The ad lists it as both a ’52 and a ‘55, but this Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special on Craigslist in the Seattle area is a 1955 four-door sedan. It seems fairly solid, if a bit shabby around the edges. Thanks to Curvette for the tip. Seattle cars don’t rust appreciably, though they get wet a lot! This car doesn’t appear to have been restored, just treated gently. The asking price is $20,000.
The Cadillac’s numbers-matching 331-cubic-inch V-8 has 102,000 miles on it, and that’s a lot of road for powerplants of that era. And we know the engine has issues. The owner says, “I haven’t driven or started the car in about two years. There is a tick when running in the number-eight cylinder. Valve heights are equal (straight edge), pushrods are straight, new lifter in that cylinder, no excessive cam or rocker arm wear. Quiets down when I place my hand on the rocker arm for a brief moment. Could it be a plugged oil galley?” The mechanically savvy are invited to weigh in. A Hydramatic transmission puts the power on the ground.
The body does look good in the slightly fuzzy photos, and the owner asserts it “holds a magnet.” The paint is reportedly “about 60 percent original.” And the interior, with its expensive-to-replicate multi-color fabric, appears intact, though whether it’s original or not is hard to tell. The carpeting is in nice shape.
We don’t get engine or undercarriage shots, so the buyer will have to take it on faith that the car will run and drive when awakened from its two-year slumber, and that it isn’t falling apart from chassis rust. It’s probably going to need brakes, suspension, a gas tank clean-out or replacement, and miscellaneous odds and ends.
The Cadillac Sixty Special goes back to 1938, with this particular version introduced in 1954, a year before this car was built, with a $4,683 price tag. The Sixty Special model was up a notch from the Series 62. Wheelbase was 133 inches. Amenities added in the new model included better power steering and electric window washers. Options included a four-way power bench seats, power Bendix brakes. The engine now put out 230 horsepower, which was increased to 250 for the ’55 model year—this car.
There were modest styling changes to the Sixty Special in 1955, including a new grille and a $4,342 price, which helped sell 18,300 units. A remote trunk release was added as an option.
These are nice cars, if more than a bit thirsty and floaty on the road. Hagerty puts a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special at $31,800 in good condition. That makes the ask for this one a bit high, considering it needs engine work and has been sitting for two years.
John Travolta owned a ’55 Cadillac convertible in yellow with a white top. Very graceful looking too. This car is kind of chunky with the 4 doors and pillars. It’s certainly distinctive, you knew a Cadillac when you saw it.