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1956 Cadillac Series 75

Cadillac used its in-house coachbuilding division Fleetwood for bodying its upscale Sixty Special sedan and the Fleetwood 75. Much of Fleetwood's early work was for Packard, but by 1925 Lawrence Fisher of Fisher Body Corporation had acquired the Pennsylvania company and was moved to Detroit in stages between 1929 and 1931. It was integrated into General Motors in 1931, and although Fleetwood and Fisher body production became more integrated over the years, there were always separate Fleetwood semi-custom production facilities, where low-volume, high-end body styles were created, along with special orders from valued customers.

Cadillac's top-of-the-line model during 1956 was the Series 75 Fleetwood, available as an eight-passenger sedan, Imperial Sedan, or as a commercial chassis. Its wheelbase measured 149.75 inches (the commercial chassis measured 158 inches), much larger than the Series 62 of 129 inches, and the Series 60 Special of 133 inches. The overhead-valve, 365 cubic-inch V8 engine was shared with other models in the lineup, with five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and delivering 285 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. An optional, higher specification version with two Carter four-barrel carburetors from the Eldorado, produced 305 horsepower at 4,700 RPM. Prices began at $6,560 for the 8-passenger sedan, a $400 increase over the previous year. Production for both 1955 and 1956 had similar numbers, with 1,095 of the 8-passenger sedan constructed in 1956, along with 955 of the Imperial Sedan. 2,025 of the commercial chassis were built, often outfitted with limousine coachwork for heads of state, presidential parades, hursts, ambulances, and various other commercial purposes. Changes for 1956 included a new grille with finer-textured inserts, and relocating the parking lights in the bumpers, below the wing guards. The Fleetwood nameplate was placed on the deck lid, changes were made to the bumpers, and slight modifications were made to the exhaust extension moldings on the rear fender.

The 'high-headroom' styling continued, first seen in 1954, as did the option of having a driver's partition on the imperial Limousine. Jump (auxiliary) seats were optional on the sedan and limousine.

The styling introduction in 1954 continued through 1956, and in 1957 numerous changes were made including a new tubular X-frame sans side rails. Body styles included a 9-passenger sedan or a 9-passenger Imperial sedan. Power was 300 to 325 hp.

by Dan Vaughan

Presidential Parade Car by Hess & Eisenhardt

This very special Cadillac 75 convertible was sent by the GM factory to Hess & Eisenhardt, a specialist car conversion company based in Rossmoyne, Ohio, to be completely rebuilt for use by President Eisenhower. Two of these cars were built for the White House motor pool; one was nicknamed 'Queen Elizabeth II' and this one was dubbed 'Queen Mary II.' Before the war, these Royal 'titles' had been conferred on two 1938 Cadillac V16s used by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. This Cadillac 75 stretched limousine was used in presidential motorcades for Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson, but when a new Lincoln convertible was acquired for President Kennedy, it was demoted for use as a chase vehicle by the secret service and was, in fact, driving behind JFK on that fateful day in Dallas when he was shot.

The Cadillac Series 75 was the marque's flagship V8 from 1936 onwards, though the lower-priced series easily outsold it. Production of the full-size V8 powered Cadillac's would continue from the 1930s through the 1950s. It served as a replacement for the outgoing 355-D and was introduced around the same time as the less-expensive Series 60 model. Outwardly, the Series 80, including the 85, were similar in appearance with the main difference being underhood. The Series 80/85 featured a V12 engine while the Series 70/75 had a V8. The V8 produced 135 horsepower while the V12's output was 150 hp.

In 1941, the short wheelbase Series 70 was replaced by the Series 62 and the long-wheelbase Series 75 was integrated into the Fleetwood line. Cadillac would continue the '75' name until the mid-1960s.

The V8 Series 70 of the mid-1930s were powered by a Monoblock V8 engine that displaced 346 cubic-inches and produced 135 horsepower. A total of 5,248 examples were sold in 1936. There were three body-styles available for the Series 70 from 1936 through 1937 consisting of a 131-inch wheelbase for the 36-70, a 138-inch version of the 36-75 and a large 156-inch platform for the 36-75 Commercial version.

There was a wide variety of body-styles to select from and all wore badges of Cadillac's in-house coachbuilder Fleetwood. The list ranged from two-passenger coupes to seven-passenger town cars with 14 cataloged styles offered.

The Fleetwood Metal Body Company had a history that dated back to 1905 when they were formed in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. During their early years, some of their best customers were Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and Cadillac. Lawrence Fisher, head of GM's Fisher Body Company and later president of Cadillac was pleased with Fleetwood's coach-building work and felt the union between the two companies was appropriate. The company was purchased by Cadillac in 1925 and the sales and design offices were moved to Detroit. Additional plants were built in Pennsylvania for body production and Fleetwood continued to accept body-requests from non-GM companies.

A Fleetwood plant was built in 1929 in Detroit, adjacent to the Fisher Body facility, and by 1931 all production had migrated to this location. Later, the production was absorbed by General Motors Art & Colour and Fisher Body. The Fleetwood name persisted for many decades, often referring to limited and low-production styles.

In 1939 the Cadillac V8 models were given a new frontal look with a matching textured grille. On either side were two side grilles. The engine still displaced 346 cubic-inches but further tuning had increased the horsepower output and its compression.

The Series 72 was a Fleetwood car that rode on a shorter, 138-inch wheelbase.

Production ceased during the Second World War and resumed in 1946. When it did, the Series 75 became Cadillac's largest model offered; now riding on a 136-inch wheelbase. The 346 L-head V8 engine was the same as was most of its basic styling. Just like most other automakers, a 'new' model would not be introduced for several years.

For the Series 75, this did not occur until 1950. It had a 146.7-inch wheelbase with seating for seven. Engine options included a 346- and 365-cubic-inch V8.

The wheelbase size was again increased by 1954, now measuring 149.8 inches. To carry the extra weight Cadillac increased the horsepower to 230. The following year it rose again to 250 hp, with an optional dual-four barrel carburetor version offered that produced 270 horsepower. 1956 saw another increase in horsepower, now ranging from 285 to just over 300.

Another restyling occurred in 1957 and would remain until 1965. By now, the name '75' had all but disappeared. Horsepower hovered around the 300 to 325 range depending on the engine and the setup. The long version of the Fleetwood became known as the Series 6700 in accordance with the new Cadillac naming scheme.

by Dan Vaughan