base Series 62, in comparison, cost $4150. A total of 3,900 buyers selected the Eldorado Hardtop Coupe Seville and 2,150 purchased the Eldorado Convertible Biarritz. The most popular body style in the Series 62 lineup was the four-door Sedan DeVille which saw 41,732 examples produced.

Several of the styling cues previewed at the GM Motorama shows were placed into production. The El Camino and La Espada show cars of the 1954 Motorama season had a profound effect on the 1956 Eldorado's style and contributed to its angled 'gullwing' front bumpers and angular tailfins. The quad headlamps were used on the Eldorado Brougham four-door hardtop show car in 1955, and by 1958, had become available on most automobile manufacturers' option lists. The 1957 Eldorado Brougham was one of the first American production cars to be equipped with quad headlamps, which - at the time - were not legal in all fifty states.

The Cadillac V-8 engine received its first displacement increase to 365 cubic inches by 1956 and horsepower rose to 285 for the standard Cadillac lines. The Eldorado models received a tuned version that added dual Carter four-barrel carburetors bringing horsepower to 305. The engine was backed by GM's Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic transmission that benefited from improvements developed at a cost of $35 million. These well-equipped vehicles came with many standard features including a six-way power front seat and power-operated windows.

Despite the rather steep price tag, the demand for Cadillacs was strong and the company moved from 10th to 9th position in American sales rankings for 1956. While Cadillac prospered, helped along by the financial resources of General Motors, several other luxury brands were suffering, including Packard, as the swift pace of mechanical innovations and rapidly evolving styles was too great. To meet demand, Cadillac purchased the former Hudson plant in Detroit's east end on August 5th of 1956.


by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2008

Related Reading : Cadillac Series 62 History

The Harley Earl designed Cadillac Series 62 was a very large vehicle that featured a large, 6,390 cc (390 cubic inches) V-8 engine. The back had large fins that did little for performance and handling but was all about the style of the vehicle. The design of the vehicle was inspired by the space program and the era of jet engines. The large, 4400 lb car was fitted with drum brakes. These often wore....
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1956 Cadillac Series 62 Vehicle Profiles

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Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

$1,070-$4,145
1956 Cadillac Series 62
$6,500-$16,795
1956 Cadillac Series 62 Price Range: $4,145 - $6,500

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Other 1956 Cadillac Models

Generation IV

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
77,345
129.00 in.
8 cyl., 331.00 CID., 230.00hp
$3,836 - $5,735
118,586
129.00 in.
8 cyl., 331.00 CID., 250.00hp
8 cyl., 331.00 CID., 270.00hp
$3,880 - $6,290
134,502
129.00 in.
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 285.00hp
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 305.00hp
$4,145 - $6,500
118,372
129.00 in.
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 300.00hp
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 325.00hp
$4,610 - $7,285
105,127
129.50 in.
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 310.00hp
8 cyl., 365.00 CID., 335.00hp
$4,780 - $7,500

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