From a distance this 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Deluxe Convertible looks every bit as classy as the full-size Mercedes-Benz cabriolets of ten years later. After moving this unfinished project car four times while accumulating parts for a full restoration, the owner has decided to let someone else finish the job on this Columbus, Indiana classic. The listing here on eBay awaits its first bid. This Series 62 filled the hole left by Cadillac’s retirement of the LaSalle brand in 1940. Production of V16 engines also ending that year, and this car’s 346 cid, 150 HP V8 powered all Cadillacs in ’41 (some details courtesy of dorotheum.com). Though this car came with a three-speed manual transmission, Cadillac introduced their first automatic transmission this year, GM’s innovative four-speed Hydramatic, highlighted in this vintage Oldsmobile advertisement.
I wish I the front looked more like this 1953 Mercedes-Benz 220A Cabriolet on beverlyhillscarclub.com but, in Cadillac’s defense, this car is 12 years and one world war older. To my eye this car looks well-penned from every other angle, but sports a face only a mother could love. However I encourage your counterpoints in the comments below. That cow catcher is factory correct, but I couldn’t own this car without removing it. Was there much call for Cadillac owners to push other (perhaps less-reliable) vehicles out of the way before the war? The flying lady hood ornament is a lovely work of art.
The Art Deco dashboard wins high marks for its mixture of rectangles and circles trimmed with plenty of chrome. All dash panels not dipped in chrome wore rich simulated wood paint (common at that time) as seen on this Barrett-Jackson car. This beauty shares the red leather of that car as well. The sale includes many hard-to-find parts including the rear seat heater, a second heater core the size of a small radiator with a fan to warm the toes of your besties in the back seat on those cool nights – or anytime you want to keep the top down without freezing your rear-seat passengers.
The motor runs but currently has no exhaust. The car benefits from a great deal of scavenging, research, and reconstruction. Kudos to the owner, “Warren B.,” who clearly loves this car and took his time crafting a detailed reckoning of its good and bad points. The opening bid of $9975 and a Buy-It-Now price of $12,975 leave little doubt as to the seller’s idea of the car’s worth. Where do you value Warren’s unfinished project car?
Last one sold at Barrett Jackson for $71,500. So if you can do a concours restoration for 60K, you are money ahead. Hmmmmm….
Looking at this, good luck with that! I think you would be underwater fast in this car.
Is there a frame missing under the passerger side? Look at the floor and door on the passerger side photo.
The Floor and rocker panel look about the same as what I started with on my 51 dodge. I’m 80% complete on my body work and have done the work myself. I paid $400.00 for the car and have not spent $3000.00 on the car so far. Almost all the mechanical has been gone through and the car is a runner. A skilled Hobbiest can restore this Cadillac on a budget but it does require some resourcesfulness much like that of the current owner. The reason that a lot of these Resto’s go into the stratosphere is there are not a lot of people willing to learn the skills and build up their toolboxes. It take time and patience to acquire these things but there is in my opinion few things that are more rewarding than working with your hands and your mind. There is also nothing more rewarding then standing next to your finished car and saying to that onlooker I did it myself and you can learn how too. In my life I have had formal training but that only gives you the basics the rest is learned at the school of hard knocks and a lot of trial and error. Back to the caddy with the principles I have laid out above there is no reason this car could not be restored for around $20k. JMHO.
1941 Cadillacs, Harley Earl designed, I think the best looking Cads ever. My second year in high school I bought a 1941 Cad Fleetwood 60S. What a beauty! All the other car guys had Ford or Chevy coupes, but I had my huge Cad. My friends loved it, Great car to drag the main in on Friday nights. I charged my passengers fifty cents each and with that I could almost fill the tank. That Cad saw me through college in LA. I sold it there after graduation for next to nothing. It was still an excellent driver. Went out and then got a new 1966 VW bug, a bit of a difference!