1941 Cadillac Series 75

As the 1930s came to a close and the 1940s began to emerge, General Motors and its Cadillac division made several dramatic changes to keep pace with the changing economy, styles, and competition. The value-based LaSalle sub-brand was discontinued, leaving a void that was soon filled by re-shuffling the makes and models within the GM division. For Cadillac, its V-16 model was also discontinued after over a decade of stewardship as the company's flagship model. The extremely expensive and exclusive V16 model was built to custom order, and 4,076 examples had been built during its eleven-year run, with the majority built in its inaugural year before the Great Depression crippled the economy.

By the close of the 1930s, production had shifted away from custom coachwork to an elegant yet distinctive body by Fleetwood, and the Series 75 was Cadillac's largest and most luxurious offering.

1941 brought about a new egg-crate grille that would become a Cadillac hallmark and was the first year of the 'Hydra-Matic' automatic transmission. The Cadillac model range was consolidated with the Series Sixty-One serving as the new entry-level model. The 346 cubic-inch flathead V8 with 150 horsepower became the sole engine option across the range, a first for Cadillac since 1926. It had a ninety-degree L-head design with the cast-iron blocks cast en-bloc with the crankcase, three main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and either a Stromberg or Carter carburetor. It was backed by a three-speed selective synchromesh manual transmission with gearshift controls and a single disc clutch. Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels provided the stopping power. Most models rode on 15-inch slotted disc wheels, except for the Series 67 and Series 75 which used 16-inch wheels.

Sixty-Two and Sixty-Three models shared the Sixty-One's 126-inch wheelbase, while the larger Sixty-Seven rode on a 139-inch platform. The Series Seventy-Five had a 136-inch wheelbase. A commercial chassis was available on the Series 62 and Series 75, both with a 163-inch wheelbase. The high-end Fleetwood nameplate appeared on the 126-inch 'Sixty Special' and a special 136-inch 'Seventy-Five' Sedan, with seating for five, seven, or nine.

The Series 61 had a base price of $1,350 to $1,540. The Series 62 listed for $1,400 to $2,00. The Series 63, a five-passenger touring sedan, listed for $1,700. The Series 60 was priced from $2,200 to $2,350. The Series 67 occupied the upper $2,00 range, and the Series 75 ranged from $3,000 to $4,000. At the time, General Motors offered buyers other options from Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick, satisfying every need and price point.

Styling features of the 1941 Cadillac included a one-piece hood that lowered in the front, included the side panels, and continued sideways to the rounded fenders. On either side of the hood was a sing,e rectangular panel of louver trim. The front rectangular grille protruded forward in the middle, and rectangular parking lights were located in the top outer corners of the grille. The round headlights were surrounded by chrome trim and were built into the front of the fenders, above the placeholders for the optional fog lights. All four fenders had three chrome spears, except on the Sixty Special. Most bodies received rear-wheel fender skirts.

Optional equipment included an automatic transmission, a Hill-Holder feature, a radio, a heater, a spotlight, backup lights, wheel discs, seat covers, and windshield washers. Bishop & Babcock, of Cleveland, manufactured an air conditioning system that was made available to automobile manufacturers for 1940. It was costly and only luxury automakers adopted it at first. Packard was first, in 1940, followed by Cadillac, and then Chrysler the following year. Bishop & Babcock basically used the same equipment for each marque and was essentially a standard refrigeration system with a condenser placed in front of the radiator and the large evaporator mounted in the trunk. The evaporator cooled the air and a fan blew it into the car through a large vent behind the rear passenger seat. The air conditioning system ran constantly when the car was running since it was run by a belt off the engine. To turn off the A.C., the driver had to shut off the engine, exit the vehicle, open the hood, and remove the belt. Inside the car, a three-position switch, placed beneath the dashboard to the left of the steering column, controlled the speed of the fan.

The Bishop & Babcock air conditioning system was expensive and most useful for those who lived in warm climates. As such, sales were limited and it is believed that the system was installed in approximately 300 Cadillacs in 1941, with just three known to remain in modern times.

Cadillac produced approximately 66,169 automobiles in 1941 with the Series 75 accounting for approximately three percent of that total.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020