1959 Cadillac Series 62

The Cadillac Series 62 was a distinctly American automobile with dramatic and overwhelming proportions and drama. Its most iconic feature was the towering rear tail fins graced with magnum-grade bullet-shaped tail lights. The fins were the largest ever featured on any production car and the work of GM Design Chief Harley Earl. The overall dimensions were nearly identical to its 1958 predecessor, and a full 3-inches lower through the beltline, and as sat as much as 5.5-inches lower. The excessive treatment continued to the front, with sculpted brows towering over quad headlights that flanked a grille containing more than a hundred stylized bullets above a chromed bumper. Two distinctive rooflines and roof pillar configurations were available, with body styles consisting of a 4- and 6-window sedan, hardtop coupe, and a convertible coupe. The interior was luxurious with cushioned leather seating and upholstery, and a vast wraparound windshield. Power steering, four-wheel power brakes, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, and vanity mirror were all standard equipment. Convertible body styles had power windows and a two-way power seat. The overhead-valve V8 engine was backed by a dual-range Hydra-Matic automatic transmission with column shift. Three Rochester 2-barrel carburetors helped the V-8 produce 345 HP at 4,800 RPM. The improved X-frame chassis boasted independent spherical-joint coil-spring front suspension and a 4-link rear axle with coil springs.

The most popular body style was the six-window sedan which found 23,461 buyers. A total of 11,130 examples of the convertible were sold. Total production reached 142,272 cars. The base price was listed at $5,080.

The futuristic design cues of the Series 62 captured the essence of the 'jet age', with many styling elements that could have been sourced from Cold War-era fighter aircraft. The tail fins actually date back to General Motor's 3/8-scale 'Interceptor' design studies of the early 1940s led by Mr. Earl's assistant, Julio Andrade. The 'Interceptor' project had been inspired by a trip to a U.S. Army Air Corps base, where GM designers were shown an early examples of the top-secret Lockheed P-38 'Lightning' fighter aircraft that would later be used in combat during World War II.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019

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